Roy Wijbenga was born in 1968 in Gaasterland, Friesland in the Netherlands. Lived in Stavoren for some years and migrated with his family in 1981 to Australia. Roy is a driller and gold prospector and is the force behind this project that will turn the desert into a slice of Friesland. He has financed this whole project on his own. It started about six years ago after a little girl, Moeesha, was bitten by a mosquito and contracted encephalitis.

Roy placed native fish in the old mining voids that surround the town Meekatharra in remote Western Australia. One of them, the Muchison River hardyhead, is especially ferocious on mosquito larvae and the intense populations of mosquitoes, which carry disease into the town, are diminishing. Roy had a vision of turning the place into a tourist attraction. There are several exciting projects underway at Karralundy including the development of a caravan park, personal development programs and some enthusiastic interest in developing of an 18-hole golf course that would put this oasis in the ‘Never Never’ upon the international map. There was also a positive development in Meekatharra with the building of a government funded tourist trail through town that holds the Meekatharra creek as its main centre piece including Lukes Gorge that was dug on the very edge of a once significant water source to the nomadic tribes that frequented the region. Early European settlement also relied on this waterhole locally known as Camel soak. There is also a rumour circulating that a hanging bridge over Lukes Gorge might be built in the future. This would allow any visitor to the region a birds eye view of an abandoned mining void and able to witness some spectacular geology visible in the walls of this void. However, as more potential becomes apparent for mining voids, so do the obstacles over the longer term. There should be a greater urgency to do more in order to preserve these exposed groundwater tables as, due to evaporation losses, reducing quality will make these waters a short term resource. We can develop means to reduce the evaporation losses through available controls, the most economic and environmentally friendly being the introduction of self-sustaining ecosystems. Regional annual evaporation levels are measured as high as three metres, causing any pollutants in this zone to become more concentrated in the remaining water. Most mining voids with reasonable waters currently support a vast amount of wildlife, already with many local species relying on this source of water for sustenance during the long, hot, dry summers in these regions. These high evaporation losses will eventually lead to massively exposed waterholes unable to support or sustain life and a decline in availability of quality ground water in these regions. Some may become poisonous through an increase in heavy metal or saline levels. Dealing with this arising problem should not be put off until it’s too late, but a proactive approach is required immediately in order to achieve long term environmental and industrial benefits.

This is a Triop Crustecea!
They are found in some of the most arid regions of Australia and appear after rains in puddles throughout the arid inland water ways. They are a member of the Shrimp family and one of the closest living links to prehistoric times. They usually lay their eggs during the wet times and the eggs can withstand long periods of drought before hatching many years later after a heavy down poor. It's also believed that their eggs can travel across the landscape being pushed along by the more severe winds before finding their way into other water courses and streams where they lay dormant until the rains rejuvenate life. Quite amazing!

Cycloon Emma
The aftermath of cyclone Emma that passed over Meekatharra at 3.00 am 1st of March 2006, there has been varied reports of rainfall with the highest report indicating 156mm in a 24 hr period. All roads were closed and over 50 trucks and road trains were held up for up to 48 hrs with refrigerated goods and consumables amongst the delayed delivery's.
The cyclone passed through town knocking down several tree's and causing widespread flooding however the emergency services were not called into action. Upset truck drivers did not outweigh the happy and joyous smiles and grins from local graziers.

Tide out at Luke's Gorge	Emma tops up Luke's Gorge	Bluebird minesite, Meekathara	Road closure

Cray Pot!	Fresh Water!!	Tarasek working his reel!
Geraldton Rox	Nikki	Natural Bridge Kalbarri
Geological formation Kalbarri	Jumbo Cray