Australia, impressions

Australia is huge and we didn't really see much of it, at least in the sense of fraction-of-total. It's similar to Canada in a way - a large space with everyone concentrated at the edges. Warmer, though. I think people mostly avoid the middle due to heat and lack of water. We didn't go there because we were kind of afraid we might fall into it and not find our way out. Well, not really but that's certainly a realistic possibility. We met a girl who had just finished her degree in Melbourne and was hiking in NZ on holiday. She had taken 5 months off school at some point and wondered about the outback in a van for the whole time. "Barely touched the surface", she said. The edges have plenty to keep wanderers busy, though. Next time, if there is a next time, we'll go deeper.

The Laughing Kookaburra. A jumbo-sized king fisher. A pretty bird but his "laugh" is what what this guy remarkable.     

 Moor Hen. Looks just like a Coot with colour added. I think they're really cute. Oh, and then there's the Pukeko and Takahe, which I believe are cousins, but they'll show up in an NZ post.

The image I had of Australia, from the other side of the planet, really missed the mark. It is a vast country but it is not a land defined by spectacular scenery. At the edges, at least the ones we visited, it is not the desolate unpopulated place I envisioned. In fact, there are parts that felt a bit like rural England, with it's endless networks of small towns and connecting roads. I'm sure the outback is a different experience but I was clearly mislead, at least in part. What shocked me, and Leah warned me about this but it only sunk in once we started touring around, was the wildlife and, in particular, the birds. Why doesn't anyone ever mention the birds in Australia? They are loud and colourful, with some similarities but largely different from those at home, and they are everywhere. That same girl who wandered the outback for 5 months mentioned being disappointed with the lack of wildlife in NZ. NZ is not a bad place for wildlife by any means but we also noticed the contrast. Poor girl grew up totally spoiled. It's like learning to ski in Utah.

Bush Turkey enjoying a yummy dried toad snack. Not a beautiful animal. They seem to like hiking (they'll walk right up to yo on the trail and look indignent when you don't step aside to let them pass) and are obsessive diggers. Lot's of personality. Not so bright, though.

King Parrot. Just checking us out from the side of the trail. Very casual. Very bright.

They just called our flight. Gotta go. More birds later. And then... HOPPERS!