Coen
is situated among low wooded hills on the Western side of the Northern
extension of the Great Dividing Range (view). The Coen River flows
into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Coen is however closer to the East coast
than the West. The valleys and plains nearby are covered with savannah
grassland and open woodland, especially to the West. In the higher
ranges and river valleys are areas of rainforest, and in the estuaries
near the coast extensive belts of mangroves.
Seasons
For practical purposes, there are two seasons: the Wet or monsoon from
December to April or May (preceded by heat and thunderstorms in
October-November), and the Dry for the rest of the year. The Indigenous
people describe six seasons, recognised according to the times when
certain flowers or birds appear, or when particular foods are
available. Rivers are seasonal, most having little or no flow by the
end of the Dry. But the Wet brings flooding, and road access is
effectively cut off most of the time. However locals say it is the best
time of the year. The landscape is green and fresh, many migratory
birds arrive, and it is not unpleasantly hot.
Temperatures in the Dry (cool season) range from 25-28degC max. to 10degC
min., Oct-Nov 30-40degC max., mid-Wet season 26-30degC max.
Fires
As the
land dries out after May, it becomes progressively more parched,
roads become dusty, the long grass dies and invites bushfires. So by
the middle of the Dry vegetation is cleared with controlled burning
("cool burn") at times when weather conditions are most suited. In
previous times this allowed fresh growth which attracted game, and also
made it easier to hunt. And it helped avoid rampant or "hot" fires.
The
indigenous people burnt land in stages and over small areas (like a
mosaic). On cattle stations this pattern was changed. The type of fire
affects grass and tree growth in areas where termite mounds abound.
This is a factor in endangering the Golden-Shouldered
Parrot,
which nests in termite mounds. The
fire management
technique
now recommended to save the parrots
is similar to that used by the Aboriginal people. (See also under
Birds)
Indigenous
Knowledge
The
importance of Indigenous knowledge in caring for
country is
now recognised. Centres being set up assisted by
grants from the Natural Heritage Trust ("Land and Sea Centres") will
conduct research and collect local knowledge for sustainable land use
and protection of endangered animal and plant species. Many edible and
medicinal plants can be studied and some may be utilised. It is
important to collect and record this knowledge before it is lost. Some
other projects already exist; one such project
is in focussed on Lakefield National Park, to the South-East.
Birds
Coen
itself is a good area for bird-watching, and so is the Port
Stewart area on the East coast. The birdsong chorus is one of the
pleasures of waking in the morning. Birds which can be seen in Coen in
the Dry include Blue-Faced and other Honeyeaters, Bronzewing and other
Pigeons, Figbirds, Great Bowerbirds, Butcherbirds, and Pheasant
Coucals, as well as Galahs and Currawongs. Also there is a project for
the protection
of the Golden-Shouldered Parrot at Artemis Station, South
of
Musgrave River on the way from Cairns.
Further
afield the Iron Range and the McIlwrath Range are sites where
many birds, some rare or migratory, may be seen. Iron Range National
Park has birds found nowhere else in Australia: Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus
Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Magnificent
Riflebird, Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, and Trumpet Manucode, to name a few.
Fish
Crocodiles must be expected in the lower reaches of rivers and even in
lagoons remaining after floods. But fishing is very good in these
places, in estuaries and in the sea (Fishing in Cape
York). The rights of indigenous people to hunting and fishing
on their own lands should be respected, as many of these areas are
within their boundaries. Fish, shellfish and occasionally turtles and
turtle eggs are an important part of their diet when they are "on
country".
Pigs
One introduced species is the feral
pig, now responsible for extensive damage and sullying
of water sources. But it is also a food source. The pigs have extended
their range far and wide within the last 100 years. Some are thought to
have originated from animals which escaped when Captain Cook's ship
Endeavour beached at Cooktown, but some people say they came from
Indonesia or Papua-New Guinea. It is much more likely that they escaped
from early European settlements all over the country.
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