It seems remarkable that we have reached our third annual inspection of Cockatoo Island. It has become quite routine now and we are able to accomplish all of our tasks in record time. The staff and rangers continue to be helpful and friendly. There is really very little new to report here as no pests have been found, as was also the case last year.
Have tried to reach Ted Wilson several times over the last few days without success. Our spot checks of potentially troublesome area on the island have proceeded well, but I am concerned that we will again not be able to examine the cavernous areas beside the tunnels.
The time and budget allotted for this year’s inspection has now been expended and I feel we have done a very thorough job with one glaring exception. We still have not been able to view what people increasingly call the ‘cave’. Ted Wilson has been unreachable and other staff are too busy with their own responsibilities to get involved. We have all agreed to let this go another year as there has not been any indication of pests that would cause any worry.
Our plan for the 2011 Inspection of Cockatoo Island is similar to last year’s in that we will rely on sampling rather than the full inspection which we have conducted every third year and which was last performed in 2009. However, because the former dockyards are such a large area, we will spend a little more time there this year than in previous years. Of course we will also do a full inspection of the tunnels and especially the cavernous area associated with them as we have not been able to examine them for several years now.