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  • Kapalga research station, Kakadu

    Kapalga research station, Kakadu

    Kakadu Dunnart

    Along the western border of Kakadu National Park lies Kapalga Station, in 1986, a research facility for the CSIRO.

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  • World heritage listing of Kakadu

    Jumping crocodile – East Alligator

    While the original section of Kakadu National Park had been granted World heritage listing, it didn’t stop the 1986/87 debate over the listing of stage 2 of the park.

    Probably the most famous quote came from then Minister for Mining and Energy, Gareth Evans when he described it as “clapped out buffalo country.

    By the end of 1987 Stage 2 would be listed, and by 1993 stage 3 and therefore the entire park had been listed on the World heritage register.

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  • Bushfire research

    On 16 February 1983, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110km per hour (68 mph) caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia. According to Wikipedia, the fires were the deadliest in Australian history, until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

    In Victoria, 47 people died, while in South Australia there were 28 deaths.
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  • Barramundi disease

    While I like my fishing, and in particular barramundi fishing, this was under threat in 1986 with a disease running rampant through top end fish stocks.

    The disease was call red-spot, or more accurately by the scientists, Epizootic ulcerative syndrome, and concern was raised that it may affect both commercial and amateur stocks, as well as the NT tourist industry itself.

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  • Mining in Kakadu National Park

    Jabiluka billabong

    In 1986, the Senate Standing Committee on Natural Resources came to do a personal inspection of Kakadu National Park, with the view to making a recommendation on mining in the park.

    Their recommendation saw the then Federal Cabinet decide mining could go ahead in the controversial stage 3 of Kakadu National Park.

    Gold and platinum deposits could be exploited but uranium was taken off the table.
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  • Litchfield National Park

    While I spent a lot of time in Kakadu National Park, and while Kakadu is the best known park in the Top End, I always had a soft spot for Litchfield National Park.

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  • 730 Report on High Temperature Incinerator

    730 Report on High Temperature Incinerator from Rae Allen on Vimeo.

    Mark Record ID 40448

    Branch DAR

    Type SEGMENT

    Source ABC
    NEWS/CAFF

    Program Title 7.30 REPORT

    Segment Title CHEMICAL INCINERATOR

    Date of Transmission 09-Jul-1986

    Date of Recording

    Restrictions CHECK COPYRIGHT

    Location DARWIN,NT,AUSTRALIA
    TENNANT CREEK,NT,AUSTRALIA

    Duration 7.50

    Summary IV VARIOUS PEOPLE ABOUT ASPECTS OF HIGH TEMPERATURE INCINERATOR FOR INTRACTABLE WASTES AND BY-PRODUCTS PROPOSED BY NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVT FOR TENNANT CREEK

    Shotlist LIB FTG HOUSES, POWER STATION IN BG
    LIB FTG DRUMS
    LIB FTG ROOFS OF HOUSES, STACKS IN BG
    OS RAE ALLEN IV TERRY MCKAY
    CU MCKAY
    MLS PINK CONTAINERS WITH SIGN DANGER PCB CONTAINER INSIDE
    ZO PINK CONTAINERS
    LIB FTG HIGH TEMPERATURE INCINERATOR
    GRAPHICS DIAGRAMS SHOWING PASSAGE OF CHEMICALS THROUGH INCINERATOR AND FLU GAS CLEANING PROCESS
    CU PAGE MASTERS CLASSIFICATION
    TD PAGE OF REPORT
    CU MCKAY
    CU SMALL BATH WITH HAND IN FRONT OF DIALS
    ZO BATH, MAN STANDING, DISPLAY IN BG
    WS 2 MEN, DISPLAY IN BG SIGN JOHN MORRIS SCIENTIFIC
    LS STOKES HILL POWER STATION STACKS
    TD STACKS TO BUILDINGS
    RTC ALLEN, CONTAINERS IN BG
    MCU CONTAINER FROM BELOW
    VS CONTAINER
    AERIALS INCINERATOR SHIP
    GRAPHICS BARRY COHEN
    SUPERS VOICE OF BARRY COHEN
    CU LAURIE WADE
    LS POWER STATION, 2 MEN WALKING BUGGIES ON GOLF COURSE IN FG
    LS CHILD ON SEE-SAW IN FG, HOUSES AND STACKS IN BG
    MCU SIGN WELCOME TO TENNANT CREEK, THE TERRITORY CENTRE, WE’RE BIGGER THAN YOU THINK
    LS STREET IN TENNANT CREEK
    LS ROAD WITH TRUCK COMING OVER CREST
    CU WADE
    CU CHAIN ROBBINS
    OS ALLEN IV ROBBINS
    CU MCKAY
    CU VARIOUS PAGES ENVIRONMENT PROFILE
    CU COVER OF PROFILE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BOOK
    CU ROBBINS
    CU PIPE WITH LIQUID SPURTING OUT
    LS POWER STATION
    VS DRUMS
    LS PAN TENNANT CREEK COUNTRYSIDE AND TOWNSHIP
    CU MCKAY

    Subject Heading CHEMICALS
    WASTE DISPOSAL

    Producer

    Director

    Writer

    Personalities TERRY MCKAY, DEPT OF MINES AND ENERGY
    LAURIE WADE, ENVIRONMENT CENTRE
    CHAIN ROBBINS, INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
    RAE ALLEN,ABC REPORTER

  • Feral horses

    You sometimes forget how big the Northern Territory is until you find yourself engrossed in a story like this about feral horses.

    It’s estimated the number of feral horses in the Territory is in the hundreds of thousands, and considering how much a horse eats, you can imagine the impact on the environment.
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  • Mimosa pigra weed control

    Magpie geese eggs

    One of the perks of working in a place like the Northern Territory is the opportunity to cover stories in some of the most beautiful parts of Australia.

    In mid 1986 I traveled to Kakadu National Park to cover a weed control program. The weed was Mimosa pigra, a plant which was a threat to these world heritage wetlands.
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  • Marshall Perron moves to the back bench

    A constant through my time political reporting in the Northern territory was Marshall Perron.

    I interviewed him in all guises, while he was a minister, the Treasurer, the Attorney General, and Chief Minister.

    In this story he announced he was stepping down from the front bench to spend time with his family.

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