Members from Australia..... Tell us about Australia, and if you can, with pictures?

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
OK.

I used to be interested in Australia, when everyone was, but now, I am really interested in Australia, mostly because I keep watching Ray Mears and he goes to Australia all the time, or there are lots of episodes in Australia...

But, then you members from Australia post images of Australia, and I am really fascinated.

So, if you like.....

Maybe you could tell us about the different ecosystems and stuff down in Australia.....

Like for instance, I saw where they were studying Dingos, and it was like rolling hills, with pretty deep creeks.

And then there are highlands?

Maybe you just want to direct me to a website that has all this stuff....

Anyway,
Marion
 
Marion, as with anywhere, it all depends whereabouts you live. I'm extremely close to the sea (Sydney), so I don't get all the traditional 'Australian' animals. Bandicoots, yes. Kangaroos, not really. We used to have koalas, but here, they seemed to have died out or left for more isolated areas. We do, however, get a whole lot of birds. kookaburras, cockatoos, magpies, currawongs, galahs. You don't always see them, but you can always hear them.

Oh, and fairy penguins. Plenty of them in the sea. :)

The further out you get from the city, the more you see the native fauna.
 
G'day Marion

Where do I start

Ok, Australia is the smallest continent / largest Island on earth around 2,967,909 sq miles in area. The map below gives you an indication of the realtive size of Australia compared to Europe.
Austeurope.jpg


Into this area we manage to squeeze in a population of about 21 million people, with 2/3 of our population located along the East Coast, in and around the greater metropolitan areas of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

With the exception of Antartica, Australia is the driest continent on earth.

We have a diverse range of ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforests in the North East, temperate cool rain forests in the far South East, to an arid interior.


Marion David Poff said:
Maybe you just want to direct me to a website that has all this stuff....
Click to expand...
Over the last few years, I have been posting pics of some of the trips I've done to different locations / ecosystems here in Australia over on the Fallkniven forum. Here's a couple of "teasers" from just 2 of these trips :D

Tropical North
Daintreeriverfromlookout.jpg


Capetribulation081.jpg


Capetribulation021.jpg


Great Barrier Reef
BeaverCayreef.jpg


Missionbeach040.jpg



Gulf country
Termitemounds.jpg


Capetribulation274.jpg



Eucalypt woodland
Tributarygully.jpg



Since I don't know whether or not it would be appropriate to provide direct links to these trips here, perhaps a mod could let me know.

If its OK, I'll put up the direct links in this post. If it isn't and your interested, I'll leave you a message with the links



Kind regards
Mick
 
Oz has a very varied and unique ecosystem. You can see an example of just about every type of landscape on Earth here. From the central deserts to the tropical rainforests of the north east to the Snowy Mountains in the south east.

Right down the eatern side of the country is a mountain range called The Great Dividing Range that extends from the top of the country to the bottom. I live about 130 Km north west of Canberra in an area known as the south western slopes. As the name implies we're in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. There are some pictures in the links on this site.

http://www.totaltravel.com.au/travel/nsw/snowymountainsarea/jindabyne/photos/thredboriver

Maybe you've heard of the poem and later movie called The Man From Snowy River. Well, it runs not too far from my place.

The area where I am is rural and is mostly sheep and some crops but not far away there is wheat and other crops grown. We produce some of the finest Merino wool on the planet.

A canola crop just up the road from me.
bo9.jpg


We get a lot of wildlife around here. Wombats, kangaroos, currawongs, galahs, cockatoos, kookaburras, wedge tailed eagles and lots of other.

Here is a resident of my back yard, a bearded dragon.
lizard.jpg


Let me know if there is any specific pits you'd like to see or hear about.
 
This is great guys....

Southern Cross, those images of the country is exactly what I was hoping for.

And the overlay of the outline of Australia over Europe is very informative.

gajinoz - Talking about the Snowy Mountains, there was that movie which inflamed the imagination of us Yanks, Man from Snowy River. There is that scene where they are logging, that sort of forest, is that up your way?

Marion
 
Marion David Poff said:
This is great guys....

Southern Cross, those images of the country is exactly what I was hoping for.

And the overlay of the outline of Australia over Europe is very informative.

gajinoz - Talking about the Snowy Mountains, there was that movie which inflamed the imagination of us Yanks, Man from Snowy River. There is that scene where they are logging, that sort of forest, is that up your way?

Marion
Click to expand...

I don't recall where that scene was taken but if it's up in the mountains then it's not far from where I am.

BTW, the movie is actually loosely based on a poem of the same name by Banjo Paterson, one of Oz's most famous poets and story tellers. He was from a sheep station called Illalong which is a short drive from my place.

I've spent a bit of time up in the Snowies on horseback. Camping by the lakes and chasing the brumbies across the plains. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

Oh, yes, we would call it bush, not forest. :D


.
 
10042009281.jpg

Granite boulders out near Geelong, Victoria.

09012009072.jpg

Eucalyptus forest or bush.

04012009021.jpg

Creek through the Werribee gorge

06122008271.jpg

More bush.

_MG_A05932.jpg

Massive Red gum in outback South Australia.

As with the States the landscapes varies a lot, tropical to alpine, desert to temperate.
Mick great photos, would love to spend more time travelling.

_MG_A04999.jpg

one more, you guys may recognise the trees. Giant redwoods planted in a plantation now protected.
 
gajinoz said:
I've spent a bit of time up in the Snowies on horseback. Camping by the lakes and chasing the brumbies across the plains. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

Oh, yes, we would call it bush, not forest. :D
.
Click to expand...

The bush, alright, the bush it is....

: )

Marion
 
It hardly seems right to not include some beach and other swimming pics :D

Beach
Kidsridingawave.jpg


P1010107.jpg



and tropical rainforrest pools
Capetribulation123.jpg




Kind regards
Mick
 
There is a place west of Sydney called the Blue Mountains, also in the Great Dividing Range and north of the Snowy Mountains.

The Three Sisters is a well known rock formation that attracts all the tourists. You can walk out to them, one pic shows a walkway between them and you can ride across the valley in a cable car.

ThreeSisters.jpg


ThreeSistersWalkway.jpg


Skyway.jpg
 
I live in new south wales which has kind of a but of mediterranean climate,I found a few nature and landscape photos nothing to amazing .....
IMG_8938_1.jpg

Myself playing the didgredoo on a bush walk,
IMG_6620.jpg

You get a lot reptiles in this part of the world,
IMG_8512_3.jpg

Small possums skull
 
Great photos lads! :thumbup:

Marion, mate, stop looking at pictures - come over and crack a beer with us! We are a friendly mob and there is plenty of space :D
 
G'day Marion, I live just outside Brisbane, So around me is dry open forest ( well...it was The city expands). The inlaws live in Cairns 1700klms away but still in the same State, Queensland. Their place backs on to the rain forest ( jungle to you) They literaly have to beat it back with a stick ( Granma won't let Grandad have the caneknife again he takes to the garden with it)
I was born in Sydney but don't remember much of that, then we moved to where mum and dads familys are in Forbes centeral NSW. Quiet flat with low rolling hills. Often refered to as being in the sheep and wheat belt.
Then to Canberra One of the few planned capital citys in the world ( I mean planned as a capital from scratch before there was anything there.
I'm not a big fan. I find it bloody cold. It does occsionally snow, it would probably snow more if it wasn't so damm windy.
I ended up in Brisbane when I was 14 it was good, the Summers weren't so hot and the Winters a lot better than Canberra.
From there to Townsville (19 deg Sth Lat). Two thirds the way up the East coast. Hot and Humid, Winter is Normally on a Tuesday in July. For the 8mths of Summer you get out of the shower wipe your left arm and as you wipe the right the sweat makes your left arm wet again.
I mentioned the Inlaws are in Cairns. Winter in Cairns is That Tuesdays Morning. So humid you need a snorkel to go check the Mail box.
So now I live in Ipswich ( just outside Brisbane ( 27.5 deg South)
Hottest Summers day so far was 42cel coldest morning was -7cel I find this much easier to deal with.
We have had Kookuburras around here the last couple days and Kangaroos are regulars in the surround streets. Never seen a Playpus in the wild. But more snakes than I care to count. Kill redback spiders around the yard with montonus regularity. Heaps of Red Deer around here as well ( Elk to you)
My comp feels like it is about to die. So I'll try this from work in next couple days.
Here is a pic Of my cousin Geoff place in far western NSW 113000 ( yep One hundered and thirteen thousand arcres) of cattle station. Notice the mountain range in the background. I think that might be Kilimanjaro on the right. LOL
Talk about wide open spaces.

IMG_0560_4.jpg

Carl
 
All these pics are just amazing! Australia has always been my mumber 1 place to visit. I would actually love to live there as well. Someday I will make it over there, someday.

Marion, thanks for opening this thread, and thanks to all the contributors!!!
You have a beautiful and diverse country!
 
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