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Flying Foxes bats



Flying Foxes have been blamed recently, for the spread of a virus called the Hendra virus which has been confirmed as the cause of illness or death in horses, Biosecurity Queensland will manage the situation. It will quarantine the property where the outbreak has occurred and isolate any ill animals. It will conduct a full disease investigation and take measures to care for animals, prevent the risk to people, decontaminate the environment and safely dispose of infected horses that die.

Iam not the evil one! its those damn chemicals!

If fruit bats have always carried this disease, why was the first recorded outbreak in 1994? It is possible the deaths have gone undiagnosed? Have the fruit bats become more infectious for some reason? The macadamia industry has also recently been in the news for its use of agricultural chemicals that have been blamed for fish deformities in the Noosa River — could these chemicals impact fruit bats.



The most recent and rapid expansion of the disease this year also corresponds to major rainfall events and it is hard to link this with increased interaction with fruit bats — although it is claimed that the Hendra virus or antibodies have been found in “pooled” blood collected from mosquitoes in the Hendra case paddock in 1995.





Flying foxes pose no identified risk of passing Hendra virus directly to people. All human cases have resulted from close contact with infected horses. Of 140 people with close contact with flying foxes (including bat carers, wildlife rangers and research scientists), none showed any evidence of Hendra virus infection. Nonetheless, because of the risk of contracting the invariably fatal Australian bat lyssavirus from any Australian bats, members of the general public should not handle flying foxes or any other bats.

Flying Foxes were classified as ‘Vulnerable to extinction’ in The Action Plan for Australian Bats, and has since been protected across its range under Australian federal law. As of 2008 the species is listed as 'Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.




There has been much debate about the role of flying foxes in the spread of this disease. However, culling flying foxes is not an effective way to reduce Hendra virus risk according to Primary Industries. 

The following reasons are given:


Flying foxes are an important part of our natural environment

Flying foxes are widespread in Australia and, as they are highly mobile, it is not feasible to cull them

Culling or dispersing flying foxes in one location could simply transfer the issue to another location

There are far more effective steps people can take to reduce the risk of Hendra virus infection in horses and humans.


Flying-foxes are mammals and are members of the Pteropididae or fruit bat family. They have the largest body size of all bats. Four species of these mammals are native to mainland Australia: the Little Red Flying-fox, the Black Flying-fox, the Grey-headed Flying-fox and the Spectacled Flying-fox.



Flying-foxes are found throughout tropical and sub-tropical Asia and Australia and on islands of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The four Flying-fox species found in Australia occur mostly in northern and eastern temperate and sub-tropical coastal areas.






Flying-foxes prefer blossom, nectar, fruit and occasionally leaves of native plants, particularly eucalypts, tea-trees, grevilleas, figs and lilly pillys. Flying foxes will also take the fruit of cultivated trees, particularly during periods of shortage of their preferred food.






Camps are places where the large flying-foxes gather during the day, sometimes in many thousands. Along the coast they may be in mangroves, further inland they are often in deep gullies or rainforest patches, and west of the Dividing Range they are usually along water-courses.


Eating and Cooking

Many species are threatened today with extinction, and in particular in the Pacific a number of flying fox species have died out as a result of over-harvesting for human consumption.

Varieties of fruit bats, including the sizable flying fox bat, are the most popular to eat. When it comes time to cook them up, ," famed chef Anthony Bourdain cautions traveling gastronomes of a particularly pungent smell that wafts from simmering bat. But the actual flavor should be far more benign. As with many mystery meats, bat reportedly tastes a lot like chicken. To rustle up one's own batty entrée, Bourdain says to season it with some peppers, onions or garlic (not unlike a roasted chicken recipe) to mitigate that strong scent.





Flying fox and Bat recipes

A big no no with cooking bats or flying foxes is to not steam or stew them they have a very pungent smell that is not pleasent when cooked these ways.


The best and tastiest way to cook bats is to throw them on a fire whole, this will burn the fur off, and give them a nice charred flavour.

Remove them from the flames and let fire burn down to just hot coals. cut the flying foxes into four or five pieces and place on wire grill over coals at this stage you can add salt or spices to your taste or just leave as is, I like just a bit of salt, cooking time is up to you, i like well done to get that crispy taste.

The heart of the Flying fox once cooked is delicious.

Enjoy






File snakes


Adults file snakes can grow up  to 8.25 ft (2.5 m) in length. They have amazingly loose skin and are known to prey on large fish, such as eel-tailed catfish. Females are usually larger than males and they have been known to give birth to up to 17 young.
The indigenous peoples of Northern Australia often hunt these snakes as they are quite common. As the snakes are near immobilized without the support of water the hunters merely throw each newly caught snake on the bank and continue hunting until they have enough, they are then thrown on hot  fire coals and buried for about 15 minutes.





Dingo




The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is an ancient, free roaming, primitive canine unique to the continent of Australia, specifically the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to their wild Asian Gray Wolf parent species, Canis lupus.

The fur of adult dingoes is short, bushy on the tail, and varies in thickness and length depending on the climate. The fur colour is mostly sandy to reddish brown, but can include tan patterns and be occasionally black, light brown, or white.


It is often wrongly asserted that dingoes do not bark. Compared to most other domestic dogs, the bark of a dingo is short and mono sounding.

80% of the diet of dingoes consist of 10 species, the Red Kangaroo, Swamp Wallaby, cattle, Dusky Rat, Magpie Goose, Common Brushtail Possum, Long-haired Rat, Agile Wallaby, European rabbit and the Common Wombat.
Today dingoes live in all kinds of habitats, including the snow-covered mountain forests of Eastern Australia, dry hot deserts of Central Australia, and Northern Australia's tropical forest wetlands.





Dingo Fence


The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the world and is the world's longest fence.





It stretches 5,614 km (3,488 mi) from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometres of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain above the Great Australian Bight(131° 40’ E),near Nundroo. It has been partly successful, though dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states.



Although the fence has helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this has been countered by holes in fences found in the 1990s to which dingo offspring have passed through and due to increased pasture competition from rabbits and kangaroos.

Today, the rate at which feral camel are smashing down sections of the fence is fast increasing in Southern Australia. Plans for restructuring the Dog fence to be taller and electric are under process.










Dingoes and Aboriginal culture


Traditionally dogs have a privileged position in the aboriginal cultures of Australia (which the dingo may have adopted from the thylacine) and the dingo is a well known part of rock carvings and cave paintings. There are ceremonies (like a keen at the Cape York Peninsula in the form of howling) and dreamtime stories connected to the dingo, which were passed down through the generations. There are strong feelings that dingoes should not be killed and in some areas women are breast feeding young cubs.



Bilby bandicoots


Bilbies are desert-dwelling bandicoots about the size of a rabbit. They have large ears, a coat of soft, light grey and tan hair, and a very distinctive black and white tail.

In the late 18th century, Bilbies were hunted for their skins resulting in a large reduction in their population. Many Bilbies were also killed by traps and poison baits intended for rabbits.


Aboriginal Australians hunted Bilbies for food and for their skins, however this hunting is in no way responsible for the declining Bilby population.


Bilbies are slowly becoming endangered because of habitat loss and change as well as the competition with other animals. Feral cats pose a major threat to the bilby's survival, and it competes with rabbits for food. There is a national recovery plan being developed for saving these animals: this program includes breeding in captivity, monitoring populations, and reestablishing bilbies where they once lived.


Baby Bilbies 

If you spot a Bilby in the wild, please contact the websites below
Any info on sightings can help our bilby researchers.

You can help raise money to help put a stop to the steady decline of this delightful marsupial.  Visit these websites at  http://www.savethebilbyfund.com/ or http://www.bilbyrescue.com/



Banteng





These animals are promising beef producers. Gourmets consider banteng cuts among the finest of meats, and Indonesia cannot export enough to satisfy the demand in Hong Kong and Japan alone. The meat's outstanding characteristics are its tenderness and leanness. When the animals are maintained and finished under traditional village management, total fat content of the meat (both on a liveweight and carcass basis) is usually less than 4 percent. Little of the fat is deposited among the meat fibers (marbling).


The domesticated form of the banteng was first introduced to Australia in 1849 with the establishment of a British military outpost on the Cobourg Peninsula called Port Essington. Twenty animals were taken to the Western Arnhem Land, in current day Northern Territory, as a source of meat. A year after the outpost’s establishment, poor conditions including as crop failure and tropical disease led to its abandonment. With the departure of British troops, the banteng were released from their grazing pastures and allowed to form a feral population. By the 1960s, researchers realized that a population of about 1,500 individuals had developed in the tropical forests of the Cobourg Peninsula.

Since their introduction in 1849, the population has not strayed far from its initial point of domesticated life; all currently live within the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. As of 2007, the initial population had grown from only 20 in 1849 to 8,000-10,000 and is used exclusively for sport hunting and Aboriginal subsistence hunters.

Australia Wide Safaris operate their Banteng safaris on Coburg Peninsular.
Banteng are a very unique animal of the bovine species and whilst they are a bovine, their similarity to cattle ends right there. They carry an impressive set of curved trophy horns, starting with a length per horn of 18"- 25" on a very big bull.






Australia Crocodile Safaris



Carmor Plains and Australia Wide Safaris are one of the few safari operators offering Crocodile harvesting.
Australia Wide Safaris own and manage Carmor Plains Wildlife Reserve. The 100,000 acre privately owned game reserve is a pristine area for native flora and fauna and game animals.

 They also offer Water Buffalo, Wild Boar, Water Fowl, Wild Goat, Banteng and Wild Cattle hunting






The Crocodile harvesting season is year round but best times are from late April to the end of November.
Transport to the game reserve can be by road or private air charter. They will pick you up at the airport upon your arrival or from your Hotel. Travelling time by road from Darwin to Carmor Plains is 2 and 1/2 hours. If you prefer they can charter a light aircraft for you from Darwin, direct to the hunting camp, flying time 25 minutes!



Population of Australia

A real size comparison of Australia and the United States and the U.K. in red

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.7% of Australia's population.

During the period between 1788 and 1868, about 160,000 convicts were sent to Australia. What happened to them when they got to Australia depended on their skills or education, how they behaved themselves and some luck. The First Fleet carried 780 British convicts who landed in Botany Bay, New South Wales. Two more convict fleets arrived in 1790 and 1791, and the first free settlers didn' arrived until 1793. During this period, the colony of New South Wales was officially a penal colony comprising mainly of convicts, marines and the wives of the marines.


The majority of the 165,000 convicts transported to Australia were poor and illiterate, victims of the Poor Laws and social conditions in Georgian England. Eight out of ten prisoners were convicted for larceny of some description.



In the 2006 Australian Census residents were asked to describe their ancestry, in which up to two could be nominated. Proportionate to the Australian resident population, the most commonly nominated ancestries were.


Australian (37.13%)

English (31.65%)

Irish (9.08%)

Scottish (7.56%)

Italian (4.29%)

German (4.09%)

Chinese (3.37%)

Greek (1.84%)

Dutch (1.56%)

Indian (1.18%)

Lebanese (0.92%)

Vietnamese (0.87%)

Armenian (0.82%)

New Zealander (0.81%)

Filipino (0.81%)

Maltese (0.77%)

Croatian (0.59%)
Welsh (0.57%)

French (0.5%)

Serbian (0.48%)

Maori (0.47%)

Spanish (0.42%)

Macedonian (0.42%)

South African (0.4%)

Sinhalese (0.37%)

Hungarian (0.3%)

Russian (0.3%)

Turkish (0.3%)

American (0.28%)





Australia is a religiously diverse country and has no official religion.

The most commonly spoken languages other than English in Australia are Italian, Greek, German, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Chinese languages, Indian languages, Arabic, Macedonian and Croatian, as well as numerous Australian Aboriginal languages



Witchetty Grub



The witchetty grub also spelled witchety grub or witjuti grub is a term used in Australia for the large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths. Particularly it applies to the larva of the cossid moth Endoxyla leucomochla, which feeds on the roots of the Witchetty bush.

The grub is the most important insect food of the desert and was a staple in the diets of Aboriginal women and children.
I’ve tried one raw, they are very gooey and eggy and quite disgusting, but they can bite your tongue if you forget to bite their heads off. When cooked some say the flavour is variously described as almond-like or similar to peanut butter. Some popular recipes include Singed Witchetty Grubs and Witchetty Grub Soup.


Barbecued  Grubs

Barbecued, witchetties are often eaten as an appetizer. They are cooked over a fire on pieces of wire, rather like shasliks or satays. It takes about two minutes each side for the meat to become white and chewy and the skin crusty. Barbecued witchetties taste quite like chicken or prawns, serve with a peanut sauce.



Platypus





According to Aboriginal legend, the first platypus were born after a young female duck mated with a lonely and persuasive water-rat. The duck's offspring had their mother's bill and webbed feet and their father's four legs and handsome brown fur.

Early British colonists in Australia called the platypus a "water mole". Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal people had many different names for the animal, including "boondaburra", "mallingong" and "tambreet".





A Dr Shaw, in his scientific description of 1799, gave the name Platypus anatinus, from Greek and Latin words meaning "flat-footed, duck-like".

While both male and female Platypuses are born with ankle spurs, only the male has spurs which produce a cocktail of venom. Platypus spurrings of people are rare, but the select group who have survived the trauma (often fishermen trying to free them) report pain strong enough to induce vomiting which can persist for days, weeks or even months.





Kangaroo inside a emu recipe



Roasted Emu stuffed with Kangaroo 
KANGAMU



Dont go cooking lamb or beef on Australia day use Kangaroo or Emu our Aussie Coat of Arms.
Chuck some Roo or Emu on the Barbie its lean its tasty and goes great with Beer and Bundy Rum not just Beer or Rum both together remember its Australia Day you have to get smashed.





Aussie Meat Pie (Roo Pie)

1kg Kangaroo mince 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
2 rashers fatty bacon, rind trimmed chopped small
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups salt-reduced beef stock
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
4 sheets frozen ready-rolled shortcrust pastry, partially thawed, halved diagonally
2 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, partially thawed, quartered
1 egg, lightly beaten
Tomato sauce,


 Cook Roo mince, bacon and onion in a frying pan for 8 to 10 minutes or till brown.


Add tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until combined. Add stock and thyme. Stir to combine.
Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened and meat is tender. Season with pepper. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line eight 7.5cm round pie moulds with shortcrust pastry. Trim excess.
Fill cases with kangaroo mixture. Top with puff pastry. Trim excess. Press edges together with a fork to seal.
Using a small sharp knife, cut a small cross in pie tops. Brush with egg. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Serve with tomatoe sauce

Enjoy with a shit load of Beer and a bottle of Bundy 






Emu Burgers

3 kg minced Emu
2 bacon rashers 
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 large onion slices
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 hamburger buns
Bbq Sauce
Beetroot
Tomatoe
Lettuce
Pineapple
8 Bundy and cokes



Combine Emu, worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and salt and pepper, mixing well. Shape into six patties and chuck on barbie with the onion and bacon. melt some cheese on the burgers when nearly cooked.
Toast buns on barbie, chuck on the emu burger, bacon, bbq sauce beetroot, tomatoe, lettuce, pineapple,(leave off what you dont like) and serve with heaps of nice cold cans of Bundie and coke
Makes 6 servings.




Welcome to country ceremony

Ceremonies and protocols are an important part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Incorporating ceremonies into Australia Day activities allows the wider community to share in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, and promote a stronger sense of shared nationhood. Such ceremonies include Welcome to Country to welcome visitors into a community and Smoking Ceremonies to clear impurities from the land or sea.

how to make a damper







Dampers and various types of bread were baked in the ashes. Care was taken to only use the correct type of wood from which the ashes were obtained. Some woods imparted an unpleasant taste or even caused irritation or discomfort to the users. most wattles seemed to have been successfully used for baking in the ashes, yielding a fine ash that did not cause irritation.
 
 

 
 
Wattle seed Damper
 
4 cups of self raising flour
2  teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon sugar ( If you want)
90g of butter
3 tablespoons of roasted ground wattle seed
3/4  cup of milk ( if your camping and dont have milk just use water)
3/4  cup of water

Combine all ingrediants together, then kneed the dough for a bit, then roll into a ball ,and then flatten it a bit, so it looks like a thick flying saucer.

Throw onto hot ashes and cover with ashes, damper will take about 20-30 minutes.

Spread with whatever you like when cooked.( i like heaps of butter and vegemite).


Herb and Cheese Damper ( Sheila`s Damper)

1 cup (160g) wholemeal self-raising flour

1 cup (150g) white self-raising flour
60g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (40g) grated tasty cheese
1/4 cup chopped oregano leaves
3/4 cup (185ml) milk, plus extra to glaze
1 tbs grated parmesan


You can do this one like the one above and chuck it in the fire.

But for you sheila`s  Shape into a round loaf and place on a greased baking tray. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes in oven or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Serve warm
with a glass of champagne or a cup of tea.

How to cook a Dugong




 Dugongs are one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees.




The dugong is the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of some 40 countries and territories throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The dugong is largely dependent on seagrass communities for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats which support seagrass meadows, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in wide, shallow, protected areas such as baysmangrove channels, the waters of large inshore islands and inter-reefal waters. The northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay are believed to be the dugong's contemporary stronghold.





Most Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are legally allowed to hunt dugongs in Australian waters. To them the dugong is often more than just an important food source; it is central to their culture, economy and even religion. Hunting it is an expression of their Aboriginality - tangible evidence of their skill, knowledge and oneness with the elements of their environment.


Legend has it Dugongs were often mistaken for mermaids or mermen by the first European sailors to arrive in Australia's coastal waters. 


Hunting the dugong is still done the traditional way by the Yanyuwa people of the Borroloola region in the Gulf of Carpentaria; always two harpoons have to be thrown.
The majority of dugongs live in the northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay Western Australia and Moreton Bay in Queensland. The dugong is the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilize fresh water to some degree.






The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years for its meat and oil, although dugong hunting also has great cultural significance throughout its range. The dugong's current distribution is reduced and disjunct, and many populations are close to extinction.







Cooking:

When a dugong is brought back to the land for butchering, its head


must be faced back in the direction of the sea. This is so the

spirit of the dugong can return to the sea.

The only internal organ of the dugong which is eaten is the small

intestines all other organs are removed.


Dugong meat is cooked in a ground oven. 'The ground oven


is approximately 1 metre deep, 1 to 2 metres in width and 2

metres in length. The ground oven is filled with wood which is

set alight. While the‘wood is burning, the stones are thrown into the

fire to get hot.

When the wood has burnt down to hot coals the heated stones are

removed . Green mangrove branches are laid on the bed of leaves

and the hot stones placed on top of the meat., The oven is then

covered with dirt to seal in the heat. The meat is left to cook

for approx 8 hours.



After the meat has been eaten, all the scraps and bones are


thrown back into the ground oven and burnt. The belief is that

failure to dispose of the bones correctly will result in a

cessation of successful hunting. The rib-cage sections, head,

and flippers of the dugong, are considered sacred. These are the sections

which are placed into the ground oven.






Marn Grook Australian Football





Marn Grook (also spelt marngrook), literally meaning "Game ball", is the collective name given to a number of traditional Indigenous Australian recreational pastime believed to have been played at gatherings and celebrations of up to 50 players.


Generally speaking observers commented that Marn Grook was a football game which featured Punt kicking and catching a stuffed "ball". It involved large numbers of players, and games were played over an extremely large area. Totemic teams may have been formed, however to observers the game appeared to lack a team objective, having no real rules, scoring or winner. Individual players who consistently exhibited outstanding skills, such as leaping high over others to catch the ball, were often commented on..

Robert Brough-Smyth, in an 1878 book The Aborigines of Victoria, quoted William Thomas, a Protector of Aborigines in Victoria, who stated that in about 1841 he had witnessed Wurundjeri Aborigines playing the game.






The men and boys joyfully assemble when this game is to be played. One makes a ball of possum skin, somewhat elastic, but firm and strong. ...The players of this game do not throw the ball as a white man might do, but drop it and at the same time kicks it with his foot, using the instep for that purpose. ...The tallest men have the best chances in this game. ...Some of them will leap as high as five feet from the ground to catch the ball. The person who secures the ball kicks it. ...This continues for hours and the natives never seem to tire of the exercise.

Aboriginal Hunting Weapons




The weapons that Aboriginal people have used since the Dreamtime are Spears, Stone Knives, Shields, Boomerangs, and Fighting Stick . There are more Weapons but these are the main ones used for hunting .




HUNTING
Large animals are hunted (by men) small animals are gathered [by women] . The chance of success in obtaining animals is related to size. Large animals are hard to obtain, but provide a lot of meat (and prestige for the successful hunter) small animals individually provide little meat but can be obtained readily enough to provide much meat in total.





Hunting is a great experience when you first go out to hunt. Sometimes it's very exciting when the Elders take you out.
When I first went out Pig hunting I was 8 years old I felt very nervous when my older brother take me hunting to a very special place. Only men are allowed to go in but women are not allowed. If any women or girl go in they would go missing for a couple of years, that's the Law, it's very strong to us men. We have to use a four wheel drive. When we got there we left the four wheel drive near the main road. We had to walk, it took a couple of hours of walking to get there. As you look around you could see all the pigs just standing there looking at you so my brother just got into it and there went my brother chasing the pigs, while me and the other boys tried to get the smaller pigs, we call them suckers that's what we call them in our Language. Me and the boys caught 2 suckers, I helped my brother to catch 6 we shot 3 of them and left one alive and the two sucker. It was getting late so we started walking back to the car. Because we had to cook dinner that night we invited some of our relatives over to have dinner with us and offered some pig to our neighbours.
Edwin Butcher, Herberton, Australia

Wallaby Recipes

Eat more wallaby its good for you!


Wallabies are widely distributed across Australia, particularly in more remote, heavily timbered, or rugged areas, less so on the great semi-arid plains that are better suited to the larger, leaner, and more fleet-footed kangaroos.







Wallaby meat has a rich burgundy colour, is very tender, with subtle flavour lending itself to diverse styles of preparation. It is very low in cholesterol and very low in fat, perfect for the health conscious.


Portioned and ready to cook

Wallaby has a mild game flavour and can be used as an alternative to veal or chicken. The tenderness and flavour of wallaby meat is best enhanced when lightly cooked.

Provided the following simple steps are followed, cuts of Wallaby meat can be prepared in a similar fashion as all other red meats:

Brush the meat with oil (e.g. olive , peanut or seasame) prior to cooking either by pan frying, barbecue or roasting.

Place in a hot pan and quickly turn to ensure both sides are seared (browned) , seal and turn only once to retain moisture.

Roasting is an ideal cooking method for Wallaby meat. For the best results cook at controlled temperatures. It is not recommended to overcook kangaroo and Wallaby meat as the absence of fat makes the meat dry out.

Source: Yarra valley Game Meats,www.LifeStyleFOOD.com.au





Mark Olive’s Wallaby Stack

Recipe by World Famous Chef Mark Olive from The Outback Café




Mark Olive (aka the “Black Olive”) has been a chef for over twenty years - he became interested in cooking as a child, watching his mother and aunts.

He was born in Woollongong in New South Wales, but his people are the Bundjalung nation from the state's northern rivers region.

Mark was chef at Melbourne's indigenous restaurant, the Flaming Bull, and ran his own restaurant in Sydney for a time where he specialised in creating recipes using outback ingredients.

Today he cooks regularly for gatherings of hundreds of people at big corporate and public functions in Australia, bringing his signature blend of contemporary outback tastes to every occasion.




500 g Wallaby butterfly cut steaks

1 Sweet potato thinly sliced lengthways

1 Capsicum cut into 4 equal pieces

Native Mountain Pepper

3 Dessert Spoons Seeded Mustard

1 Dessert Spoon Honey

¼ cup crushed Macadamia

1.Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

2.Prepare the steaks in a butterfly cut, and coat with native mountain pepper, set aside.

3.Coat the zucchini, sweet potato, and capsicum with olive oil and cook on a hot griddle plate until tender (do not over cook).

4.During cooking sprinkle with native mountain pepper. Remove from griddle and set aside.

5.Sear both sides of the wallaby steak quickly on a very hot griddle (should be medium rare).

6.Remove from griddle and set aside to rest.

7.On a baking tray, layer the sweet potato, zucchini, capsicum and wallaby, repeat.

8.Top with crushed macadamia nuts and place in oven until nuts are golden brown.
9.To make the sauce, mix the seeded mustard and honey in a small bowl.

10.To serve, place the stack on a plate and drizzle with the honey mustard sauced. Sprinkle native mountain pepper around the plate and add some whole roasted macadamia nuts for presentation.

Aboriginal Cooking Methods


Aborigines lived as Hunter-gatherers. They hunted and foraged for food from the land.
Australian Aboriginal cooking methods are unique, most of them originating in and around outdoor fires. Boiling and barbecuing are newer techniques that they have learned.
Aboriginals ate a balanced diet before the invasion of the British Crown, including seasonal fruits, nuts, roots vegetables, wattles, other plant food, many types of meats, and seafood.


Aboriginal Cooking Methods


 Roasting on hot coals:

· The basic technique for cooking flesh, including most meats, fish and small turtles.
A further slow roasting, involving covering with coals and ashes may have then
been employed to thoroughly cook the meat or to soften an otherwise tough meat.
After cooking, the meat would be quickly consumed.
· For game, such as a kangaroo, the fur would first be singed off in the flames. As
the carcase started to swell, it would be removed from the flames, gutted and the
remains of the fur scraped off with a sharp implement. By this time the fire would
be a bed of hot coals on which the carcase would be further cooked. It is unlikely
that cooking would be complete by this method, the meat would be rare but
probably relished by all, particularly the men of the group.
· Smaller game would be more thoroughly cooked by this method.
· Shellfish would be cooked briefly on the coals at the side of a fire so that, as soon as
the contents started to froth, they were removed from the heat. This method
avoided the shellfish being overcooked and tough.

Baking in the ashes

Dampers and various types of bread were baked in the ashes. Care was taken to only
use the correct type of wood from which the ashes were obtained. Some woods
imparted an unpleasant taste or even caused irritation or discomfort to the users. most
wattles seemed to have been successfully used for baking in the ashes, yielding a fine
ash that did not cause irritation. Witchetty grubs only required to be briefly rolled in
the hot ashes to cook them. Often damper or goanna would be placed on the hot
ground beneath the ashes and covered with more ash to cook. A scooped out hollow
was often made in which to cook yams and other small vegetables by then covering
them with a further layer of ash and coals.





Steaming in a ground oven

Aboriginal cooking methods using ancient ground ovens still exist, particularly in the Wiradjuri area, along the Darling,
Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Rivers. At Lake Urana in western NSW I have seen such
ovens and only recognised them after having them explained to me. The ovens were
prepared by digging out a pit about 90 cm long and 60 cm deep, taking care to collect
any clay from the digging. The clay, usually fashioned into smooth lumps, would be
placed aside until the pit had been filled with selected firewood and then placed on
top. As the wood burned, the clay would dry quickly and become very hot. These
clay lumps, nearly red hot, would be removed from the pit using sticks for tongs, the
pit swept out and quickly lined with green leaves or grass on which small game such
as possums would be lain, covered by more green grass and weighed down by the clay lumps. All this was covered with earth from the original excavation to prevent loss of
steam. This method of cooking produced excellent results. In areas such as Arnhem Land, wrapping in moist paperbark from the Melaleuca trees is still a popular method
of cooking vegetables and meat in a ground oven. Iron particles in ground ovens
became aligned according to the magnetic field of the earth at the time the ovens were
last used – from this the age of the ovens could be calculated, a bonus for
archaeologists.




Goat Recipes




Goats originally came to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. Current feral goat populations are descended from these and subsequent animals that were introduced for a variety of reasons. During the 19th Century, goats were set free on islands and on the mainland by mariners to ensure emergency supplies of food.

A few years ago there were about 2.6 million feral goats in Australia but this number has fluctuated widely under the influence of extended dry periods and the effectiveness of management programs.

In Australia, feral goats have been estimated to cause losses to pastoralism of $25 million per year.
Feral goats also adversely affect conservation values and biological diversity by damaging the vegetation and competing with native fauna. Their damage is most obvious and most severe on small islands.

Australia is the largest exporter of goat meat and live goats in the world exporting:


•19,000 tonnes of meat per annum to approximately 25 countries
•50,000 live goats to 15 countries
Major markets have traditionally been the US and Taiwan for meat and Malaysia for live export.

Goat is very low in fat, which is healthy but it also means that it can dry out in the cooking process. So when you are roasting cook on low heat or even use an oven bag.

Source Feral.org.au,Wiki.





Roasted Goat

Shoulder or leg of Goat
1 tspn vegimite or Bonox
Srig of rosemary
1 tbspn olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
pepper
1 Lemon or lime rind

Cut small insertions into the leg of goat with the tip of a sharp knife. Into these holes place slivers of garlic. Next rub the surface of the meat with the vegimite. Don't make it too thick. Sprinkle lightly with pepper and Lemon or lime rind
and roughly chopped rosemary.

Pre-heat roasting dish and place tbspn of oil in bottom of pan. Next place the goat into oven and cook on low to moderate oven approx 150 c for 4 hours.

Delicious!!!


Gourmet Goat

by Sue Gauge

1 leg of Goat 1/3 cup cider
1/2 cup dried apricots tbspn olive oil
herbs and spices of own choice
salt and pepper to taste.

Wash and dry the meat. Prepare a piece of alfoil big enough to wrap the joint in. Place meat on alfoil and cover with a little oil, herbs and spices to your own taste (Sue uses:- basil, rosemary, black pepper and a little tabasco)

Place a few dried apricots on top of and under the meat and drizzle the cider over them, being careful not to 'wash' the herbs off. Wrap the alfoil loosely around the parcel and seal the seams.

Roast in a medium oven 160-180 c for 2 - 2 1/2 hours depending on the size of the leg.

Make gravy using the cider and juices out of the meat parcel while meat is resting prior to being carved.

Goanna Recipes



Goannas are a protected species throughout Australia



Goannas are found throughout most of Australia, except for Tasmania, and manage to persist in a variety of environments. Most species are known to climb trees or outcrops, there are plenty of primarily arboreal species.

It is used by the aboriginal people for bush medicine and is a stable source of food hunted by  both men and women.




Flame roasted Goanna

Source : Mjhall.org


You can catch the goanna in trees or on the ground. When they're in trees you throw a stick at them. If they're in the ground you might have to dig it out of the ground. If you want to cook the Goanna throw it on to burning flames to singe the skin. Cook them in ashes (put them over the ashes). If it is pregnant lay it on its belly so the eggs do not burst.






Buffalo Recipes



Source:The Australian Buffalo Industry Council Inc

The first buffalo arrived in the Northern Territory at Melville Island in 1825, further buffalo were introduced around that time as more outposts were set up in the Top End, a large free range population developed from buffalo that were left behind as these outposts were abandoned or escaped during relocation.

It was not until the mid 1980’s that any significant number of buffalo were sent from the NT to other Australian states.


Buffalo meat is very low in fat, less than 2% and comparatively low in cholesterol, this leanness makes buffalo meat very healthy. The fat composition in the lean meat has a higher proportion of polyunsaturated and omega 3 fatty acids than in chicken lamb or beef. Buffalo meat has been found to be very high in protein, iron and zinc content.

Buffalo Milk has

58% more calcium than cows milk!
40% more protein than cows milk!
43% less cholesterol than cows milk!

Buffalo milk is a totally natural product that can be consumed like any other milk. Time after time participants in tasting trials pick out buffalo milk in preference to cows, goats and artificially manufactured milks. They just love the taste.



Nutrition

Buffalo meat has about the same protein content as chicken, 45% more iron, 61% less saturated fat and 33% less cholesterol.

Buffalo Burger Skillet

700 grams ground buffalo
1/2 onion, chopped
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
250gms can tomato sauce
1 cup stewed tomatoes OR diced tomatoes
300gms can whole kernel corn, drained

1 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground buffalo for 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 5 to 10 more minutes. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomato sauce, stewed OR diced tomatoes, corn and macaroni. Stir well and allow to heat through, about 5 to 7 minutes.


Buffalo Meat Loaf

1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice, divided
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 kg ground buffalo
3 slices bread, broken up into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mustard powder. In a separate large bowl, combine the buffalo, bread, onion, egg, bouillon, remaining lemon juice and 1/3 of the ketchup mixture from the small bowl. Mix this well and place in a 13x23cm (5x9 inch) loaf pan. Bake at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 1 hour, coat with remaining ketchup mixture and bake for 10 more minutes


Buffalo Nacho Dip

500 gms ground buffalo
1 (500gms) container salsa
1 (250gms) carton sour cream
1/2 head lettuce, finely shredded
250gms shredded Cheddar cheese


Place buffalo in a large skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until browned. Stir in salsa, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Pat cooked meat into bottom of a pie plate, cover, and refrigerate. When meat is completely chilled, spread sour cream over meat. Arrange lettuce evenly over sour cream, and top with Cheddar cheese.


Onion Mushroom Burgers

2 lb. Buffalo Burger
1 cup finely chopped onions
½ cup sliced mushrooms
Fresh ground black pepper
¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce

Combine mushrooms, onions and burger in mixing bowl. Add Worcestershire sauce. Knead until mixed thoroughly. Make into six patties. Grind Pepper on each side of patties and rub into meat. Pan fry, broil, or grill.


STEWS

Mexican Style Buffalo Stew

1.5kgs boneless buffalo chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 TBS. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. ready-to-serve beef broth
1 c. prepared thick and chunky salsa
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3/4-inch thick pieces
1 can black beans, drained (400gms.)
1/2 c. whole corn kernels, frozen
2 TBS. cornstarch dissolved in 3 TBS. water

In Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook and stir buffalo in 2 batches; brown evenly. Pour off drippings. Return buffalo to pan. Season with salt. Stir in broth and salsa. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer gently 1-1/4 hours. Stir in zucchini, beans and corn. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and continue simmering 15 to 20 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute or until thickened. Serve with toppings, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.


Quick Buffalo Stew

1kg ground buffalo
4 (500gms) cans mixed vegetables
4 (500gms) cans chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
ground black pepper
salt

In a large soup pot, cook ground meat over medium heat until browned. Add chopped onion, mixed vegetables, and tomatoes. Give it a stir. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 3 to 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


STEAK RECIPES

Zesty Steak Marinade

1/3 Cup Steak Sauce
1/3 Cup Barbecue Sauce br> 1 clove minced garlicbr> 1 teaspoon onion powder

Mix steak sauce, barbecue sauce, garlic and onion powder into bowl.
Use to marinate steaks in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.


Sirloin Steak Skewers

2 - 250gm. Buffalo Sirloin Steaks, about 13mm thick
1/3 cup A.1. Steak Sauce
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1. Pound steak to 6mm thickness. Spread 2 tablespoons steak sauce over meat. Sprinkle peppers evenly over steak sauce.
2. Roll up steak from short edge; cut crosswise into 8 coiled slices. On each of 4 skewers, thread 2 steak rolls through coils to secure.
3. Grill roulades over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until done, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining 1/4 cup steak sauce. Serve immediately.


Peppery Filet Mignon in Red Wine

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 - 170mm. Buffalo Filet Mignons
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup steak Sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed

1. Sprinkle pepper over both sides of steaks, pressing into steak.
2. Brown steaks in hot oil in skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness; remove from skillet and keep warm.
3. Cook and stir onion in same skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.
4. Stir in steak sauce, wine and marjoram. Heat to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes or until there is about 1/3 cup sauce remaining. Serve over steaks.


Honey Mustard Sirloin

1/2 cup dijon mustard
3 tablespoons apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
3 - 250gm. Buffalo top sirloin steaks

Cook on grill over medium heat.
Combine the mustard, apple juice, cinnamon and honey. Brush one side of the steak with the sauce. Grill and turn, adding more sauce.
Grill to desired doneness


Buffalo Sir fry and Spinach over pasta


500gm. Buffalo Sirloin steak
170gms. cooked thin spaghetti
1 pkg. fresh spinach, stems removed and thinly sliced (280gms.)
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained (250gms.)
1/4 c. green onions, sliced
2 TBS. red chili peppers, chopped

Marinade:
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 TBS. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 TBS. water
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Stack steaks; cut lengthwise in half and then crosswise into 1-inch wide strips. Combine marinade ingredients; add buffalo, tossing to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions; keep warm.
Remove meat from marinade. Bring marinade to a rolling boil; reserve marinade. Heat large nonstick wok or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add buffalo (half at a time) and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside is no longer pink. (Do not overcook). Remove buffalo; keep warm.
In same skillet, combine pasta, spinach, water chestnuts, green onions and reserved marinade; cook until spinach is wilted and mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally. Return buffalo to skillet; mix lightly. Garnish with chili peppers. Makes 5 servings

Camel Recipes

Spidercam

Australian camels, roving in the only feral herds of their kind in the world and estimated to number 1,000,000, are descendants of camels imported into Australia, beginning in the mid-1800s, to help lay the foundations of the nation. Shipments came largely from the Indian subcontinent, but animals were also landed from Muscat, Yemen, Iraq and the Canary Islands.




Feral Camels in outback Australia




Australian camel meat can be cooked in almost any method in which you would cook lamb, (and it is a similar taste), the very best method is roasting.


Camel meat is a speciality in the Middle East

Roast Camel


In a deep roasting pan, or double pan if available, place approximately an inch (15cms) of water. Add the Camel meat roast. A sprinkle of curry powder is a good touch if the meat is not already marinated. Cover the meat with aluminium foil which will be removed in the last half hour of cooking.

By roasting in the water rather than oil, the meat will remain tender rather than drying out to which it is prone. The addition of a few peeled onions to the water will enhance the overall flavour.

Camel is often prepared as a stew. The small chopped pieces of meat tossed on plain flour before being added to a vegetable stock. With the addition of chosen vegetables and diced onion, ground black pepper and salt, and slow cooking, the stew produces a succulent melt in the mouth meal.

Camel can also be minced and used as burger meat. Once again we add chopped onion, choice of herbs, dash of curry powder, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix and cook exactly as you would with any hamburger mince. Diced bacon is an optional extra which may be added to main mix.

The camel neck is ideal for soups. It is very meaty and in a good vegetable stock will come away from the bone nicely. Diced root vegetables and onion with the addition of crushed tomatoes will make a hearty meal for a cold winters day. Enjoy!

Source:DK Mitchel at Helium.com

Crocodile Recipes






In northern Australia (which includes the top ends of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland) the Saltwater Crocodile is thriving, particularly in the multiple river systems near Darwin (such as the Adelaide, Mary and Daly Rivers, along with their adjacent billabongs and estuaries) where exceptionally large (6 meter +) individuals are not uncommon. A rough estimate states that the Australian Saltwater Crocodile population stands somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 adults.




Crocodile meat is a succulent white meat, akin to fish in both appearance and texture, but the taste of chicken and therefore best cooked in the same manner as chicken or lean pork.



Crocodile is easy to prepare and cook. It is best cooked from frozen as during the
thawing process most of the moisture runs out decreasing the flavour. It should be
cooked for two minutes on either side and then allowed to stand for a few
minutes. It is best served just cooked (in red meat terms, medium rare). Remove
excess fat after cooking. Do not use a large number of ingredients (other than
herbs or spices) - no more than three is recommended. If frying, always use butter
or olive oil as they will not impart a flavour that is unique. Do not use margarine as
the hydrogenated fats can emit an unpleasant flavour and prevent you from using
other dairy products such as cream in the recipe. Keep it plain and simple.










Crocodile kebabs

100 gm crocodile boneless tail per serve
1/4 pawpaw
60 ml white wine
Olive oil
Bananas

Slice crocodile tail fillet into 3/8-1/2 inch (10-15 mm) medallions across the grain.
Thread medallions onto wet bamboo kebab sticks. Crush pawpaw into a flat
casserole dish, adding wine and a splash of olive oil. Add the kebabs making sure
they are completely covered and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To cook, pre-heat chargrill-style BBQ, eg an open grill using rocks/coal, not a
plate. Place kebabs over coals and cook until just browned. Do not overcook. Place
on a plate in a warm place for the same amount of time it took to cook the
kebabs.
To cook bananas, allow 1 banana per serve. Use firm, just off bright yellow
bananas. Do not peel, cut lengthways and sprinkle brown sugar and nutmeg or
ginger over the sliced surface and BBQ without turning. The coating will melt and
the soft banana can be served whole. Prepare a platter with barbecued bananas
placed around a dish, place kebabs in the centre of the platter and serve
immediately with a cold cucumber and yoghurt salad with some crusty fresh bread.




Crocodile larrikin-style


100 gm crocodile boneless tail fillet per serve
15 gm butter per serve
20-30 ml lemon juice
100 ml thickened cream per serve
Pinch of crushed garlic per serve



Cutting across the grain, slice the tail fillet into medallions and, if necessary, cut
into short lengths of even dimension. Each medallion should be approximately 3/8
inch or 10 mm thick. (This stage can be pre-done and the resulting medallions laid
out separately on a suitable tray and frozen for subsequent use.) Add medallions
to the just browning butter and reduce heat to prevent the butter from burning. If
the medallions are frozen, cook a little longer. Do not turn more than once. When
cooked, place the meat in a bowl in a warm place or oven.
De-glaze pan with lemon or lime juice (a bottled variety is suitable) and
immediately add cream. Swirl and add garlic and bring to boil. Simmer till reduced,
so that the sauce will coat the spoon. Place meat on platter, add juices in bowl to
sauce, stir and pour sauce over medallions. Serve immediately, accompanied with
a fresh, cold, crisp salad as a starter. Alternatively, serve with BBQ bananas. It is
recommended that salad dressing not be used as it may clash with the sauce.





Skewered crocodile with lime and ginger sauce



Makes 4 entree portions
400 g crocodile meat, cut into 2 cm cubes
40 ml lime juice
200 ml chicken stock
30 ml honey
30 g brown sugar
5 g ginger, finely diced
30 ml olive oil
10 g cornflour
Salt and pepper to taste
8 bamboo skewers

Thread crocodile meat onto bamboo skewers, place in a flat dish, season with salt
and pepper, pour lime juice over and place in fridge for about 1 hour. Remove
skewers from refrigeration, saving residual lime juice for the sauce. Heat olive oil
in a frying pan and sauté crocodile for about 5 minutes, set aside and keep
warm. Combine lime juice, honey, brown sugar, ginger, chicken stock and
cornflour in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Place skewers on plates, spoon sauce over meat and garnish with fresh herbs.




Mud Crabs

Mud Crabs are marine and estuarine coastal dwellers that can tolerate low salinity for extended periods, preferring shallow water with...