BOOK 9 - MAGNIFICENT MATILDA'S MYSTERY TOUR

The book is inspired by the marvellous Island called Bribie in SE Queensland.  Rather a unique place and the only sand island where there is a bridge from the mainland.

Bribie: This unique regional landscape supports high value individual flora and fauna species and communities, many of which are listed on national and state registers. Examples of these special species and ecosystems include wetland melaleuca forest. Bribie Island is located within the Moreton Bay Marine Park, an identified priority coastal hotspot and Ramsar wetland area.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

St Augustine

Magnificent Matilda takes a Mystery Tour around Bribie Island with her new friend DJ.

She takes 'a bird's eye view' tour of the island courtesy of DJ, a yellow kite and a strong wind.

Take this tour with her and hear about the historical landmarks of the Island and of some famous people from the past including Ian Fairweather the Artist and Matthew Flinders the explorer.

BOOK 7 - BRIBIE PRIDE

THE BRIBIE PRIDE

A story of a search and rescue mission in Bribie

The next book is the beginning of a new series of books for children. The friendships have now been formed and the "Bribie Pride" meet for a  barbecue /picnic at Buckley's Hole. Remember it is a conservation park so very beautiful.

There is one member missing  and the cry goes up "WHERE IS TILA?"

Tila is a beautiful Turtle who loves to swim with her friends in the waters of the Pumicestone Passage. On her way to the barbecue she has been TURTLENAPPED!!

The Bribie Pride realise that something is wrong and the search to find Tila begins by road, sea and air.

Rocky leaps across roads, Lily and Amy paddle across the Passage, and Petulia takes to her hang glider for a bird's eye view.

Petulia is flying over the woodland when she sees Tila being bundled into a bag by two suspicious characters - one of them is POACHER PETE, the other has no name.

She relays a message back to Matilda and the rescue begins.

There is much crunching and punching and eventually the Pride succeds in gaining the release of their friend Tila.

What a great team the Bribie Pride are!

They stand for justice, loyalty and truth! WOW a hard act to follow!

BOOK 4 - RAFT RACE

THE GREAT BRIBIE RAFT RACE

The new short story for kids - a book about a Great Raft Race.

Included in the plot are the characters of Ian Fairweather the Artist, Eric the Emu, and of course the little Bribie friends who have had their personal stories outlined in the Bribie Tales Books. I enjoyed writing this one and it is aimed at the age group 6 - 9 yrs of age (or younger or older!). Grandparents may want to share this with their grand-children. A couple of new friends are introduced - Mia Mouse from Thailand, Amy Frillyneck, Liam and Gazza Green, and Granny Pobblebonk.



Reading stories about the life of artist Ian Fairweather was a strong motivator for the writing of this book. The story of his life, is indeed a story 'stranger than fiction'! Of great significance is when he attempted a raft journey from Australia to Timor which had almost disastrous consequences. He makes an appearance in the book as a mentor on raft building for Matilda and her friends Rocky, Lily and Scarlet. After all he survived a most perilous 16 day voyage (only just!) More info found at:
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fairweather-ian-10147

BOOK 1 - MATILDA the Water Mouse. Is she really a False Water Rat

Magnificent Matilda's Story

Matilda the Water Mouse lives in the Wetlands on Bribie Island in Queensland, Australia. The Island is a beautiful place near a city called Brisbane. Matilda lives near the Pumicestone Passage where there is lots of water. Matilda doesn’t like the water and she wears a bright pink lifesaver around her waist just in case she sinks, when swimming. Matilda also has a beautiful silky coat which she doesn’t like to get wet. She has little eyes and is short sighted but Matilda has a long nose and long black whiskers which stop her bumping into things.

Matilda likes to go out at night but one morning she woke up and decided she wanted to explore the other side of the Island and then the adventure begins.

Amazing Facts

Water Mouse  = False Water Rat

The name of the False Water Rat is misleading – it is not truly aquatic, and it is actually a mouse! Its small size, dark grey fur and white belly make it clearly distinguishable. Although not truly aquatic, the False Water Rat lives near shallow water close to the coast. It forages in mangrove forests for small crabs, shellfish and worms.

What is its habitat?

The only known False Water Rat populations in Australia are in coastal areas of the Northern Territory and Queensland. It is found in coastal wetlands such as lagoons, swamps and sedged lakes close to fore dunes. It forages amongst the mangroves at night when the tide is low, and when the tide rises it returns to the adjacent sedgelands for shelter.
The False Water Rat builds large mud nests like termite mounds, up to 60 centimetres high and usually in areas where they can escape the highest of tides. They often use exposed tree roots to form the foundation for the mounds.

Why is it threatened?

False Water Rats have a life cycle that depends on mangrove communities as well as a range of other wetland communities for survival. Mangrove and other coastal wetland communities are widely threatened by development for residential and recreational purposes and to a lesser extent for agriculture and aquaculture. Loss of mangroves means loss of habitat for the false water rat.

Ref: Aust Govt Dept of Environment