Dolphin discovery centre western australia conservation education

A dolphin plays in the waves near Bunbury. (Credit: Dave and Fiona Harvey)

Australian Geographic

Australia's 8222 islands

Lord Howe Island of the east coast of New South Wales is World Heritage listed. (Credit: Dick and Pip Smith)

Australian Geographic

Moon mineral found in Western Australia pilbara rocks

A slice of the dolerite found to contain tranquillityite from the Pilbara region of WA. (Credit: Birger Rasmussen)

Australian Geographic

Aboriginal lifesavers take on the local kids

Northern Territory lifesavers who competed at Queenscliff (from left): Wunyangga Wanambi, Dhimurru Mununggurr, Gudalum Mununggurr, Banguyarri Wunungmurraa and Yirrmal Marika. BRADEN FASTIER

The Manly Daily

Kangaroo boom follows floods

This year's floods have led to a near 100 per cent increase in population numbers of some species of kangaroo.

Many species of kangaroo are benefitting from a bounty of post-flood vegetation. (Credit: Theo Allofs)

HEAVY RAIN IN QUEENSLAND this year has meant diseased fish in one harbour, but on land, it has sent the kangaroo population soaring.

The Department of Environment and Resources Management argues the plight of Gladstone Harbour's marine life is not due to dredging, but from problems associated with a massive influx of fresh water from this year's floods.

But aerial survey data indicate a significant increase in kangaroo numbers in Queensland, thanks to increased vegetation. "It is estimated the red kangaroo population is 5.8 million compared to 3.6 million for 2010," the department's environmental services regional manager Dr Chris Hill said. "This represents a 59 per cent increase."

"Equivalent figures for the eastern grey kangaroo are 10.8 million, compared to 6.6 million, or an increase of 62 per cent," he said. "Common wallaroo figures have risen from 1.9 million to 3.8 million representing a 97 per cent increase."

Chris added that these increases were not unexpected given the above average rainfall experienced over the last two years across much of Queensland.

Kangaroo Industry Association Australia executive John Kelly told reporters that another factor was that the demand for kangaroo meat had fallen by half of what is was before the Russian government suspended market access to 300 meat producers from 25 countries, including all kangaroo exporters.

Kangaroos have been harvested on a commercial scale for more than a century, predominantly in Queensland

Kangaroo boom follows floods - Australian Geographic

Skippy's home saved

Penny Edmonds

THE future of Waratah Park is a step closer to being secured after the rejection of a land claim and a possible inclusion of the site on the NSW Heritage register.

Last week the state government announced it had knocked back a land claim by the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council on the 12ha home of Skippy.

The claim was lodged in June 2010 after the termination of the park’s lease and the removal of the site’s remaining native animals.

Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson rejected the claim because the land was being used “for the essential public purposes or recreation, tourism, education, preservation of cultural heritage and rural residential lands.”

Warringah Council has now moved to preserve the site recently lodging an official nomination for Skippy Park to be included on the NSW Heritage Register.

Waratah Park Nature Reserve Foundation welcomed the move and will now host a fundraising event on Sunday at Manly Vale Community Centre to help prevent the land from being privately acquired by developers.

WHAT THEY SAID
Waratah Park Nature Reserve Foundation president Penny Edmonds: ``It has always been our goal to preserve Waratah Park and create a sustainable future for the site so that future generations can enjoy it as past ones have. We are now a step closer to achieving that.’‘
Pittwater MP Rob Stokes: Waratah Park had enormous importance to the community.``While Waratah Park has faced a period of turbulence in recent years, our community remains united behind it.’’

Skippy's home saved - The Manly Daily

Australia and its magic

Ayers Rock in Uluru National Park

Photograph by Mark Laricchia/Corbis

Lightning flashes over Ayers Rock, a landmark red sandstone monolith that draws tourists to Australia's center. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park houses the rock, called Uluru by Aborigines, the continent's original inhabitants.

Australia's Aborigines believe their ancestors formed massive Ayers Rock, or Uluru.



Boab Trees, Kimberley

Photograph by Theo Allofs/Corbis

The remote Kimberley region in Western Australia features dramatic landscapes filled with river gorges and sandstone formations that were featured in the 2008 film Australia. The Kimberley is also home to the massive boab tree, close relative of the African baobabs.

Aboriginal Dancers

Photograph by Penny Tweedie/Getty Images

Aborigines kick up dust in a dance at sunset. The original inhabitants of Australia, Aborigines were there for more than 40,000 years before white men arrived. European settlers brought disease and politics to the continent, severely endangering the Aborigines’ distinct culture, language, and lifestyle.

Koala

Photograph by Trevor Keyler.

A heavy-lidded koala keeps its cool nestled in an Adelaide tree. These eastern Australian residents spend most of their time dozing in eucalyptus trees, waking up at night to feed on the trees' tough leaves.

Baby Kangaroo

Photograph by Thorsten Milse/Photolibrary.com

A joey gets a ride from its mother in Victoria. A national symbol of Australia, the eastern grey kangaroo has been known to leap up to 29.5 feet (9 meters) in a single bound as it traverses eastern mainland Australia. The eastern grey is one of approximately 63 species that are native to Australia.

Twelve Apostles on Great Ocean Road

Photograph by James Wang.

Eight towering limestone monoliths make up the Twelve Apostles that sit on Great Ocean Road in southeastern Australia. The structures, once a part of the towering mainland cliffs, now sit about 80 feet (24 meters) high and 20 feet (6 meters) wide in the midst of crashing waves.

Crystal Shower Falls in Dorrigo National Park

Photograph from Radius Images/Corbis

Crystal Shower Falls is just one natural attraction in New South Wales's Dorrigo National Park. Boardwalks on the forest floor and the treetop level let visitors experience the rain forest up close.

Whitsunday Islands National Park

Photograph by Paul Chesley/National Geographic Stock

The smooth, sandy shorelines of Australia’s Whitsunday Islands and the natural wonder of the surrounding Great Barrier Reef draw tourists from around the world. Many of the 74 islands are designated national park land while others play host to luxurious island resorts.

Best winter escapes in Australia

What better way to either embrace winter or escape it altogether.

Here are our picks for top getaways.

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A great place to also spend your summer days, this alpine resort turns into a winter wonderland as the mercury drops. If you're hitting the slopes you'll find some of Australia's steepest expert terrain, and with the Super Pass you can access Falls, Mt. Hotham nearby and Perisher. That's a lot of snow time!

Photo Credit: Tourism Victoria

Best winter escapes in Australia - Australian Geographic Outdoor

Aussies grow world's hottest chilli

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE, but when chillies first arrived in Europe with Christopher Columbus nobody knew what to do with them.
The Spanish and Portuguese grew the fruit in their African colonies and from there it was introduced to Portugal's colony at Goa, India before spreading into Southeast Asia, China, and Korea.

Aussies grow world's hottest chilli

Australian Geographic Wallpapers Free

Australian Geographic, a group on Flickr.