Tiwi Islands Destination
The Tiwis are made up of just two islands - Bathurst and Melville. So while ET's trying his luck offshore, I'll be exploring Melville, which happens to be Australia's second largest island, after Tasmania.
These long stretches of beach are home to the Olive-Ridley turtle, a species struggling to survive. We're looking for a nest…but it seems we're not the first.
There are some dog tracks there and you can see where the nest's been dug up.
The dingoes have had a feast. All that's left are a few fragments of shell.
Talk about hurdles for turtles. Even if they make it to the water, they still have plenty of ocean predators. And if they reach maturity, the turtles are hunted by the islanders.
So this project is designed to find out more about this fragile species…
The local conditions play a huge part in determining the sex of the hatchlings. If the sand is hot all the eggs turn into males…cool it's all females. That puts a whole new meaning to the term hot-blooded male !
As part of the project the locals have fitted five adult turtles with satellite transmitters to track their movements.
Now when they're not tracking turtles, these kids are kicking footies. Everyone here is AFL mad. Famous Tiwi footballers include Essendon's Michael Long and Geelong's Ronnie Burns.
Mainland Australia might only be a hundred kilometres away, but Tiwi art has developed its own unique flavour. Like these amazing burial poles, which are carved to mark the passing of an islander.
The Munupi Arts centre has grown up over the last 12 years, and with this incredible collection of paintings, pottery, carvings and crafts, you can see why Tiwi art has become a thriving industry.
The Tiwi people are taking huge steps towards financial independence, not only through art and tourism but also in the timber industry.
They recently shipped 7000 tonnes of sawlogs to China, and plan to export a million tonnes of timber over the next five years. That means big dollars for the fledgling industry… and jobs for the locals.
Late afternoon and the heat here is still intense. Kate reckons she knows the perfect spot to cool off. Taracumbi Falls - a beautiful natural swimming hole.
We toured the Tiwis with the help of the traditional land owners and the Tiwi Land Council. Log onto their website to find out more about these beautiful islands.
If you want to help protect the Olive Ridley turtle, go to the World Wildlife Fund Australia website or the land council site.
The Tiwis forestry project is run in conjunction with Sylvatech. Contact them for more details.
Go to tiwiart.com to check out the amazing artworks of the Munupi Arts Association.
We drove a
Toyota Hilux around Melville Island. Check out all their vehicles
on the Toyota website.
