48. Laurie’s Walk

On a sunny morning in March this year I joined a small group of ladies to take part in an outdoor activity known as “Laurie’s Walk”. I had heard about it from friends and neighbours and had seen it advertised in the Sandgate Guide, but I had somehow never managed to be able to share in this exciting free adventure, which happens monthly at low tide on the tidal flats of Moreton Bay.  

“Laurie’s Walk” was started in 2006 by Laurie Jeays. Laurie was an active member of several community groups in Sandgate, including the Keep Sandgate Beautiful Association, which sponsors the monthly beach walks. As a well-known environmentalist he fought to save the local wetlands and helped to overturn a decision to dredge Cabbage Tree Creek, the aim of which had been to make way for foreshore developments. The area was subsequently declared a reserve.

Laurie’s active involvement in many important community projects included his contribution to the establishment of the Einbunpin Festival  (see post 30). In recognition of his community work a pathway which runs alongside Cabbage Tree Creek was named “Laurie Jeay’s Way”, in his honour.

Today, we are fortunate that “Laurie’s Walk” is able to continue under the capable direction of Pam Verney. I had met Pam previously, when she was the President of the Sandgate Historical Society and Museum.

Pam welcomed us on a sunny Friday morning and, after a short introduction, gave us a safety briefing about the 3 main potential hazards involved, which needed to be mentioned despite the fact that we were very unlikely to encounter them. The first was the stone fish (see  post 1), the second the razor clam (which can be quite long, and is buried in the sand with sharp, upward-facing edges exposed), and the third was the very small, but extremely venomous, blue ringed octopus.

Before we went down the steps to the beach to begin our walk, Pam showed us some interesting old pictures of Shorncliffe and Sandgate, and gave us a brief history of some of the landmarks within our viewing range.  She told us about the old Baptist church and related the history of the old bathing sheds which used to stand along the foreshore, some for private, and others, for public use. At high tide swimmers could enter and leave them “without offending public decency”. The last one was licensed to the nuns of the Sacred Heart Convent, but finally disappeared in 1974. We also learned about the origin of the name “Lover’s Walk” (refer post 3). It was obvious to me that Pam is a fountain of knowledge as far as the history of Sandgate is concerned.

Once we were on the beach I was amazed by what we were shown. There was life all around us and a lot to take in. Because Moreton Bay is very tidal there are plenty of barnacles in the crevices of the rocks. Prior to this walk I had thought of barnacles as simply just crusty, boring and dead things which attach themselves to rocks and to the bottom of ships. I was not at all interested in them and probably would never have given them another thought until Pam enlightened me. I now think that they are fascinating!

I learned that barnacles are living creatures and are related to crabs and lobsters. I have since discovered that there are 2100 species of them and that they feed on plankton in the water. I also learned that predators such as whelks eat them. In addition, Pam showed us the difference between a live and a dead barnacle, the dead ones having a hole drilled in them. I’ve since read that they make their own calcium plates, some of which open and close with the tide.

We also came across different types of worms, such as Chimney worms (which are identified in the sand by 2 holes close together), as well as green worms and flat worms. I must confess that, even after some research, I’m completely overwhelmed by the complexity and incredible variety of worms found in Moreton Bay. Snails are also living mysteries to me. We saw mud whelks which are often found eating barnacles by drilling a hole through their shells. They use their sharp tooth structure (their “radula”) like a drill and then suck out the contents. It sounds pretty awful, I know, and I’m not really sure of all my facts, but that’s apparently more or less what they do. Moon snails, which make tracks in the sand, do a similar thing.

Snails are also living mysteries to me. We saw mud whelks which are often found eating barnacles by drilling a hole through their shells. They use their sharp tooth structure (their “radula”) like a drill and then suck out the contents. It sounds pretty awful, I know, and I’m not really sure of all my facts, but that’s apparently more or less what they do. Moon snails, which make tracks in the sand, do a similar thing.

As we made our way over the sand and through the puddles, we talked about the shorebirds which visit the Bay between November and March to fatten up. Pam told us that she had seen dogs chasing them the previous weekend, which made her angry because the birds need their strength before embarking on their incredibly long flight back to Siberia. Shorebirds are recognisable because of their long beaks. It’s wonderful that they are able to land within 100 metres from where they were born. I’ve since read that Moreton Bay supports tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds, including the “bar-tailed godwit”.  Our Bay is apparently “one of the most numerically important non-breeding sites for shorebirds in Australia”.

We also saw lots of stingray holes in the sand. Pam told us the story of Steve Irwin, who was stung by a ray. The barbed spines on the tail of the ray were said to have pierced his heart, causing his death. (see post 12).

As was to be expected there were lots of (mainly small) crabs around, the most interesting of which, to me, were the soldier crabs. Soldier crabs are often together in large numbers at low tide (although not on this occasion) and they look as if they are marching together. There was an article about them in the Sandgate Guide in March, which mentioned 3 different species of Soldier crabs, with the Light Blue variety said to be the most prolific.

I found this morning walk, conducted by Pam Verney, to be both fascinating and educational. More information is available on ksba.org.au, the website of the Keep Sandgate Beautiful Association. “Laurie’s Walk” is free, but bookings are essential.

O.P.

P.S. Next week will be about my training in the Dutch military counterintelligence service.