Cape Byron Needs Goats
By Sue Clark on Apr 19, 2008 in The Light Side 
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Or, as the story at the Northern Star calls, it: Bring back our favorite ferals. After five years of no goats at Cape Byron Lighthouse, NSW, a local Byron Bay real estate agent, Paul McCarthy, is calling for their return. According to him, the removal of the goats has allowed the highly invasive bitou bush to take over the property surrounding the lighthouse, Australia’s most eastern beacon and its brightest.
His arguments are based on the fact that now toxic aerial spraying is needed to try and control this fast growing weed (photo below). The goats were removed in 2003 because of their destruction of native plants. However, according to McCarthy, they also controlled the spread of the bitou bush and should be brought back and allowed to graze.
This highly invasive plant native to South Africa was originally brought to Australia accidentally, as seeds in ballast. It is an attractive bush, and plantings of it were found to help in shoreline dunes erosion control, as it grows best in sand. It was used heavily for that purpose between 1946 and 1968. Unfortunately, as too many have found out, planting something that has no native enemies allows it to take over and crowd out the native flora. At this time, according to the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, it covers more than 80% of NSW coastline, and is found as far as 10 km (over 6 miles) inland from the coast.
McCarthy states that bringing back the goats is a natural way to control this plant, as the only other way is aerial spraying, which has consequences beyond killing this bush. However, Cape Byron Headland Reserve manager Sue Walker stated that the ecologically important area should remain goat free. She said since the goats had gone native swamp wallabies were increasing. “Feral goats are recognized as one of the highest priority pests in Australia as they threaten our native species, cause soil erosion, spread weeds and have the potential to introduce diseases,” she said in the story. “While goats may have browsed weeds such as bitou they also eat the native plants we are trying to save.”
Goats were brought to Australia in the early days of its settlement and were “dropped off” on the islands to be used by the settlers. Cape Byron’s First Order Fresnel lens weights 8 tons and consists of 760 prisms. It was built in 1901. Because of its claim to being the brightest light on the Australian continent, Lighthouse News couldn’t resist posting this other photo of the light at night:
Photo credits:
- Cape Byron Lighthouse by More Than Golf. Some rights reserved.
- Cape Byron at Night by Rowen Atkinson. Some rights reserved.
- Bitou Bush from NSW DECC.
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