Marine Life Society of
South Australia Inc.
Newsletter
April 2009
No. 364
Next Meeting
The next General Meeting will be held on Tuesday
the 21st April. This will be held at the Glenelg Marine & Scuba upstairs
training room (the old Adventure Blue clubrooms) on the Patawalonga frontage at
8.00pm. Please enter via the stairs at the side of the building. If you cannot
find us on the night then phone me on 0407395566 and I
will give you directions.
Our speaker will be Alex Gaut who will be explaining the uses to which a
Grant from the NRM board will be put. MLSSA is the “Banker” for this project.
CONTENTS
The Concrete
Blocks & Rail Tracks Next To Port Hughes Jetty (Steve Reynolds)
Diving In Port
Lincoln (& More On Cuttlefish Attacks) (As told
to Steve Reynolds by Phil Porter)
Published in Dec/Jan
2009 sport diving magazine. See top of left page (Paul Macdonald)
The Ketch Vivid
(Steve Reynolds)
Neville Coleman’s Nudibranch Books (Steve Reynolds)
Longneck Tortoises ‘Feral’ In
Tasmania (Steve Reynolds)
Committee Nominations
If you wish to nominate for the Committee then please advise
me by the 14th April as all nominations have to be placed in the May
Newsletter.
Existing Committee only need to nominate themselves.
All others need a seconder from the membership.
The AGM will be held on May 19th.
Committee and Officer Reports for 2008/9
I need all reports by the 14th April for the May Newsletter please.
Membership Fees
As of the 1st April memberships become due. If you have joined recently and
paid full fees then we will count the 2009-10 year as part of your
contribution.
All others please pay asap or advise us if you do
not intend to rejoin.
The Concrete Blocks &
Rail Tracks Next To Port Hughes Jetty
by Steve Reynolds
Gerry Dowling,
who was raised at Port Hughes, read Part 3 of my article titled “Some of SA’s
Long Lost Jetties”, which was published in our April 2006 Newsletter (No.331).
When referring
to the Port Hughes jetty, my article said that, “On the beach at the right of
the jetty is a single row of concrete blocks leading into the water. I don’t
know what they were for. There seems to be a post on the beach that is in-line
with the blocks.”
The Port Hughes jetty with concrete blocks on the
right
(Photo by Steve Reynolds)
The article went
on to say that, “Not far from the jetty are some rail tracks going into the
sea. These are near a small breakwater at the Port Hughes marina. Locals told
me that the tracks were used for rail trucks loading grain on to boats for
delivery to ships anchored offshore. I recently took another look at the rail
tracks and they appear to have possibly been part of a slipway.”
Rail tracks going into the sea near a small
breakwater
(Photo by Noeleen Reynolds)
Gerry Dowling
contacted us to let us know that the concrete blocks near the Port Hughes jetty
were originally put there to hold the (removable) dais for the Advertiser Beach
Girl Quest. Gerry said that the Quest was held every Australia Day during the
carnival at Port Hughes back in the 1950s and early 1960's.
I recently took
another look at the concrete blocks (whilst visiting Port Hughes jetty for a
dive there) and I was able to take the following photo of one of the blocks: -
One of the concrete blocks at Port Hughes jetty
(Photo by Steve Reynolds)
Gerry also said
that the “rail lines (going into the sea near the small breakwater at the Port
Hughes marina) were indeed part of a slipway where the local professional
fishermen would annually slip their fishing boats for maintenance and a coat of
paint.”
Once again,
whilst visiting Port Hughes jetty for a dive there, I was able to take the
following photos of the slipway.
The slipway near the Port Hughes jetty
(Photos by Steve Reynolds)
At the top of the slipway
there is an old shed that houses a winch. Also at the top of the slipway,
outside of the shed on the slipway’s rail lines, is a ship cradle. The photos
above also show a boat on a nearby stand.
Many thanks go to Gerry for these fascinating
details about the concrete blocks and rail tracks.
Diving In Port Lincoln
(& More On Cuttlefish Attacks)
(As told to Steve
Reynolds by Phil Porter)
Phil Porter from
Port Lincoln recently became a new MLSSA member. Phil said that he has been
diving in the Port Lincoln area for many years. He did a FAUI scuba course in
1981, and has been into photography since that time.
“My main
interest has always been the incredible local marine life, and I had built up a
great collection of hundreds of photos of both fish and invertebrates.
Unfortunately, I lost the lot in the 2005 bushfires, along with my diving gear.
I haven’t done any scuba diving since then, but intend to get back into it, as
my daughter, 13, is very keen and wants to become a marine biologist”, Phil
said.
“I still do
quite a lot of snorkelling, but haven't as yet got back into SCUBA. Hopefully I
will soon though. My daughter wanting to learn SCUBA might just give me the
incentive I need!!” he said.
He went on to
say, “I have just read with interest the article in the 2007 journal regarding
cuttlefish attacks on divers
(http://www.mlssa.asn.au/journals/2007Journal.htm).
I had an encounter with a large cuttlefish many years ago while diving on a
shipwreck just north of here. I’m pretty certain it happened just after Easter.
We had been planning to dive the wreck of an old fishing trawler, the Narracoopa, about 20km north of Port Lincoln over
the Easter weekend.”
(The Narracoopa
was a 294-ton wooden tuna boat built in 1940 and she sank on 25/6/1968 at Cape
Bolingbroke (Spencer Gulf) after she burnt due to an explosion in her engine
room.)
“The weather was
against us that weekend, but we dived there shortly afterwards, maybe only a
week or two later on. This is when the cuttlefish ‘attack’ happened. Does this
fit in with other attacks time wise?”
(My 2007 Journal
article titled “Cuttlefish Attacks On Divers”
suggested that autumn appeared to be the danger period when it comes to the
possibility of cuttlefish attacking SA divers. One or two weeks after Easter
certainly falls within autumn, March to May.)
“We were diving from a boat in about 20metres of
water. I saw the cuttlefish sitting among the wreck and went in close for a
photo. It suddenly rushed out and grabbed the camera, hanging on for several
moments. It let go then retreated a little way, before suddenly deciding it
wanted more. It again attacked the camera, almost ripping it from my hands. I
thought it was probably getting upset because it was able to see its own
reflection in the camera lens (it was an SLR in a housing with a large glass
lens in front), but after letting go and retreating the second time, it swam
back out and attacked my friend who was swimming slowly past. He pushed it away
with his fins, and we both swam off, leaving it in peace. Toward the end of the
dive, however, it again attacked us as we swam past it, heading back toward the
anchor rope. It grabbed my friend's arm, but didn’t bite. After pushing it
away, it went back among the wreck and sat watching us until we retreated.”
Aggressive
cuttlefish on Seacliff Reef
(Photo by Antony
King)
“This is the
only time I have ever witnessed aggressive behavior from a cuttlefish, though I
have been very close to them many times.” Phil said.
He added, “If
any of your members are coming over this way at any time, please look me up. I
would love to advise on good dive spots, and maybe go
out on a dive or two. In this area we have a huge diversity of life, because of
the varying habitats. Port Lincoln sits right where the shallower, sheltered
waters of Spencer Gulf meet the deeper oceanic waters of the south; hence we
tend to get a great mixture of species.”
When Philip Hall sent me a copy of Phil’s message,
I welcomed Phil (& Amanda) to MLSSA, adding, “I'm happy that you were
interested in my article on cuttlefish attacks (see
http://www.mlssa.asn.au/journals/2007Journal.htm
). I am just as interested in your cuttlefish attack story. I will do whatever
I can with your cuttlefish information.”
This was published in the Dec/Jan
2009 sport diving magazine. See top of left page - Paul Macdonald
by Steve Reynolds
In my article
“Captain Thomas Swiggs” in the “MLSSA Newsletter”, February 2007 (No.340), I
incorrectly stated that the ketch Vivid was one of the ships that Swiggs
had owned. It now seems that Swiggs’ youngest son, Walter, had actually owned
the Vivid.
This wooden
two-masted ketch had one deck and a square stern. She was built in Latrobe,
Tasmania in 1876, Her dimensions were 48 tons, 65’
long, 18’6” wide and 6’7” deep. She arrived in Port Adelaide, South Australia
in February 1877 and was registered by Edward W Russell and JT Russell.
She made her
first trip in SA waters from Port Adelaide to Port Wakefield later that same
year (1877) and was in that trade until mid-1882. She then began trading from
Port Adelaide to the upper reaches of Spencer Gulf, including Port Pirie, Port
Broughton, Port Augusta and Franklin Harbour.
The Vivid
was owned by Walter Swiggs, in partnership with Deex
and Fricker, by the turn of the century (around
1900). It seems, however, that Deex and Fricker later continued to own the Vivid in
partnership without Swiggs.
An auxillary
engine was added to her in 1915. On 9th April 1932 she left Tumby
Bay for Port Lincoln and wasn’t seen again. In his book “South Australian
Shipwrecks – A Data Base 1802-1989”, Peter Christopher says that she was lost
in a gale near Point Bolingbroke, Eyre Peninsula. Three lives and her cargo of
1000 bags of wheat were lost.
According to
Peter Christopher, no trace of the Vivid was found, until now! On 13th
April 2008, just over 76 years to the day that she left Tumby Bay for Port
Lincoln, I discovered a painting of a ketch named “Vivid”. I found it at the
Phillip Kennedy Centre’s Nursing Home in Wigley St,
Largs Bay. The painting was signed by a J(?) Prideaux.
I was able to take the following photo of the painting: -
My photo of a
painting of a ketch named Vivid (by a J(?) Prideaux)
located at Phillip Kennedy Centre’s Nursing Home in
Wigley St, Largs Bay (taken
by Steve Reynolds 13/4/08)
The ketch in the painting seems to fit the
description of the Vivid built in Latrobe, Tasmania in 1876 – a wooden
two-masted ketch with one deck and a square stern.
Neville
Coleman’s Nudibranch Books
by Steve Reynolds
Neville Coleman
has published some 65 or more books, most of them about marine life. He has now
published his fourth book on nudibranchs.
“Nudibranchs of
Australasia” was Neville Coelman’s first nudibranch
book (with co-author Dr Richard Willan, now of the
Northern Territory Museum). This paperback book was first published in 1984 by
Neville Coleman's AMPI. It has 56 pages and contains photos of 168 Australasian
nudibranchs with a basic introduction & details on the described species. ISBN. SER.0-949 373 –00.
“Nudibranchs of
the South Pacific Vol.1” was Neville Coleman’s second nudibranch book. This
paperback book was first published in 1989 by Neville Coleman's Sea Australia
Resource Centre. It has 64 pages and contains over 170 photos of nudibranchs in
living colour. ISBN. 0 947 325 02 6.
“1001
Nudibranchs - Catalogue of Indo-Pacific Sea Slugs” was Neville Coleman’s third
nudibranch book. This paperback book was first published in 2001 by Neville
Coleman's Underwater Geographic P/L. It has 144 pages and contains over 1700
full colour pictures. ISBN. 0 947
325 25 5.
Neville has now
published his fourth nudibranch book. It is titled “Nudibranchs Encyclopedia”.
This hardcover book has only just been published. It is said to be the
“ultimate ID guide”, with over 3000 images. Details regarding the new book were
published in the
August 07 issue of Dive Log magazine.
Nudibranch
articles written by Neville are often published in Dive Log magazine. The May
& June 2007 issues, for example, included Parts 1 & 2 of Neville’s
article titled “All About Nudibranchs Defence Mechanisms”.
Neville’s
“Identity Crisis” column in Sportdiving Magazine
usually discusses nudibranch discoveries.
If you wish to find out more about Neville
Coleman, or any of his books, visit Neville’s website at www.nevillecoleman.com.au .
Longneck Tortoises ‘Feral’ In Tasmania
by Steve Reynolds
I was surprised to recently
read in the April 2007 issue of “Angler News” (published by Tasmania’s Inland
Fisheries Service) that Eastern Longneck tortoises, Chelodina
longicollis, are not native to Tasmania and they
are considered feral animals. There have apparently been quite a few reports of
the Longneck tortoises from the north of Tasmania recently. Members of the
public who come across these tortoises in a farm dam
or public water way are being advised to report them to the State’s Parks and
Wildlife. They are asked to call Tasmania’s Wildlife Incident Enquires on
62336556 to report them. Chelodina longicollis is the tortoise that occurs in the River
Murray, Lake Bonney in the south-east of SA, Ewens
Ponds, Eight Mile Creek and Piccaninnie Ponds. The book “Biological Science –
the web of life” discusses the “Long-necked tortoise” and its community
interrelationships.
Longneck tortoise, Chelodina longicollis
(courtesy -
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_long_neck_tortoise__chelodina_longicollis02.jpg)
Photographer: Peter - http://www.flagstaffotos.com.au/gallery2/main.php
KANGAROO ISLAND PENGUIN CENTRE
KINGSCOTE WHARF.
P.O. BOX 536,
KINGSCOTE. K.I. SA 5223 PH: 08)8553 3112
FX: 08)8553 3025
OPEN EVERY EVENING
TOURS TAKE 1 HOUR AND INCLUDE OUR GUIDES FEEDING SOME OF THE SEACREATURES IN OUR SALTWATER AQUARIUMS FOLLOWED BY A TORCHLIT FORESHORE WALK AMONGST KINGSCOTE’S LITTLE PENGUIN COLONY WHERE ON DARK NIGHTS WE LOOK AT THE EVENING STARS.
IN BETWEEN THE TOURS THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE AQUARIUMS ONLY at $2.00 EACH.
TOURS & OPENING HOURS
(times change during the year due to daylight saving)
Opening Hours: April, May, June, July, August, September.
7.00 pm. Tours: 7.30 pm & 8.30 pm
Opening Hours: Early October, November, February, March.
8.00 pm. Tours: 8.30 pm & 9.30 pm.
Opening Hours: November, December.
8.15. pm. Tours: 8.45 pm & 9.30 pm
PRICES to 1/4/09
Adults: $15.00
Child: $ 6.00 (3 years old to 14 years inclusive)
Family: $36.00 (2 adults & 2 children, extra child $3.00)
Concession/Student: $13.00 (must show card)
PELICAN FEEDING
5.00 PM EVERYDAY AT THE KINGSCOTE WHARF.
A popular lively & informative talk at the water’s edge at a cost of $3.00 per person.
