Mudpoo and the Magic Tree Stump (9 page)

Suddenly, a roaring engine sound was heard before a curious Gus appeared, a little concerned that they might all be lost. 

“C'mon, let's go back to the camp with Gus,” cheered Liz. 

“YAY!” cheered Mudpoo and Harry; who by now were exhausted and hungry. 

“There might be some pancakes left over with blueberry sauce,” beamed Liz. 

“YUMMY!” said Mudpoo and Harry together. 

They all piled into Gus, “We'll return soon!” 

“GOODLUCK FOREST!”
cried Mudpoo, leaning out of Gus's window. 

“Who were you talking to?” asked Captain Pete, a little confused and still wondering whether Ned Kelly was real, or not. 

“To everyone and everything that cares about the Iluka Rainforest,”
replied Mudpoo thoughtfully.

“ . . . And the animals that live in the ocean too,”
chimed Harry. 

“Especially whales . . . ”
added Mudpoo. 

Gus happily drove them a little way up the track to the lookout where everyone could wave to the humpback whales as they swam by. 

“Whales are such a beautiful symbol of all that is magical in this world,” said Liz thoughtfully as they watched the whales swim gracefully towards Hervey Bay. 

When they all returned to their campsite at Woodyhead, they found Rod and Jess had prepared another billy of tea and more damper with yummy blueberry jam. 

“It's been lovely and quiet here,” said Rod smiling, “Ranger John dropped by. He told me there are 221 different species of fauna living in the Iluka Nature Reserve. Can you believe that?” 

“That's amazing,” replied Captain Pete. 

“Yes,” continued Rod, “and he's also seen an unusual goanna that he couldn't identify, on thirty-six different occasions. I wonder what that could be?”

“Unusual goanna . . . ?” asked Captain Pete, scratching his head. 

“Could it be that the mystical, magical Grumblegoo in your stories is this same unusual goanna?” teased Rod. 

“Magical . . . now there's a word,” added Liz thoughtfully. 

“You know, I think there is something magical about the Iluka Rain forest, Monstrous Grumblegoo Goanna, or not!”
replied Captain Pete.

Mudpoo, Harry and Jess winked at each other. They had learnt that many friends working together created incredible ‘magic!' 

They all felt so proud that they had been able to help. It's part of the same Magic that allows us to preserve and protect our environment, our native animals, our rainforests, and especially all of our whale friends! 

If we keep working together, maybe we can be a part of this story too. 

What do you think?

A message from all of the rainforest animals who live in the Iluka World Heritage Area: 

“Thank-you to all the people, past and present, who helped to care for and protect our home environment, for future generations to appreciate and enjoy!”

Mudpoo and his friends hope to meet you all again soon . . .

(Here's some important information for you. You'll find more on the website . . . ) 

BETHANGA:
A beautiful, sleepy, historical ex-gold and copper mining town nestled amongst rolling hills, on a peninsular surrounded by Lake Hume in the far North-East corner of Victoria, Australia. It's where you might find echidnas, wombats, possums, eagles, platypi, boobook owls, rabbits, Captain Pete, Gus, Harry and Mudpoo. 

GOANNAS:
These are Australia's largest lizards; they have very powerful legs and strong claws. The National Park Rangers have identified many sightings of an unidentified goanna in the Iluka Nature Reserve! 

HUMPBACK WHALES:
These are majestic animals that have been described by some as magical. Their scientific name is
Megaptera novaeangliae
, which literally means ‘big wings'; they have huge pectoral fins. Humpbacks can weigh as much as 45 tonnes. Every year humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to Australia to breed; a 10,000km journey! Humpback whales are amongst the most amazing and beautiful animals on our earth. Whales need your help to support and protect them. 

KARRI TREE:
Karri trees (Eucalyptus diversicolor) are giant eucalyptus trees grown, on Karri Loam soil in areas of good rainfall in the South Western tip of Western Australia. They are giant trees that can grow up to 300 feet (90m) high. They cannot grow in the Iluka Nature Reserve unless there's powerful magic around!

ILUKA NATURE RESERVE:
The Iluka Nature Reserve is a World Heritage rainforest because of its ancient and isolated location and because it's filled with a wonderful variety of plants and animal species. There are over 221 species of amazing animals and 187 plant species from 37 families living in a rainforest of only 135 hectares. It is a living example of how much can be preserved and protected when an entire community (past and present) work together, to create a magical environment for future generations to love and enjoy. 

Pssssst! You'll find Rod's yummy damper recipe (and much, much more), right here:
WWW.MUDPOO.COM.AU