shoalwater bay - enviro disaster

[seatime]

G'day Ausfishers

An article in the Courier Mail today advertising a documentary;

'Dirty War, SBS, Thursday 8.30pm.

It turns out the American and Australian military were planning to expand Shoalwater Bay in Central Qld into a joint training base.

If that were to happen the environmental impact could be catastrophic, as experienced in the Phillipines with their US military bases. The Yanks aren't likely to go home after they get a foothold in Qld permanently.

These guys create as much pollution as a small city, and probably more toxic. There would be much larger closed zones and no-go areas, and not just during exercises, all of the time. The surrounding area will be ruined for all time.

rgds

[robersl]

just look at the gabage that washed up from the last boat of there's that docked in brisbane what would they do on the ground

[lippa]

yanks have been coming for years to shoalwater. i not a tree hugger or greeny basher, but in oneday around brisbane we'd throw more gunk down the drain, and sooty crap in the air then them blokes would in 6 mths. no go areas are there all the time. local townships up that way get faxed when shoalwater is restricted.

cheers

lippa

[Smailesy]

im with you lippa

[lippa]

bugger double posted

[NeilD]

I don't know about the extra pollution but I would feel pretty comfortable with a sizeable permanent US force sitting on my doorstep

[Spaniard_King]

bugger double posted

sure Lippa your just rakin up the posts hey

Garry

[seatime]

It's a beautiful area around that part of the coast, I'd hate to see seppo's there fulltime. There could be thousands of them living there permanently.

Been ashore at Pt Clinton, Pearl Bay and Cape Townshend from a yacht (sounds yank already) it's great, and fishy too.

They used our ship one exercise, they allowed us to transit the restricted areas while they tracked us and played games. I had 20 targets on the radar at one stage. One of their carriers (Kitty Hawk ?)was over the horizon somewhere.

It'll be worth watching anyway.

[Feral]

Thats all right - my daughter wont be anywhere near there!

Last exercise I was in town same time as the yanks, was in Gladstone a few years back.

The local girls ran the town out of penicillian after the yanks left!

[Jackinthebox]

Did anyone see the report I saw about six months ago on the Oz Military's use of spent radioactive material in their bombs, missiles, etc (apparently it makes the warhead much more potent)

They were talking about using much more of this material for training and weapons testing - particularly at Shoalwater Bay - the bad thing is, this material is still radioactive and a number of nuclear physicists were saying that the radioactive particles can then be accumulated in the wildlife of the area(including fish) and if we eat any of these fish - hello Cancer, Leukemia and other fun things!

And what about the soldiers who have to run around in this area? (can anyone say F1-11 maintenance workers?)

Too bad the islands out here are awesome fishing spots.

Another great idea brought to you by your friendly government!

[harry_h01]

I can say Airframe fitter cause I was one, and I 'm also one of the Deseal boys.

As to Shoalwater Bay, it is a nature reserve and as such cannot be used similar to the other overseas bases the yanks have set up. Some of those bases have been occupied since the end of the First World War. They had storage areas for different weapons etc as precautionalry methods in the event the Reds hit the stock piles in the USA.

The reason for some of the damaged caused to the environment is the locals. The Phillipinoes admitted to opening drums, burning equipment, and causing disruptions and damage on purpose. They wanted the yanks out.

Shoalwater is a beutiful place and I have done a few exercises up there. We were under strict guidlines and controls regarding waste etc, and the weapons we used and that were used in the areas / ranges were controlled. The firing of depleted uranium was strickly out of bounds and there was an occasion when a US exercise was set packing off home because they wanted to test fire certain weapons.

So I welcome the setting up of a training base, but with controls.

Harry

PS the fishing in the restricted zones is a close kept secret, but it some of the best protected reefs in Australia, with some monster fish swimming in there.