MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: cootha on August 01, 2011, 02:50:05 PM
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Anyone going to the Simpson be prepared for the plague of huge black rats there at the moment. Got a mate just come through this morning, Eyre Ck is running about crutch height this morning and flowing fast.
The rats are running rampant, chewing all before them. Like a sea of black fur on the ground when the sun goes down.
I'm going in a few weeks, might take one of these:
(http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/flamethrower.jpg)
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they can breed 7-8 young every month and start breeding at only 3 months old. Lordy!
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1 night + 1 rat = >:(
(http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af28/RW__S/DSCF6143.jpg?t=1312180089)
(http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af28/RW__S/DSCF6138.jpg)
I don't think a sea of them would leave you much.
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The mice and rat plague is still in full swing out here in the centre, they are having to use DNA testing to ID a poor fellow who died just south of Erldunda roadhouse as the mice and rats didn't leave much.
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Was that the bloke they couldn't find who was travelling with a caravan? I heard about that while I was away.
At Merty Merty near the corner the grasses were alive with mice but no damage and they didn't get in the GU. I was there for 2 nights.
Rich
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Someone really hates me....
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I spose all you can say Darren is..... Rats >:D :cheers:
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I spose all you can say Darren is..... Rats >:D :cheers:
Or Darren could take the cat along...
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Or Darren could take the cat along...
Dan dosnt travel well
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2 rats a day is all I ask.
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1 night + 1 rat = >:(
(http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af28/RW__S/DSCF6143.jpg?t=1312180089)
(http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af28/RW__S/DSCF6138.jpg)
I don't think a sea of them would leave you much.
Thats unbelievable stuff.
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Someone really hates me....
dig a trench around the camper, pour in some diesel, and let the thing burn all night.
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Camped out at Charleville and getting some reports from others coming in across the Simpson and camp hygiene is important. Drop some food on a groundsheet and not clean it up and there will be a hole in the morning. They say makes sure everything comes inside every night. One night one stole a marmalade coated knife. Apparently They are worse up towards Bedourie which is the way we are headed ??? ???
Also open bonnet every night to cool engine ASAP so they don't seek out the heat and chew your wires....
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sooo......
if you like authentic Thai cooking........
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Was that the bloke they couldn't find who was travelling with a caravan? I heard about that while I was away.
At Merty Merty near the corner the grasses were alive with mice but no damage and they didn't get in the GU. I was there for 2 nights.
Rich
Yes Rich that was the guy, I feel bad cause I passed his car and van that was off the road about 50 yards or so and I thought at the time that I should stop and investigate it cause it looked very odd to me. That was two weeks ago, should of, could of, but didn't and now feel bad cause I didn't.
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Yes Rich that was the guy, I feel bad cause I passed his car and van that was off the road about 50 yards or so and I thought at the time that I should stop and investigate it cause it looked very odd to me. That was two weeks ago, should of, could of, but didn't and now feel bad cause I didn't.
how could you have known? you and probably 1000 other people did the same thing.. the moral is that you should stay with your vehicle if you are alone and let people know of your travel plans so they an raise an alarm if you don't check in.
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(http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo74/4wd26/IMGP4524.jpg)
Ruins North of Corrillo downs homestead
(http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo74/4wd26/IMGP4163.jpg)
Birdsville caravan park
buggers are everywhere out there at the moment.
Interesting to have them running over the top of your swag all night
Traveling companion had a hole chewed in their tent at Birdsville >:(
(http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo74/4wd26/IMGP4151.jpg)
got a bit more aggressive toward them keeping them off the swag after the hole in the tent incident
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Yes Rich that was the guy, I feel bad cause I passed his car and van that was off the road about 50 yards or so and I thought at the time that I should stop and investigate it cause it looked very odd to me. That was two weeks ago, should of, could of, but didn't and now feel bad cause I didn't.
Silvo is right, many others would have passed him too.
I would have passed 1000's of vans/campers and motorhomes parked off in the scrub. I have never given a second thought to stopping. We even camp off the the sides of roads in the scrub.
It's a sad ending but at least the family can put closure to his disappearance
Rich
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Silvo is right, many others would have passed him too.
I would have passed 1000's of vans/campers and motorhomes parked off in the scrub. I have never given a second thought to stopping. We even camp off the the sides of roads in the scrub.
It's a sad ending but at least the family can put closure to his disappearance
Rich
True but I reckon in this instance I was one of the first if not the first to pass this particular car and van. The odd thing is that it was a AU ford falcon towing a non off road caravan, where it was is what sparked my attention as it was not a roadside stop, there were no tracks into where it was at all. In fact it looked like someone had just driven off the road and stopped in the middle of a high grassed area. I did make a UHF call to see if thre were any truckies on channel that may know about it but didn't get a response.
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So how long do these rat plagues last? We're heading out there in 40 days and I'm kinda hopin I don't have to deal with it.
Yes I know denial is not a river in Egypt ;D
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I had them out west in April, and seeing they are still there now, I reckon they will still be there in 40 days.
They got in the car and everything... I trapped 5 from the vehicle after one night. :-[
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Seriously - feel free to lie to me - then I can assure the missus it's all good! :)
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They're friendly enough, you can pat them and if you can squeak their frequency, there are most obliging.
If you squeak at 34db in an B note this is the command to make you coffee. Don't squeak at a B Sharp though, as this is a completely different command and your wife may get jealous. 8) The B Flat will provide good entertainment if you like ping pong balls.
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They're friendly enough, you can pat them and if you can squeak their frequency, there are most obliging.
If you squeak at 34db in an B note this is the command to make you coffee. Don't squeak at a B Sharp though, as this is a completely different command and your wife may get jealous. 8) The B Flat will provide good entertainment if you like ping pong balls.
Danbri, how long did it take to to train the ones to run up your pants leg :D
GG
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That's the B Sharp... ;D
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That's the B Sharp... ;D
Also known as C. (not really a thing called B#)
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As they were not killed off by our winter temps it is being predicted that the mice plague will become worse in spring and summer. Not looking forward to that, we only went camping once this camping season and it was not a pleasant experience. Wife said not going again till the mice have gone, so it will be a while before we are camping again.
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I got back from a weekend trip and cleaned out the back of the patrol................
We returned from our outback trip on the 7th May. thats almost 3 months ago (give or take a few days)
I found one on the little buggers is still living in the car.
Chewed all the cardboard and packaging on my spare hoses etc.
Ate a packet of kids wipes and various bits around the place.
Trap set.......... >:(
They must be hardy to survives my wifes driving............. ;D
Cheers
Brian
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sooo......
if you like authentic Thai cooking........
Maybe there's a export market to Thailand eh! ;D
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Nuisance aside - how much of a problem are these rats going to be with me and 2 kids under 6?
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Also known as C. (not really a thing called B#)
A rat told me this is where humans get it wrong.
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Nuisance aside - how much of a problem are these rats going to be with me and 2 kids under 6?
Our 2 and 3 years olds thought it was all great - more entertainment.
It was the running up my leg while driving and the fact that they ate most of our perishables (they got in the car) that made me grumpy, but I was less grumpy after revenge.
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We need to carry out extensive research into the rat and mouse genome.
Our aim will be to filter out and amplify the cannibal gene.
This will cause the mice to feed on themselves after dancing around a fire in a trance, chanting to Kali-mah.
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I have the answer for my trip. I am going to take a pipe...
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I have the answer for my trip. I am going to take a pipe...
Don't think you can smoke em mate, not like Cane Toads ;D
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I have the answer for my trip. I am going to take a pipe...
Can see you sitting around a campfire with them passing the pipe....lol one way to stop them....
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I have the answer for my trip. I am going to take a pipe...
A particular type of pipe?
Say, one fashioned by Browning? With a 410ga shell in one end?
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Dam your an un-educated lot....
A pied pipe.....
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Don't worry about the Rats and Mice it is the Snakes that will come next ;D.
I was camped at Arkaroola just over a week ago and the frosts we had there stopped a lot of the mice.
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I have the answer for my trip. I am going to take a pipe...
you go first then so I have a clear run, we'll also chase up any stragglers!
Heading off in Sep also
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Dam your an un-educated lot....
A pied pipe.....
That was my next guess.
Don't worry about the Rats and Mice it is the Snakes that will come next ;D.
And Barry White passed away a while ago, we're all doomed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndcU3B8zDAk&feature=related
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The feral cats will be doing shift work to make the most of the bounty. :D
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So i been doing a bit of research and the rats out there are native Rattus villosissimus 'long haired rats' or 'plague rats', this only happens once every 30 or 40 years and the last time was in the 70's where the plague lasted 3 years!
In the Simpson they prefer the side of dunes to live on, hence my mate who was camped on the side of a dune near eyre ck got inundated with them. They are usually quite rare and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see nature in all its glory >:D.
here's an interesting article: http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/threatened-native-rats-appear-in-nt.htm
They also breed from Jan to late July, and mature at 70 days. So anyone going in Aug-Sep is gonna cop 'em big time. They also don't seem to like light very much and on nights of a full moon will stay in their burrows. I am gonna break out the mutha led lights from hell, and be lit up like a prawn trawler.
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Hmm, might have to take a closer look at the rooftop tent option for the big trip..... :'(
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I just had a thought "What about a spud gun???" ;D I can just see the rats flying through the air...
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I just had a thought "What about a spud gun???" ;D I can just see the rats flying through the air...
You mean a potato gun! Spud gun will fire rat-poops but less fun....
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They also breed from Jan to late July, and mature at 70 days. So anyone going in Aug-Sep is gonna cop 'em big time. They also don't seem to like light very much and on nights of a full moon will stay in their burrows. I am gonna break out the mutha led lights from hell, and be lit up like a prawn trawler.
Well, we're in Birdsville at the start of September and then we head south - it shall be interesting!
As far as the lighting idea goes, I wonder if solar-garden lights will help much?
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There have been a lot less of these critters than we expected.
We have been in the Center for the last couple of weeks and have not seen many at all ---YET!!
There have been a few that come around to say hello while we have our dinner, but nothing to worry about.
I will try to update this info as we travel around over the next month or two.
Cheers
Parry
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Latest update as of today:
The rats plague goes from Birsdville to the knolls track. There are very few west of that at the moment.
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take one of these babies out with ya >:D >:D >:D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjdky7hBp-E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjdky7hBp-E)