Australian Geographic

MOST OF US with two arms would struggle to shear an unwieldy, writhing sheep. So, while shooting Flocking back to wool (see page 88), photographer Randy Larcombe was intrigued and inspired by one-armed shearer Josh Talbot (see page 4) at Hamilton Run

Thanks for your article The last great expedition (AG 142) on the 1948 scientific expedition to Arnhem Land. The introduction to the boxed item “A colonial legacy” (page 99) claims this was “a time when Christian missions sought to wipe out the ‘heat

MENTION ‘RAT’ and Australians usually think of introduced black rats. But we have many native rodents that have been part of Australia’s fauna for millennia (see AG 143). One of the largest is the water-rat, known also by the Aboriginal name rakali.

FOUNDING TREASURE of the National Library of Australia (NLA), James Cook’s Endeavour journal gives Cook’s personal account of his journey from England to Australia, which began 250 years ago. Officially, this journal was meant to document Cook’s obse

UNTIL THE ADVENT of the Royal Flying Doctor Service 90 years ago, life in Australia’s remote areas could be nasty, brutish and short. Injury or illness meant a trip on horse-or camel-back to the nearest town for help – a trip that could easily prove

IN THE 248 YEARS SINCE James Cook first sighted land after his circumnavigation of New Zealand in 1770, new generations have added layers of interpretation to that event. Once praised as a hero for his bravery and supreme navigation skills, Cook’s co

SOMETHING that has occupied astronomers’ minds for centuries is the formation of the planets. How and when did it happen? Today, we have fairly reliable answers. Radioactive dating of rocks and meteorites tells us the Solar System is about 4.57 billi

FROM OUR shared ANZAC history to cheeky banter traded across the ditch, Australia and New Zealand have long had a sibling relationship. For a few months in 1840–41, our connection was even closer: New Zealand was an extension of the New South Wales c

THE LOCAL COMMUNITY along the Bellinger River, on the NSW north coast, is proving to be critical in preventing the loss of a highly endangered native turtle species. It was the quick reaction of the same community three years ago that kept the freshw

Visit 24 August–11 November South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA 24 August–27 January 2019 Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW EXPLORE THE SUCCESSFUL entries from the 2018 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition in these prestig

What: The 2018 Australian Geographic Society Awards Where: Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre, Terrace 3 1–25 Harbour Street Sydney NSW 2000 When: 6.30pm, Thursday 25 October 2018 Ticket price: $45 for AG members (subscribers), $50 for non-members Ho

Kitchen Hut, near the northern start of Tasmania’s acclaimed Overland Track, wasn’t built for overnight stays but as short-term respite from the elements for hikers. Located at an elevation of about 1250m, the winds are icy cold up here in winter, an

CHRIS SHEPHERD FELT frustrated and furious when he heard of yet another attempt to launder wild-caught echidnas through Indonesia Transporting native Australian fauna overseas is tightly regulated but traders in Indonesia exploit loopholes in the leg

WHEN THE YOLNGU of north-eastern Arnhem Land look to the sea, they know the season from the direction and feel of the wind. One thing the wind communicates, they say, is when certain maypal are plump and ready to be gathered. The term maypal covers m

Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, first published in 1918, is the most famous book by English-born Australian illustrator and author Gibbs, who died in 1969. It is the first of her much-loved series featuring characters based on Australian plants, w

I HAVE A SUNRISE DATE WITH A SEAHORSE. It’s at Manly Cove, so I’m up early, driving across Sydney Harbour Bridge, racing the rising sun. The traffic is already a headache; Google Maps shows a further delay in my predicted arrival time; and I still ne

More than 590 species of fish have been recorded from Sydney Harbour. The sheltered nature of the beach here makes it ideal to see sedentary invertebrates such as feather stars and sea urchins, as well as more active nudibranchs (sea slugs). The last

A CROC’S GONNA rip you straight off that raft, mate!” These were the not-so-encouraging words of a local in Wyndham, 2200km north-east of Perth, who farewelled me as I prepared my vessel for departure into the remote Kimberley. It was nerve-racking s

IN THE STONY COUNTRY east of Jamestown, in southern South Australia, sheep paddocks are as big as skies. It’s dry here, beyond Goyder’s Line, which indicates reliable rainfall and separates cropping and grazing lands. Summer is bearing down, forcing

AUSTRALIA’S WOOL production now accounts for about 20–25 per cent of global supply. However, our sheep numbers were in steady decline until recently. The Australian flock crashed to a 100-year low of 68 million sheep in 2009, following years of poor

ONE OF Australia’s largest and most influential merino flocks evolved from historic Bungaree Station, north of Clare, in South Australia. Established by brothers George, James and Charles Hawker in 1841, Bungaree began with 2000 sheep and four shephe

ABOUT 100 BALES of select Flinders merino wool are needed to produce Test cricket garments each year. This wool is sold direct to Michell Wool, in Adelaide, where it is blended, but differentiated from other wools at all stages of processing. The fir

This region’s rugged terrain, rolling hills, deep valleys and ancient waterways offer a sense of true remoteness. Wilpena Pound and neighbouring Arkaba Conservancy are two of the ranges’ most popular destinations – particularly for bushwalkers – with

ITALY Explore Verona, the famed city of Romeo and Juliet, medieval Padua and UNESCO-designated Ferrara as you uncover the extraordinary hidden treasures of Venice and Northern Italy. Highlights include Verona, Chioggia, Polesella, Taglio di Po and Ve

“I WOULDN’T GO there,” warned the crusty old gentleman chatting in the WA town of Denmark about nearby Nullaki Peninsula. “Somebody got bitten by a blue-ringed octopus!” I was shocked because I’d walked on the reef there many times wearing just thong