So many 'S' words dance around my mind when planning a trip out to the weir, or anywhere outdoors really. Sun, sunglasses, sunhat, sunscreen, snacks, some water, something sweet or sugary. I do love the weather, but it can feel pretty brutal out there sometimes, making your way to Ground Zero feel like a tree-to-tree dash; seeking shelter beneath the trees can provide just the right moment to clear that heat-induced cache blindness. S
Here are a few more 'S' words, can you think of any more?
- Slip on your geocaching shirt and suitable shoes.
- Slop on some sunscreen. While you're at it, why not add another of your geocaching survival essentials .... insect repellant.
- Slap on a hat.
- Seek some shade. Trees, umbrellas, trees, shelters, trees.... see where I'm going here? Trees can be a geocacher's best friend.
- Slide on some glasses. I can't promise that they will help you see through any cache blindness that you might suffer from, but at least you can see where you are stepping.
Environment
- November and December 2019 has been very dry, meaning that the area is much more open and exposed than it can be at other times of the year. The terrain rating is 2.5 to cater for the potential for moderate overgrowth during wetter months, and the potential for increased dead branches over the dry times.
- Snake season is traditionally mid to late spring, (mating season in September) but it is worth noting that August 2019 saw an increase in reported snake sightings throughout Queensland.
- Tick season is considered to be from July to December when adult ticks are more frequent, however, exposure to ticks can occur throughout the year.
- Due to the lack of potable water, it is highly recommended that you bring plenty of water to keep you hydrated whilst caching.
Parking
- Where you park will most likely depend on how far you want to walk or ride your bike. Just remember to use common sense, road sense, and you should be fine.
- Whilst the suggested parking areas are on the weir side of Chinchilla Tara Road, opposite the turnoff to the weir you should notice a dirt road/track. This seems to be an access point for 4WDing. When the area is bone-dry, 2WD vehicles can also get closer to GZ - don't attempt this when wet, or after rain. Please do not drive off the tracks - you will not be able to drive right up to GZ.
- Regardless of where you park, please remember to lock your vehicle, and avoid leaving valuables in plain sight.
Chinchilla Weir
Chinchilla Weir, which was built in 1973 to address a shortage of urban water supply into town, is located on the Condamine River, approximately 9 km south of Chinchilla. The weir supplies irrigators upstream through the pond and downstream from water releases.
If you are interested in the weir's storage levels see here.
Definitely check out the water levels before you go if planning on undertaking any water activities.
Campground Features
- Access: The ground is mostly flat and should be relatively pram/pusher/wheelchair friendly. No footpaths.
- Pet friendly.
- Toilets: Male & Female Toilets, hand washing, concrete entry path and floors.
- Water: No potable (drinking) water. No showers.
- Picnic Area: Picnic Tables. Free Electric BBQs. Rubbish Bins (general waste).
- Camping / Caravans: Suitable for tents, campers, caravans, motorhomes, buses.
- Power: Ten powered sites available (240 volt power).
- Phone reception: often described as "patchy at best".
- Boat Ramp: accessible to the public. The weir is a popular spot for swimming, canoeing, skiing. BYO everything.
- Fishing: no fishing within 200m of Weir Wall (above or below).
- Birdwatching: over 50 species regularly sighted.
- Photography: capture the beauty of the weir at any time, sunsets can be magical.
Snakes
First Aid for Snake Bites
First aid treatment includes the application of the Pressure Immobilisation Technique. Follow these steps:
🐍 Move the patient to a safe location
🐍 Do not wash the wound
🐍 Place a pad over the bite site and then bandage over the wound with an elastic bandage
🐍 Use a second bandage and start bandaging the affected limb from the toes or fingers, continue bandaging up the limb toward the body, and use another bandage to cover the entire limb
🐍 Splint the limb to keep it straight and do not elevate the limb or allow the patient to move around
🐍 Monitor the patient until paramedics arrive
🐍If you are alone, and you haven't got bandages available, don't waste time and energy cursing yourself, just remember that the most important thing to do is stay still....and yell out for help.
🐍DO NOT move the bitten limb! Venom only travels through the lymph vessels when the muscles are activated.
(Source: https://www.facebook.com/qldambulanceservice/ post 5/12/19, accessed 27/12/2019)
If a snake bite occurs, always assume it’s venomous and call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Ticks
Measures to reduce the risk of tick bites
The following measures may reduce the risk of tick bites:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers when walking in areas where ticks live.
- Tuck shirt into trousers.
- Tuck trouser legs into long socks.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Wear light-coloured clothes, which makes it easier to see ticks.
- Brush clothing before coming inside to remove ticks.
- Undress and check for ticks, checking carefully in the neck and scalp.
- An insect repellent that contains DEET (such as RID, Tropical RID, Tropical Aerogard, or Bushmans).
- Consider using permethrin-treated clothing when exposed to tick habitat.
(Source: https://www.allergy.org.au/ticks accessed 27/12/2019)
First Aid for Tick Bites
According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), the safest way to remove a tick is to
- Freeze the tick, using a product that rapidly freezes and kills the tick, and allow it to drop off.
- In most cases ether-containing sprays will kill the tick within five minutes, and it will drop off the skin.
- Published studies show that safe and fast removal of the tick may reduce the possibility of becoming allergic to ticks.
- It may also reduce the risk of getting a tick-borne infectious disease, or developing tick paralysis.
- If the tick does not drop off, or you can’t freeze the tick, leave the tick in place and seek urgent medical assistance to remove the tick.
- Do not scratch anything you can’t see if you live or work in a tick-endemic area.
- Know how to manage allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis) to tick bites.
It is unsafe to insert fine tweezers between the skin and the tick mouthpiece and lever the tick out. This does not prevent tick allergy or anaphylaxis, and therefore ASCIA advises against this method.
(Source: https://www.allergy.org.au/ticks accessed 27/12/2019)
What to do if you find a tick lodged in your skin and you are ALLERGIC to tick bites
If a person is allergic to ticks, they should carry an adrenaline (epinephrine) autoinjector (such as EpiPen) and a mobile telephone. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) include any acute onset illness with skin reactions such as swellings, and difficulty breathing.
- If a person is having symptoms of anaphylaxis as a reaction to a tick bite, use an adrenaline autoinjector, and follow the ASCIA Action Plan.
- Do not forcibly remove the tick.
- In a tick allergic person, the tick should be killed and removed in a hospital emergency department. After consultation with a medical specialist a person with tick allergy may be able to kill and remove the tick safely without going to hospital. Some people with tick allergy are so highly allergic that medical support should always be sought. A medical specialist will advise as to which approach will be safest.
- If available, liquid nitrogen applied by a doctor is effective in killing a tick.
- If killing the tick and removing it can be safely performed by the person with tick allergy, kill the tick first by using a product to rapidly freeze the tick, to prevent it from injecting more allergen containing saliva. If the tick does not drop off, or you can’t freeze the tick, leave the tick in place and seek urgent medical assistance to remove the tick.
(Source: https://www.allergy.org.au/ticks accessed 27/12/2019)