Practically everyone has owned a teddy bear as a child, but not everyone realizes that the animal it is modelled on is not a bear at all. Bears are placental mammals whereas the Koala, which is often called the Australian teddy bear, is another marsupial mammal grouped with the phalanger family. It is interesting that a number of the marsupials …

Ayers Rock (Uluru) is a huge mass of Sandstone. It is 1142-ft (348 m) above a flat desert floor. It is sacred to the Aboriginals. Caves at the base are decorated with traditional Aboriginal paintings. At sunset, rays from the setting sun strike the rock and it glows to deep red.

Early in the 1800s, gold was discovered in Australia. Most of the ‘strikes’ were in the vicinity of the Blue Mountains near Bathurst. In 1851, a prospector named Hargraves – who had been in California during the gold-rush two years earlier – discovered rich traces of gold in Summer Hill Creek. The news spread rapidly and within two months the …

In 1800, Matthew Flinders was a young naval lieutenant with a passion for exploring. He sailed around the Australian coast with a friend called George Bass in a small boat they named ‘Tom Thumb’. Once, on going ashore, they were menaced by hostile natives but Flinders won them over by trimming their hair and beards! Later, in 1801, finders sailed …

Even by the 1830s, central Australia was still a great mystery. Several people had tried to explore the interior but had been defeated by desert, lack of water and hostile natives. One of these was Edward Eyre, who had failed twice. His third attempt also seemed hopeless but finally, after an appalling journey of 2,000 km, Eyre and Wylie, his …

During the sixteenth century, the Portuguese were the principal traders in the East Indies. By 1600, however, their place had been taken by the Dutch who, sailing via the Cape of Good Hope, set up a powerful base on the island of Batavia. Soon their ships were seeking new lands in order to open up more trade. In 1606 a …

Joseph Banks, the naturalist, who went with Cook to the South Seas in the 1760s was busy collecting botanical specimens when he saw a very unusual creature. It was large, brown and hopped along on strong hind legs. He learned from the natives that it was called a ‘Kangaroo’. This was but one of the many strange animals and birds …

William Bligh is best known to history as the captain of HMS Bounty whose crew mutinied and set him adrift in a small boat. His voyage in this boat of 6,500 km reveals what a skilful seaman and navigator he must have been. He was also second-in-command to Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen. Because of his distinguished services he …

At the end of the eighteenth century, Australia was going through a difficult time. Food was scarce and only storeships from England staved off actual famine. Things were so bad that officers in the army were importing rum and using it instead of money. However, John Macarthur, one of these officers, was convinced that money could be made out of …

Australian Frilled Lizard — The Frill-necked Lizard, or Frilled Lizard also known as the Frilled Dragon, (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is so called because of the large ruff of skin which usually lies folded back against its head and neck. The neck frill is supported by long spines of cartilage, and when the lizard is frightened, it gapes its mouth showing a …