2012 Pungalina - Seven Emu Sanctuary

The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland, in collaboration with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, undertook a multi-disciplinary scientific study of Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary, Northern Territory from 25 Jun to 21 Jul 2012. The Pungalina Wetlands Study was published in 2107. This story though is by the people who were there enabling the scientists to undertake these studies in this most extraordinary part of the world. Today, you can read about Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary on the AWC website. 

Pungalina-Seven Emu is located in the Northern Territory in the Gulf Coastal Bioregion. The Sanctuary covers more than 3,000 sqkm in the catchments of the Calvert and Robinson Rivers. 

HQ was established at the Pungalina Homestead with outlying camps at Karns Creek, Cycad Creek and Big Stinking Lagoon. These remote camps were essentially tent acoomodation with camp fire cooking and a dumbo hot water system for showers and washing.  Gass refrigeration sometimes kept food reasonably cool and a generator provided brief intervals of power for computers, lighting and making bread. 

The underlying geology comprises Proterozoic (1,700  - 1,400 MYA) sandstones and dolomite (with extensive caves) and a few meters covering of Tertiary sediments (<66 MYA).  Major ecosystems include savannah woodlands, rocky escarpments and freshwater springs in the upper reaches of the catchments, riverine habitats, and cypress pine woodlands, grasslands, saline flats and monsoon forests on the coastal plains. The Calvert River and its main tributaries are listed as ‘Regionally Important Wetlands’ (National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2002). Seven Emu has extensive swamp and dune areas, flanked on either side by the Robinson and Calvert rivers. 

The mean annual rainfall is 975 mm, with a wet season from December to March. Mean maximum temperatures range from 29-38C; mean minimum temperatures range from 12-24C (BoM, Wollogorang Station).