BEER'I\I'BONES Volume1 lssue2 APRITJ-gg7 'thc with grxld cornpliny, is like a little chnmtrr, across crevit\sc', irtLr-! \)l f,ii.r.ii.u. liciiiirrirr,.;li,ri titrrvii u sit;1;e,.iiurig .l J)aisu!e. 'louge' llessage from the ,\lcrxrllri dorvn thc iltd into the President Iror tltose ot vou c()nternpllting tirssil chiunber. This may sound daunting but Gav has c'llrckedttre 'The Y V elcorneback tirr frorn 1997. minuteon Run". This cave was tust oprned in the Hope you all h:rd a grxxt breali. sixties with the aid of a smiill Things are looking gcxrrltor 1997 blast or two and wa.stbund to bc with the KI tnp plannedand only relatively uruemarlelbie as t'nr as needing those tlrrt {iIIe string trl cave tbrmation was cclnce-med.It pay Lyndlee betirre 9th April or lvAS subsequently used ils a tiey wlll miss out. If Iou now training cave. In 199i. cavie anl L'itn't corne tirr whatcver rcllsorr iunateur palaeontol0gist Lurds"rv also tell Lyndlee or \!e mlrv get Hatchernoticed that the urverskrj stuck paying tor those thut tion't been walking straight through a rum up. Sthenurus skeleton, md (rvith \!'ell, enough from me. I'm sure permission) conducted a the rest of the nervsletter is preliminary snartrng, er. I meirr temptingyou so havea gotx1reud. testdig. However.if it rvlusn'ttbr this, the cave wouid.never huve Jts Colrner Pre-tident cornc to tie attention of ex;rn palaeontologist.Gavin Prideau.x. Kangaroo Island Dig. The imgrruurce of the nc!'v The big is tlrst the trlp to i\lcrxrta thls yelr. (iO dig appniaching megdaunid deposit in Westem and i tirr one. lun eagerlyurvtriting Thcrc is no(hin!: like the ()t "\ustniliit wAs nol lost. on Gar,. lirh .\prii Alrtrcugh lrtrn()sphere thedi!' lrt Alc(x)t1 -l'o Current undcrslrnding ol divrp;xrintedthat more people are uncoverrernldns of creaturesS Quaternary tauniusin thc '"vestern unublc til ussist in tnrlliottvc:rs old is quite;rr',e this majur hulf of the contincnt ltre pidaeontoklgicaldig, those going inspiring.Aud tirr you wh<lhlrve comparativelyF)or. At tlis snge rlre very kecn. The prospecLsof neverbccrr to the outbitckof the ()utbaek, tiere is generallv a scarcit! of tlnding remains ol rnajor it is a once in a lit'etirne sites and tossil material fnlm prilaeonttlklgiclrlsirtnillcance experiencethlrt you'll ncvertbrget lue Westem Australia. Marnmoth high. A little geokrgica.l or regret. Cave is the most prominentwirh knowledgeurd a [ittle urphonornic excuvations early this century ktxrwledge.one ctul irnuginehrlrv A Recent Trip to -v"reldinua flur lunountof rnlterial. difterent thc counwsitle would EntanceCave linlirrtunatclv the strutigruphic hrrvckxrketJ r-luring the :\s thctuurrc \u{gcsts. drere is no Plerstocene lcllrtttlnships lvere poorlt lrttdrvllrt wllr roluningtrountl. Wc plrVc(ll()Ul'rst cntlics ttl hc lirtrndirr tkrcurnentcdrnriliing sJrccultrtion ot wtll trlso htrvc thc cornplrnvot tltrs elrvc .\iluir(e(lrrctu' lt'llu'!lurt rellrtive ilges ol tlre rnlrtcrirLl scvendlrchlrcol<lgist.s to [lrrcr u) lltc :or)llr-wc:t ()l cnlightcn cxtretnclvhlrtl. A tcw othcr rninor us i[ we tintl any AboriginuJ \\'esterrrr\rrstnililr. I:ntry to the sitcscxi.st in thc wcst but noneot' lurtctlct.s(sce Fleuthcr Builth's tnlrrrtcllttttr.tr ot' tlte cttvels vllt them appnru:h ea,.;ternsitcs like rtrtieleIutcr). corrvolrrtctlplrssltges tlrlrt sturt with Nlu'acrxrrtc()r the Wcllin{ton To sit in the pcuce, pluying lu clirnb tkrwrr a nlr()w 6rn Crtves. Shcrkrck lkrlncs in tlrc tlirt hy soltrtiorr tuhe into lr srnull Gitv crxrducteda prelimirurrydig ut tllry.,hlrving, a tcw lrourrd thc lire chrrrrtroLr,therr through un cven '96 (nl:lllr,r lrnlr. itrln :rrrrrllrr'r<rn;rll Junurry of t() assess thc ) BEER'N' BONES p()tentiill and t() get an idra o[ thc dcpruperirte Westent Ausualiu. 1()95 I studietlt-he thuna collcrcted \trirtigraphy.Things kxrkcd gtxxJ During tlrc Augustexcavation lhe trorn a l-ate H<ll<xenesinkholc :uul unodter{np wlrs plututedlirt' jirw ot lr ncw genusof bettoug(ntt Itratetl in Vcuus Bui August. hut ( ilrv rLldL\J rur krrngurxl) upproxitnately tluee ('onscnatiotrPuk (VB(ll)) on thc oll.sidcr. I wu^s proniiscd thc tilnes lrrrgcr thittt any kntlwlt upl)cr wcst e()lL\t rrl Lirrc -[he rudventureot a lit'etitne iutd krtcrv hcttong w2rs uncovered. Peninsula.The resultsol'the study thut by' then my tlegree*'ould bc clu'hitrirtcd slutd coating wiL\ huve recently been published in 'The out of the wa;". I agrecdto go. At removedin sumdardvinegar (in the the I lTth volume of Linneiur ihat stagcI thoughtit rvouldbe ir rush to get a gtxxl kx)k irt thc Stxiety'of New SouthWales'. nice little w'orkingholiday. With piece). Be'er and peanuts were VBCP h:r^s been used as a sornc l.unding and plane ticket.s vrlraciously consumed back the reint(xJuction site fbr Brush-uriled nroridcrl hy Consenation luxl canrvrulpurk. during which thejaw' Bettrrng(Benong,ttt penictlutu) ux) I-rurd\linagemeut luid help frortr bubhledto revealits sccrets. is crnsidereda g<xxl site tilr the Lrtttlrln' lurd it tew nilttes, \\c In thc lutesl Februury-expcditiott rcintrrxJuctionof the other klcalll' itlrlVedlit u holc in the grrtundruxl tt{\d ll()!vslonewrls tiluntl tn tltc e\tlnct nltrvc spcetcs.pirrticullrrl\ tcrricdin lightslurrl geru'. \ly 1irst c\lcri\r()nof the pit tlurt should the Greater Sticknest Rat tnl lrl r,.astraullrt iiilh *'hlrt I 11il1r\\lr clrtc to he cstublishcd. \ Lt Stor ru s t'ttrulib r ). tottritl-retl :r lu\tlliirhle le:u ,rl \\'rrrk lrrrctdcd el'ery &r,"' w'ith l-he sinkhole has this tiny little siipping dorvu .jlrgged rocks iuxl te(liuln hrokcu b1" lrccettthours. cntnncc. a bit over hldf a merc un\ce!l prt.s,sniashing evcr-"*botie nl()'vlc qu()tlng luttl prttdi_lious rrcrossrurd the walls bclleti .iu:t in rnv txtdy' luld lcal'rttg a lunountsol'bullshit. The job was insidc tri about two nicrcs aLTos\. -I'o taphonornicul ni-ghunlfe tor luture only haltedin the absenceof our enter the sinklole. the purk': pulueontoloriststinding mc at thc gencratorwhich was st0len with lesidentbiolclgist.just tirew a hottorn ot thc sclcc skrpc Witltitt lrhouttire drrl'sto go (()ur next shovel acrossthe holc urd droITEd ahout tliree tlrys I lvas RrtItu.t l.Iennvwas tied t0 a tree), turd tur in an atuched rope lldder. \&trn rLtttlt.\ril a sewcr ptl)c.-. aftenlxrn ot'f sJrentdrinking a tine Rtxl and I tlescendetl the shovel fight Entrurce Cirle appcar\ to txj cafleret merlot. (which almost hlndle visibly tlexetl. not a g(xxJ a pittall trap with sedimcnts lux1 eudLr-l up with fish ch()\&'dr'r teeling when you ci['t reacht]c anrrnrils idling in tltrouglr pilkxv,t during the opening ot '"valls.Someonc had dug a well in rnultiplc solution tubcs in thc ('lrvc,'r,trrks.ir cirve irrterpretrrtion the sinkholes() that 1.7 metresoI rnlrirt chutni.*r thltt llrc lrll ttolv centreat Lalic (--avewhich $e scdimcnt that consistcdoi t',"r, hlt'ekcd..\l thrs \t:rSuit sccnl.\ rverestr*'ing out thc back ot in tlistinct srarir could be seen rn thlrt thcre is a rninirnurn (it tluee luxuriousdemounLrble style oflice cr0ss section. Sediments \rere distiuctil, Liiftcrent sedimentlr.v trailer accom<i<-Lrtions(ic it turd a dividedinto 20cm levels. the top units that contirin tossils. prlssibly tridge). five of rvhichwere studied. firxn diltercnt holes or t.litibrent Frorn il biogeographicuJ On m_r-second trip, a humclne hrt iinic pcnrJ.. Dii,:in! r:rlr.:csfnxtl lerspecfivethc stuclvof this urve thc west coiustlmd it nfncd lirr usins hrurds lurd hrusltes ln \olt shouliJ allow vtr\tly enlrutced three dlrys strught. No prohicrn slutds t\) rtcopicks ln clu1e1 picture of Pleistrrene tauntl -\()u \av. \r'c ucre underlround. eulciurn elufxuurtedtiltii. Slunrps distnbutionr tiom the south WRONC}| We sarv urd srlll'ered ln thc s(rt{lruti pru'tof tltc prt rvlill wcstclrl Austridiit. ucross the one oi the biggest subterrineiur !\ere rnelr\Llredin the iunoutrt ol' Nulluhourt() eastemAustriilia to *'atertalls evcr. suggesting thc teed bag: uscd i li3 tilled uxl u*-d he ctxrstructedin the t'uture.The Iikel-v candir-Llte for the txrnc lirr canring sediment to bc sieved dilterent layers may reveal taunrr accumulatk)n. Tbe ririn stopJrcd in the car"e).'fhe rectxd wlls ab<lut that maY be a"ssrriated witlr but the watertall didn't so I nurt 60-70 ('"veklst count) on tlie last hrrhittrtchunScs in theregion. mysclf c<imlilrurhlc in ir trip wheelbirmw antl ruul a btnk br Fittcerr \pccics iuc crtitteI Grunt Gullt'is presentlydoing lti.r the sea. -fhe niegutlrunll species rnclutling Honttitr.tprttlett ()n the Murgttrel tollo.*'ing specles $'rre Z\'!()ttLilt!trus, fln'latrtLu.t. rurj Rttcr fuunu.I don't tltink you identitied liour the reco\'LTed Slltcnuru.t ltrorvntt aJong u ith rcullt'utrnlIrt knttwunllhing eLs( f<lssils.but the clusive Stickncst sevcnil trtltcrs rvhich iu"- locallv ttltoutlttrtt. Rat wru not among them. ()ne cxtilrct such iL\ .\a1v11tplttiu.r. speeicso[ native nrt, onc sp€r,i€: Severul cxtinct spccics have Nlatt NlcDorvell in Ven us of native hopping rnouse, thc prevulusll' only been destribed Ral'. species 0f native mouse, (nrc tiom eirstcm Australia placing in As man)' of you know. I speciesof pygmy lxrssum, tlree questk)n the idea 0f a tuunally completedmv Honoursf)egree in speciesof kmdicnot (inclutling tlte ^t 'N' J BEER BONES rahbil-qued biurdicrxrt ()r hilby' envir<nrnentiil chiurges arc displays!!!A little bird told rne Mucnttis lttgetis),onc specicsof' supJxrrted by several othcr that he only joins clubs tor the bettorr,g.two spcciesol karrgru'rxr. publicationsblrsed on a variety ol' struialising,be d<rcsn'treally know sevell s1o-Cies ol dlt"svuritl scientifrc meth(xls.F<lr a m<lre what ttte clubs' aims ruxl (including the dihbler.