The Gondwana Link: A plan to create a 1000km corridor of bushland | Hacker News Reader

The Gondwana Link: A plan to create a 1000km corridor of bushland

australiangeographic.com.au

72 pointssohkamyung25 comments

See also the Great Green Wall: https://www.greatgreenwall.org/about-great-green-wall

The Great Green Wall is an African-led movement with an epic ambition to grow an 8,000km natural wonder of the world across the entire width of Africa.

If you're interested in man made geography like this check out "The Slash" between Canada and The US, similar concept: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/uscanada-border-slash

To fully appreciate the extent of damage agriculture has caused to the natural landscape just have a look for yourself: https://www.google.com/maps/@-33.0776797,118.0602927,673042m...

"Natural" would be the dark green edges. Less that 9% of original heath, mallee and forest is left from what was there only 150 years ago.

The article notes that the Nature Conservancy has helped them purchase lands for the project. I’ve been a fan of that organization for a while, they do a lot of really great environmental projects around the world. It’s nice to see them helping out with another important one.

These are precisely the kinds of projects that we, mankind should be undertaking as penance for the trashing this planet thus far in our existence.

We must learn to live in harmony with nature not destroy it, no matter the cost. Because if we don't, we _will_ pay the ultimate price (extinction).

If one wanted to do a thru-hike of this, what fauna would one have to worry about taking your life. My understanding is that all the crocodiles are in the north of Australia. Are there any in the southwest of the country?

Any other animals and insects one would have to worry about?

No crocs in southwest Australia. There are many poisonous snakes but they're really not a worry - more scared of you than you are of them. Wear boots and long socks if you're concerned. A lot of poisonous spiders, too, but just shake your boots out before you put them on and you'll be right. The real danger is heat, lack of water and remoteness. Hiking in summer is extremely ill-advised.

The big thru-hike track in SW Australia is the Bibbulmun Track: https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

Venemous. They're only poisonous if you eat them.

Redback spiders

Tiger snakes

Dugites

No crocs in south West that I know of

Heat and dehydration during summer

Just snakes, spiders and the occasional drop bear. The risk is exaggerated though: 2 snake bite fatalities last year in total, 1 spider bite fatality in the last few decades.

Anywhere near civilisation and anti-venom is readily available. Snakes and spiders are only a concern when remote, and even then a healthy hydrated adult should fare well.

As others have said, dehydration is your probably your biggest risk. Access to fresh water can be challenge, especially in summer.

Depending on where you are, exposure would be the next biggest risk (many hikers get into trouble in the Stirling Ranges when they underestimate how cold it can get).

When you are hiking, you generally make enough noise/vibration to warn snakes of your approach. They will usually get out of the way. There is more risk if the temperature is still a bit cool. Snakes will then be sluggish, won't have moved away and may get startled. Wear gaiters it you are concerned and you'll be pretty well protected.

At certain times of the year, male kangaroos can get a bit obstreperous. It is rare though for one to get aggressive unless frightened or provoked. As with hiking trails elsewhere in the world, keep your food well sealed. This is minimise the risk of mice or quolls eating through your pack to get to the food.

If you are interested in hiking the South West of Australia check out the Bibbulmun track:

https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

Which meanders for ~1000km from Perth (state capital of Western Australia) to Albany. It passes through or close to many towns, so you can resupply relatively often.

There is also a MTB trail, the Munda Biddi, that follows a similar route:

https://www.mundabiddi.org.au/

Both trails have huts placed reasonable distances apart. The huts also have rain water tanks to help with the water access problem.

Interesting you ask this. Essentially there are no animals that are aggressively dangerous in this area.

You might have some problems with snakes if you step on them, but as most Australian venomous snakes, wearing something decent covering your legs and avoiding sticking your hands where they don't belong and you avoid that problem.

There are venomous spiders and scorpions but as others have said, keep you hands out of holes and gaps and put your gear away and you can avoid those.

Wild dogs (not really many dingoes any more) might cause you problems if you leave food around, same with feral pigs.

Other animals like Emu and Kangaroo can cause you problems if you bother them in the same way as a bull or horse could get pissed if you hassle it. Don't crowd the wild life and it tends to ignore you.

Your biggest risk if you are in eucalyptus forest is that some of the species of gum tree like dropping branches at the slightest provocation. Before you pitch a tent, look up and make sure that nothing can drop on you, especially if there is a wind.

Other issues are environmental. It can get really hot or cold with little notice, so make sure you have decent water and clothing suitable the season. Also keep you eyes open for bushfires in the dry season (around Christmas) as they can start and move very quickly.

Australia tends to get a bad rap WRT dangerous animals, but the truth is that considering the number of clueless tourists who visit our remote areas every year we have a very low number of deaths caused by animals. Mostly it's car accidents, drownings and exposure.

Blows my mind that in the entire article, not a single map is provided

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

^^ This. I only clicked through because I wanted to visualize where this would be. What a missed opportunity.

I was looking too, there is a map on http://www.gondwanalink.org.

Thanks, this is much better!

> from the karri forests of the state’s south-west to the semi-arid woodlands and mallee country bordering the Nullarbor Plain further east.

3rd paragraph.

Crude map based on existing roads: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Karri+forest,+Pemberton+WA+6...

Came here to say exactly that. How does a geographic article fail to include a map?

I scrolled and even turned off all my blockers just in case it was accidentally blocked. Couldn't believe it.

I control-F'd around to try to figure out what methods they were using. Is it just setting aside land? or is there engineering involved? wildlife bridges over roadways? I don't know!

it’s mostly virtue signalling- they described an older couple who bought some cheap land there, still live in Perth and offset their carbon footprint by planting some stuff on that land.

I find the same thing with my local newspaper. I'm sure it costs a lot to have photographers but man if the article says "raging fire"... I want to see some fire.

That's half the draw there / should bring in lots of clicks!

But no...

one of the side affects of every 'news' organization going all-in on "seo" is that they optimized articles for the crawlers, not for the human readers.

I didn't even get that far, the website wanted me to subscribe with a big screen that covered everything so I hit back.

Kind of sad because the topic is very interesting.

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