A job of dreams: Ranger on Rinyirru shares his local perspectives amidst the popular dry season
Issued: 25 Jun

‘I love all the wildlife—all the different birds, lizards, snakes, goannas. Though I don’t like seeing snakes up close, I prefer to see them from a nice, safe distance.

‘One place I really like is Hann Crossing. It’s nice and relaxing listening to the sound of the falls and it’s a story place as well.

‘I have strong ties to this place and grew up around here. I’m originally from next door—growing up at Kalpowar. My grandmother is from this side of the (Normanby) river, and my grandfather from the other side of the river.

Having grown up in the area, Ranger Gene has had many different roles that led him to where he is today. Gaining many amazing skills and experiences along the way, working for his Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) attaining his cert 3 in agriculture, working on stations mustering cattle, in main roads in Laura and Lakeland, labouring down in Rockhampton, running his own removalist business in Cairns, and working with his dad clearing out pests to name just a few of the many jobs he’s had. He then made the move back to Laura, where he was a tour guide before becoming deputy-chair for his corporation and an Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger. And last but not least, making the move over to Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) a couple of years ago.

‘It’s great working with the land trust here, with Traditional Owners, working on Country. We are always busy caring for the park, doing inductions, planned burns, opening up camp sites after wet season closures, doing service runs, identifying and treating hazardous weeds—you name it. Everything we can do together with Traditional Owners to care for Country.

‘There’re no complaints from me. I just love it all. I love the work we do, and I reckon it’s not work if you love it. I love to know what’s happening on Country and love being involved. It took me a while to get where I am now, but now I’m here, it’s where I want to stay ’til I retire,’ Ranger Gene said.

And who could blame him! Rinyirru is renowned for its vast river systems and spectacular wetlands. In the wet season, the Normanby, Morehead and North Kennedy rivers and their tributaries join to flood vast areas, eventually draining north into Princess Charlotte Bay. During the dry season, rivers and creeks shrink, leaving large permanent waterholes, lakes and lagoons that attract an array of animals, particularly waterbirds. The landscape of Rinyirru is of cultural significance, with sites associated with occupation, ceremonies and stories of ancestral spirits occur throughout the national park.

And when we asked Ranger Gene what tips he had for visitors to this iconic national park, he has some great advice and is only too happy to help visitors have the best, and safest, experience.

‘Probably my number one tip is to always Be Crocwise.

‘My favourite animal up here is the Crocodile – I like them the most. They’ve been around for that many years, they’ve seen nature evolve and we treat them with respect.

‘You need to remember to expect crocodiles in all bodies of water—both freshwater and saltwater—up here. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.

‘Never turn your back to the water, and always stay at least 5 metres from the water’s edge.

‘The other week, I came across a family getting ready to sit down near one of the rivers, with their backs to the water. I nearly had a heart attack. I was able to have a good chat with them around why it’s so important to Be Crocwise up here.

‘Another thing to remember in Croc Country is to not leave your bait or fish scraps around your boat or camp site. There was a croc up here recently, one fella left a fish on his boat and the croc jumped in the boat and sunk it, just to get his fish!

‘As Rangers we check camp sites, doing croc assessments to see if there’s any misbehaving crocodiles. We act a bit like a visitor would, moving around the camp site and get the rods out, to see if any crocs are getting too close for comfort, too familiar and unwary of people.

‘I don’t mind that part of the job at all, wetting the line,’ Ranger Gene joked.

Living and working remote comes with its challenges.

‘In a remote area like this, it’s us Rangers that are often first on the scene. If we can prevent any incidents from happening that’d be really good. So, another one of my main messages to visitors is to have fun, but be safe.

‘Have respect for Country, and respect for people. Just look after each other on your travels, make sure everyone gets back home safe. Make sure you’re doing the right speed limit and being careful on these dirt roads, always driving with your lights on so others can see you.

‘Take note of the information we have on the signs, we don’t just put these up for fun, they’ve got some great advice on them, including areas that are closed for your safety, and also wonderful insights into the area and what makes it so special.

‘Keep the place nice and clean as you found it, as natural as possible for the wildlife and humans alike, so we can all have the best experiences. The only thing we should be leaving behind is our footprints,’ Ranger Gene said.

Camping is very popular on Rinyirru, and with 25 camping areas there’s plenty of spots to choose from. Though they do get snapped up quickly when they re-open after the wet season, so try to get your site booked well and truly before you get to Rinyirru. With no mobile reception, it can be hard to make bookings once within the national park.

‘We also do wellbeing checks on people, having chats with our visitors and making sure they’re ok. We use the information given on the camping permits to check everyone is where they should be and is ok, so it’s important you camp in the camp site you’ve booked. If we’re doing checks and there’s no-one at the camp site, that could be a safety concern. And remember, never leave camp fires unattended, especially this time of the year, when everything’s starting to dry up.

‘If you aren’t able to book beforehand, you can get phone reception at New Laura, so that’s the last place you have to book a camp site. We’ll try and help you out if you really need to get on the internet at the Ranger Base, but the connection can be unreliable, so it’s always a good idea to book your camp site before travelling up here.

And finally, Ranger Gene added, ‘If you see one of us Rangers out and about, just pull up and have a yarn. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have. If we can’t answer you straight away, we can always get back to or point you in the right direction. There’s also normally someone at the Ranger Base that you can call into talk to.

‘Help us protect this amazing place and have a safe, fun time exploring up here.’