Skullbone Scientific Expedition
LIVE: 10th-14th October 2011 (EXPEDITION COMPLETE)
Task: Explore and document the biodiversity of Skullbone Plains to assist the Tasmanian Land Conservancy to manage it effectively.
How Skullbone Plains got its name... by Kieran SHS
WARNING: This story contains adult themes and was composed on a dark night in the wilderness. Read at your own risk (and some of the others were far more gruesome...).
1967, Date 12th of March, Day unknown
Fifth day out of prison and I know already that the Risdon guards are after me. They said I couldn't do it, that I was lying but they were wrong I did it and I enjoyed it. His last scream was all I need, to know I wanted to do it again. Its only now they I think about, how I could have killed someone in cold blood. I would gladly do it once more. My traps have not worked nothing to live off but insects and water. I pray that something turns up tomorrow.
1967, Date 13th of March, Day no idea
I must be careful not to draw attention to myself that is why I've hidden in a cave just near the edge of a plain. My traps finally worked but not the best. A man was caught in one my traps, his neck was broken. I used the knife he was carrying to cut off his head just to make sure he was dead but now I have a blunt knife. I need to find a way to sharpen it so I can finally eat.
1967, Date 14th of March, Day possibly Friday
Success and what big meal I had, I kept his skull because he kind of reminded me of the kill, I cleaned it myself. I secured it to the wall of my cave just above my bed; I seem to sleep easier with it there. I found a paper today, there was a bit about me in it. They had nicknamed me Skullbone; I take the skulls and leave the bones, I like it.
1967, Date 21st of March, Day Defiantly Saturday
Finally a working pen again, after eight more people only one was carrying a pen. I know that they will soon get me; I can hear dogs barking in the distance as they search everywhere. I know that my time is short soon they will get me but not if I can help it, I have enjoyed life and I do not fear death. This is my final goodbye, so goodbye.
Three days later Risdon guards were told that Skullbone was found but he was dead. Nine skulls in total were found along with this diary. I have concluded Skullbone in a delusional state of mind which then led to the psychotic killing of the nine people. His so called cave was just a strung up bit of canvas and his traps didn't work on wildlife because they were in the middle of a plain. What surprises me is how he escaped but then again he was a guard.
Friday 14th October 2011 11.20am (on the bus) - Day 5
Word of the day: mammoths
"Last night we read out our stories of how Skullbone Plains got its name. My story was the judge's choice. The voting system was done by Mr Grubert, Andrew, Adam, Luke and Sally. Three points to their first choice, two points to their second choice and one point to their third choice." Kieran (Kieran's story will be published next week on this page).
"We've had a good experience with it snowing one day and progressing throughout the week. A few of us were lucky enough to find some pineapple grass berries, which we named pine melons. They were red, small and oval shaped. They tasted very similar to watermelon. The funniest moment would have been last night with Logan's story, 'Some say they came by whale, large turtle or giant pelican... But others say they just came by boat', a quote from his story." Damon
"We've had a fun time up at Skullbone and we were all sad about having to pack up camp and leave this morning, although we were looking forward to sleeping in our own beds. One of the best parts of the trip was hearing the stories that we all came up with about how Skullbone Plains got its name. Everyone had really good ideas, like 'man beasts', 'mountain goats', 'cannibals', 'mammoths', 'necromancers' and 'left hands'. Hopefully we'll put some up on the website soon, so you can read them." Madeline
"I am sad to be going home as I will miss pretty much everything. From the snow on Tuesday to the sun on Thursday, I will especially miss the quiet evenings sitting in a group eating food cooked by us. It was cool. I will be glad to have a shower or bath though!" Mae
"The weather at Skullbone Plains is crazy. One day we are walking in the snow, with frozen fingers and toes, and all rugged up in our beanies and gloves. The next day we are dressed in our waterproof gear, dodging big puddles in the pouring rain. Before you know it we are wearing shorts and with our feet in the creek, soaking in the sun." Kiana
"On the last night of Skullbone we all told our stories. Most of us had a story, but some didn't, so we had to make it up on the spot. Anyway, the first couple of days I wanted to go home, but now I don't want to leave." Tom
"The hardest part of Skullbone Plains was definitely leaving. To begin with I thought Skullbone Plains was tiring.... and boring, it was cold and miserable. The only good thing about the cold was the snow and the only good thing about that is the fact that it made washing up easy. As the camp went on I started to make new friends or strengthen friendships I never knew existed. By the end of the trip I almost didn't want to leave. The only thing that made it easier was the thought of a hot shower." Martin
"Today we are going home. I am missing my shower, but it's been great." River
"Today was the last day and we had to get up early to pack up in time. I think I will miss it up there even though there was bad weather at first. As it got better, so did everyone's mood and it was great." Logan
"The last day of a camp or an expedition, can either be energetic - with people keen to go home, or it can be slow - as fatigue has set in. For us it was a buzz of excitement, as the thought of a shower and warm bed played on our mind. Although we were excited to get on the road, I think I can speak for the whole group when I say, we will miss and definitely remember Skullbone Bones. We experienced a lot of magical things there, like snow, then sunshine two days later. It will not be forgotten." Sam
The students have said it better, but from myself, Doug G, Sally P, Leuke M and Adam P, I'd like to congratulate the team for a truly adventurous week. Being the first Skullbone expedition we needed a group with the variety of skills and abilities to get through some really tough conditions. These guys did it.
A few extra behind the scenes people also need a thankyou- Bec and Nic on the website, and Tim and Sally from the TLC. Watch out for the movie version in the coming months too. This adventure's not quite over... Andrew Hughes
Thursday 13 October 2011 4.57pm - Day 4
Temperature: 15 degrees Celsius (estimated)
Weather: Clear skies, light breeze, warm sun.
Word of the day: pineapple and watermelon
Camera check first thing this morning. Damon reported a sneaky forest raven had cleaned up the pear slices. Camera two was malfunctioning but there was a possible shadow of quoll or possum? Camera three was a possum party with over 100 photos including up to 3 in one shot and two smooching!
Then we had a briefing on the day's activities. Our plan was to find a possible hut site past Kenneth Lagoon and Banana Tarn. At Kenneth Lagoon we checked the fourth camera which showed a hyperactive brushtail possum jumping around. The whole team then weaved through the pineapple grass swamp, avoiding the sphagnum moss beds. River, Sam, Maddy and Martin shared the lead navigator job and led us across the drier heath to Banana Tarn.
After morning tea we split into Alpha and Foxtrot teams again to begin our hunt for the possible hut. Team Foxtrot navigated ESE for about 150m and then turned SSW until hitting an old logging road. At the same time Team Alpha headed SSW and found the hut ruins 519m (Mr Grubert's GPS reading) away. All that was left was an outline of the foundations and a crumbling stone chimney. We don't know the history of the hut but perhaps it was an old trappers hut?
After an arduous journey back across the swamp, choosing the longest and most treacherous route possible, we continued back to camp. Fatigue had set in so the afternoon was spent near camp with everyone working on their stories for how Skullbone Plains got it's name. There's some pretty grim tales coming out and the winning story will be published tomorrow in our last Scottsdale Scientific Expedition report.
Highlights:
"Today my highlights were getting to the hut and the that the whole day was the best so far this week." Tom
"Today was good, it was sunny and we had a great lunch!" River
"We were walking across a swampy type of area. To get across we had to jump across mounds of grass. It was a special type of grass known as pineapple grass (Astelia aplina). During December they produce a small red berry, but Damon and I found some early ones. They were delicious a bit like watermelon." Maddy
"I learnt the scientific name for Eastern candle heath- Richea acerosa. It's tricky to say, how would you do it?" Kieran
Wednesday 12 October 2011 4.17pm - Day 3
Temperature: 6 degrees Celsius
Weather: no snow (!), drizzling rain this morning, clearing this afternoon.
Wildlife: Smooth froglet (heard), wombat x 5, wallaby 15+, devil footprints (suspected), forest raven, currawong, bumblebee (insect not transformer).
In the morning we checked the cameras. The first had no photos, the second captured a brushtail possum and the third... a Tassie devil. We can't tell if it's healthy or has a facial tumour so we'll show it to the experts when we're out of the bush.
With the rain easing we split into two groups, team Alpha and team Foxtrot.
Team Foxtrot report:
Alpha team, following Kieran, trekked back out to Lake Ina to see if anything was captured on the camera. Unfortunately all we found was 6-7 photos of moving plantation! There was a lot of disappointment because it looked like a good position. Filling drink bottles from the lake, Sam's was sacrificed to use as a container for the geocache. A geocache is a hidden treasure that can only be found using clues and a GPS coordinate. One of the next expeditions can try and find our geocache. On the way back everyone investigated scats, some perhaps a little bit too closely. No names mentioned here. Later, the team set 2 cameras and we're hoping for more devils or maybe quolls.
Team Alpha report:
On our way to Kenneth Lagoon we found some devil scat. It didn't smell but it looked green and furry. Using sticks we pulled apart the scat and found crushed up bones. Later on we found a devil paw print, it was small with four toes. Reaching Kenneth Lagoon we re-discovered the ruins of a collapsed bush hut and a wombat skull with no flesh. Bottles, a bed and a seat in a tree told us that someone lived, or visited here, not so long ago. The Red Bull was a dead give away! Leaving the old 4WD track we went cross country and trekked across a swamp. Jumping from pineapple grass clump to pineapple grass clump half of us got wet feet. Using compass and map our navigators carved a track (not literally) to an unnamed tarn, since named Banana Tarn. After setting a geocache and shovelling down a quick lunch we retraced our steps to Kenneth Lagoon. There we set a remote sensing camera near the hut. Using a short cut off the track we arrived back at camp in some welcome sunshine. Big day.
Tuesday 11 October 2011 4pm - Day 2
Location: Skullbone plains campsite
Estimated temperature: 4 degrees
Weather conditions: snow with patches of sunlight
Word of the day: tarpaulin
Wildlife: wedge tailed eaglex3, flame robin, fantail, wombat and Bennett's wallabiesx5
"Today we awoke to about four inches of snow everywhere, and it was fun to play in. After that we went for a 9km walked to Lake Ina and back. We set up 4 motion sensing cameras to capture wildlife over night." Logan and Sam
"To set up the cameras we tied them low to the trunks of trees and put out some bait. The bait consisted of salami, oats, apple and pear. We hope to get some pictures of wombats, Tassie devils, wallabies and spotted-tailed quolls." Maddy and Kiana
"Today we woke up to blankets and blankets of snow and the snow covered all the tents so they became white. The group spent some time playing in the snow and before we knew it we were off on a walk to lake Ina. We encountered a snow storm and there were bits of snow flying everywhere and into our faces. On the way back to our camp site most of the snow had melted and we had encountered a wedge tailed eagle which was being chased by a raven. Can anyone find out why a raven would chase an eagle?" Damon
Monday 10 October 2011 - Day 1
Location: Skullbone Plains, exact coordinates uncertain.
Estimated temp: -2 degrees celsius
Weather: Overcast worsening through day to rain, sleet and snow. Wind to 15 knots WSW.
Wildlife: wombat (1), Bennett's wallaby (12+), echidna (1), sheep (flock), kookaburra (1), leeches (3-in Tom's tent).
Word of the day:inaugural
'On the drive up it was not so much fun. When we got here it was raining, then it started to snow.' River (River is a last minute replacement for Tristan who was unable to come. We'll update the members page when it's not so cold!)
'On the trip so far we have seen multiple species of wildlife and have struggled to find a campsite, and put tents up in freezing rain with frozen fingers. The rain was so cold it soon turned to snow.' Mae
'We split into two teams to find a suitable campsite. One team went up to a flat plain and the other went down towards a different flat area. We voted for the lower area and made camp there.' Kieran
The inaugural Skullbone expedition kicked off today with 10 students (see the members page), Doug Grubert, Sally Prescott (guide), Leuke Marriott (cameraman) and Adam Prairie (assistant guide- Rosny College)... and me. And boy-o-boy did we have a doozy of a day to get started! You can see from the students report above that the weather has been challenging and downright cold. After a long drive from Scottsdale to Bronte Park via Cressy we collected the keys from the shop and headed towards Skullbone Plains. None of us had been here before so it wasn't long before we were lost on the network of old logging roads. Or 'geographically challenged' as I heard from the back seat of the bus! Back on track we arrived at the last locked gate and set off to find a camp. The weather just kept getting worse, or more spectacular depending on how you looked at it. Everyone chipped in wonderfully and the tents and tarps were set up with just enough daylight to cook up some pasta, tuna and parmesan cheese. The students left it to me to cater so they're eating some very simple recipes. I'm writing this up from the tent and everyone is tucked up in tents. It's going to be a cold night.
YouTube
Students thoughts before the expedition!
Funded by an Innovative Flexible Education Grant