#16 in the Newport Canal series
Kite Canal gives water access to the odd numbered houses on Defender Sreet and even numbered houses on Thistle Court. Deep water access is via Jabiru canal, then Albatross canal out to Moreton Bay.
Defender was the victorious Unites States defender of the 10th America's Cup yacht race in 1895 against challenger Valkyrie III. Defender was designed by Nathaneal Greene Herreshoff and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in 1895. It was Herreshoff's second victorious America's Cup defender design. Defender was a sloop with all-metal construction: steel, aluminum, and manganese bronze. It skippered by Henry C. Haff. Defender defeated the New York Yacht Club's Vigilant then went on to defend the cup against British keel cutter Valkyrie III.Lord Dunraven of the Valkyrie alleged cheating by the Defender's crew. Following the contest, Defender was towed to the residence of one of the owners in New Rochelle, New York where it remained docked for four years without sailing. In 1899 J. Pierpont Morgan and W. Buttler Duncan rebuilt Defender to race trials against the America's Cup defence candidate, Columbia. The yacht was towed to Herreshoff's Bristol yard for restoration to enable it to race in the selection trials for the 1899 defence. Following the selection trials, Defender returns to its mooring and was finally broken up in 1901.
Kites are medium sized raptors (birds of prey) and those common to south east Qld include the Black kite, Whistling kite and Brahminy kite. Brahminy kites often perch inconspicuously for long periods on exposed perches before swooping down onto prey in the water or on the ground. Their prey usually comprises fish and insects, and they often steal food from other birds, such as gulls, terns, ibis and other raptors. They also often scavenge carrion on the ground. Black Kites are spectacular, soaring effortlessly in the wind, their long forked tails constantly twisting to manoeuvre the bird while searching for food on the ground below, or skilfully catching insects on the wing. They are readily attracted to any fire, and great numbers may be seen wheeling about in the smoke, looking ahead of the fire-front to find small creatures fleeing the flames, or picking up the burnt remains of those that did not escape. The distinctive call of the Whistling Kite is, unsurprisingly, a clear whistle, which begins by descending down the scale, followed by an up-scale staccato chatter, given by birds as they fly overhead or when perched.
You are looking for a small bison down low. Use your geocaching stealth as always.