Camping amongst the Spiders

It was late afternoon when we crested a hill to see the expanse of water that is Lake Jeavons. After so many salt lakes it was a relief to see some water again in the desert regions. Lake Jeavons lies west of the NT Border at 20°37'14 South and 128°58'06 East.

We made our way down along an old broken fenceline to the shores of the lake and I promptly had a minor hassle with my cheesecutters(tyres) breaking through the dampish lake shore. A frantic unhooking of the trailer, turning it and the GQ around and getting away from the swamp was the next move.

We didn't take too much notice of our surroundings during the hasty activity except for looking at the wonderful expanse of water and all the birdlife afterwards. Camp was made and before tucker time some tyres had to be mended. Others took time off to photograph the reflections of the lake. We were all pretty bushed and the midgies played their part to see us off to an early bed.

The next morning as the sun hit our surroundings we saw just where we were camped. Behind us was a small forest of dead Ti Trees and Paperbarks. Intertwined amongst these trees were myriads of spidwerwebs. On closer inspection we saw that the webs were inhabited! Golden Orb Spiders had made this place their home and due to favourable conditions had proliferated their specie.

The prevailing wind across the lake came from the east. On the lake shores a swamp existed with a variety of water borne plant life. This swamp gave rise to a diverse amount of insects. Depending on the wind strength, these creatures would be blown into the webs trapping them and in turn being converted into spider food!

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We broke camp very carefully making sure that there were no hitchhikers aboard and quietly departed from the scene...lol


Cheers