The part of Victoria known as the Mallee is best defined as the area where the species of eucalypts known as ‘mallees’ grow. These incredibly drought-tolerant trees are notable for having not a single trunk but rather many stems that rise from a large bulbous woody structure called a lignotuber or mallee root. The region […]
In The Bush
“To spend time alone in the Australian bush is to experience our union with nature. It is powerfully reassuring.” - Jack Thompson
Mushroom Magic
There’s nothing quite like the weird and wonderful world of fungi However you look at it, there is something almost magical about fungi. They come in so many strange shapes and colours, and they seem to appear out of nowhere, growing overnight from nothing into quite large objects. They often have magic properties in children’s […]
On The Bright Side
Despite its name, the One-sided Bottlebrush doesn’t look like a household bottlebrush. Bottlebrushes are much loved Australian wildflowers, with an easily recognizable cylindrical brush-like flower that gives the plant its name. The most common species is Red or Crimson Bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus, which is native to the eastern states, but has been widely planted in […]
The Cassowary – An Endangered Northern Icon
Travellers to North Queensland have a chance of sighting an endangered icon of the north’s wet, tropical rainforest. The rainforest-dwelling Australian Southern Cassowary is one of just three species of cassowary in the world. It is the world’s third largest bird and one of Australia’s largest land animals. An adult cassowary stands up to two […]
A Grain of Salt
Mangroves are surprisingly well adapted to the challenges of living in salty water It is obvious that mangroves have a very poor public image. Just hearing the word mangrove makes you think of steamy tropical swamps, infested with crocodiles and mosquitoes. There is some truth in this picture, since most of Australia’s 11,500 square kilometres […]