No end in sight for dry
Increased chances of El Nino has gardeners rethinking plant options Rapist to stay behind bars longer after punching prison guard
AN EL Nino watch increasing to an alert yesterday has the Douglas Shire warning of possible level 3 water restrictions based on a predicted late wet season start.
With the chances of an El Nino Southern Oscillation – a hot and dry climate driver – now three times more likely, Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu is urging gardeners to rein in their water use.
“This could be by restricting your watering to a watering can or bucket, or turning off your taps while you brush your teeth,” she said.
For gardeners who have been forced to throw around more water than usual to keep wet tropic species alive, the planting of varieties more tolerant to dry winter conditions is another way to keep it green without using excessive amounts of water.
Owner of North Cairnsbased Designer Garden Co, Matt Mitchley, said water use A CONVICTED Far Northern rapist has had more time added to his sentence after attacking a correctional officer.
Derice Raymond Bert was a serious consideration for green thumbs planning a new garden.
“In Cairns, I would say use those dry tropical plants. It does not at all have to look like a desert,” he said. “If you do want to have an area with wet tropical plants … you can have a very small irrigated area around a pool or a courtyard.
“The Cairns dry season is longer that the wet season so it is important to think about what species you put in the ground.”
The Douglas Shire has enforced level 2 water restrictions, meaning no watering is allowed outside early morning and late afternoon time slots.
The shire’s extreme water consumption of about 1260 litres per person a day had Cr Leu warning of level 3 restrictions. People living in the Cairns Regional Council area use 418 litres per person per day, a third of their northern neighbours.
Cairns has year-round measures to limit water use to certain times and days. Amber was high on ice when he forced his way into a Mossman home and sexually assaulted a sleeping mother while a child was nearby in August 2016. Amber was jailed last year for 14 years.
Just five weeks into the term, on December 6, Amber lashed out unprovoked against a corrective services officer at Stuart Correctional Centre in Townsville. Police prosecutor Sergeant Sean Janes said Amber was being escorted to a secure unit when he punched the guard in the face.
Amber, 22, pleaded guilty to the charge in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court earlier this year. Magistrate Jeff Clarke added nine months to Amber’s rape sentence.
Amber won’t be eligible for parole until February 2, 2028.