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When a building in Sturt Street was demolished in 1968, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered to inspect the contents of a time capsule, unearthed from within a cavity in the foundation stone of the building. The building was the Townsville Ambulance centre, on the corner of Sturt and Stanley Streets and the time capsule was really just a rusty old tin that had been sealed with solder and placed in the foundation stone of the building when it was built in 1904. At a special ceremony to mark the laying of the foundation stone for the ambulance building in 1904, Mr F. Johnson, a life member of the QATB, had the honour of tapping the stone into place. A plaque inscribed with the names of QATB office bearers, fashioned by monumental masons Melrose and Fenwick, was also attached to the foundation stone. Unfortunately, when the building was being demolished in 1968, vandals smashed the plaque on the foundation stone and it had to be patched up. Despite being only a little over 60 years old, the building which had been designed by Townsville architects Messrs Eaton, Bates and Polin, was undergoing demolition because it had been sold to the MLC company, who intended to erect a modern, six-storey office block on the site. The Townsville branch of the QATB had moved to a new, purpose-built premises in Hugh Street, Currajong, in May 1967, after having outgrown its Sturt Street home. Source: northqueenslandhistory.blogspot.com/2015/02/qatb-time-cap...

Alluvial Gold Some rocks containing gold veins have been exposed on the surface and are eroding away. The gold that these rocks contained has been washed down into creeks to form alluvial (placer) gold deposits. Here, the gold is further concentrated by the action of water. Because gold is heavier than most of the material moved by a creek or river, it can become concentrated in hollows and trapped in the bed of the river. These are known as secondary (alluvial) gold deposits and they can be worked using a gold pan or cradle. Alluvial gold deposits sparked the Australian gold rushes of the 1850's Source: www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/minerals-ener...

They Are Living Dinosaurs At The Top Of The Food Chain Not only are saltwater crocodiles the largest reptile in the world, but crocodiles themselves also first appeared over 240 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era. Living up to 80 years old, even today, and growing anywhere from three meters to seven meters in length, the Crocodilia order were once at the top of the animal food chain. They Are Protected Animals After Almost Being Extinct Throughout the last century, saltwater crocodiles have been hunted almost to the point of extinction. However, in 1971 they became a protected species which resulted in their numbers growing drastically. It is now believed that there are around 150,000 salties roaming the ‘Top End’ (north Australia). Today, they are also a high priority for Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors and can be seen in close proximity at Australia Zoo. They Live Amongst Australia’s Murky Waters Although they spend a majority of their time in freshwater rivers and swamps, they move to the estuaries, and occasionally the open sea, during the dry season. In living in the murky waters, it is often hard to see them approach until it is too late. In saying this, they are quite capable of propelling their body in the air by leaping out of the water, and the deeper the water, the more momentum they gain. They Cannot Generate Their Own Heat Or Sweat To Keep Cool Like most reptiles, crocodiles are cold-blooded and cannot produce their own heat resulting in them hibernating or going dormant in the cooler season. Whilst they prefer the heat and live in tropical climates, they cannot generate body sweat, so to cool off, they sit along the river bank with their mouths open. They sweat through their mouths! They Can Easily Crush You With Their Jaws A human can apply 100 pounds of pressure per square inch with their jaw, whereas a crocodile can apply up to 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch with their jaw. Despite such pressure, they have very little ‘opening strength,’ meaning you can quite easily keep a crocodile’s mouth shut with rubber bands. It allows them to feed on mammals, birds, and fish however, they are not fussy eaters and are happy to eat anything, even a one tonne Water Buffalo. Although they are known to attack humans, they are reported to kill on average less than one human per year. They Are Fast Swimmers But Cannot Swallow Prey Underwater Despite having a heavy set of jaws allowing them to crush their prey, they cannot eat their prey underwater. Within their mouths, they have valves that prevent water going into their throats, allowing them to open their mouths underwater without drowning themselves, meaning they need to rise to the water’s surface, or return to land, to swallow. Although they cannot eat underwater, they can swim up to 32 kilometres per hour and hold their breath for up to an hour. So be careful along the water’s edge as they are capable of ambushing you in the blink of an eye. They Are Famous For Their Deadly ‘Death Roll’ Their deadliest attack is known as the death roll, which is ‘designed to throw large prey off balance enabling them to be dragged into water easily’. Usually, they will watch their prey from the water and ambush the animal, dragging them into the water. When an animal puts up a fight, or it is a larger prey, they will roll their bodies underwater disorientating the prey, making it easier for him to consume. Source: theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/australias-...