September. October 21Read
Perfect Motion:
How Walking Makes Us Wiser
Jono Lineen
Penguin Random House
Australia $34.99
This exploration of walking’s
evolution and significance to
humans is framed by a 2700km
solo Himalayan trek, during which
the author searched for comfort
and closure after his brother’s
death. He shares walking’s
transformative nature, linking
evolutionary evidence with
personal anecdotes from his
journey of discovery, solace and
finding his perfect motion.Wild About Whales
Developed by the
NSW National Parks
and Wildlife Service,
this app will enhance
your whale-watch-
ing experience.
It tells you where
and when to see
whales along the
NSW coast as they
undertake annual migrations,
offers tips to enhance your
watching experience and teaches
you about species you’ll see. You
can also post your own images and
track the season’s sightings. Now
at the App Store and Google Play.Download
PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY NPWS. ILLUSTRATION BY BEN SANDERS
Encounters at
the End of the World
First released more than a
decade ago, this exploration of
Antarctica by acclaimed film-
maker Werner Herzog is worth
revisiting as climate change bites
harder. Werner explores the
natural wonders of such a
desolate, inhospitable region and
the lengths researchers will go to
protect, research and explore this
vast white wonderland. Available
to watch on Netflix.Wa t c h
buzz
The five o’clock wave
Tim the Yowie Man
I
F YOU’RE on the shady banks of
the Murrumbidgee River at Wagga
Wagga, in south-west NSW,
and spot a tourist with a surfboard
anxiously checking their watch,
don’t worry, you aren’t seeing things.
Despite being more than four hours
drive from the nearest coast, the sight
of a wannabe surfer in boardshorts
waiting to hang ten at Wagga Beach
(yes, that’s its real name) is not
uncommon, especially on a balmy
summer’s aft ernoon. They’re likely to
be waiting for the town’s infamous
fi ve o’clock wave, a sudden surge of
water released from Burrinjuck Dam at
the same time each day. If some locals
are to be believed, it creates a wave so
big you can surf it as it travels
downstream all the way to Narrandera,
some 100km away.
“Usually visitors to Wagga Wagga
are surprised to discover an inland city
even has a beach to start with,” says
Fiona Hamilton, Visitor Economy and
Events team coordinator at Wagga
Wagga City Council. “Many conversa-
tions between locals and visitors about
our beach are followed up with details
about the beach being sandy, and
complete with this incredible wave.”
It’s not only gullible tourists who
are regaled with tales of the fi ve o’clock
wave. It’s also one of the fi rst yarns a
new resident to the Riverina town,located 450km south-west of Sydney,
will hear...and not just at the pub.
“When I moved to Wagga two
years ago, so many locals shared this
local phenomenon with me I thought it
simply must be real,” Chris Longhurst
says before confessing sadly that he’s
never seen the wave.
The reason Chris, or anyone else,
has never witnessed the spectacle of
a wave roll past Wagga Beach is, of
course, that it’s a myth. But, like most
compelling urban (or rural) legends, it’s
the story’s factual elements that reel
in unsuspecting victims.
Adding some credence to the story,
for example, is that there really is a
Burrinjuck Dam located upstream of
Wagga Wagga, albeit 200km away.
And water really is released from the
dam, which has a capacity of 1 million
megalitres (more than two Sydney
Harbours), used for crops and pastures
in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.
Sounds plausible enough so far.
But it’s only when you drill into the
detail that holes start appearing in the
story. First, water isn’t released from
Burrinjuck Dam at set times. “The
release of water is ongoing,” says Tony
Weber, a spokesman for WaterNSW,
the state-owned corporation that
operates the dam. “It never ceases,
unless in an extreme weather event,
like a fl ood, when release rates may
change signifi cantly in order to
mitigate the severity of fl oods.”
The fi nal nail in the coffi n of this
urban legend is that any change in
the release volume suffi ciently large
enough to create a wave is highly
unlikely to ever occur.
“Any dramatic changes in
release fl ows need to be scaled up
and down gradually to prevent bank
erosion, equipment and stock loss and
other unfavourable impacts
immediately downstream of the dam,”
Tony explains.
Myth busted.We now know Australia doesn’t have an outback inland sea,
but legend says you can still surf a decent wave in inland NSW.NATURALIST, AUTHOR, BROADCASTER AND TOUR GUIDE Tim the Yowie Man
has dedicated the past 25 years to documenting Australia’s unusual natural
phenomena. He’s the author of several books, including Haunted and Mysterious
Australia (New Holland, 2018). Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @TimYowie