Tag Archives: Australia

Mar 31 2013
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Daily Post, Transport

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sunday 31st March 2013, 4.25pm (day 584)

Sydney Harbour Bridge, 31/3/13

I know I did the ‘crossing a bridge’ thing a few days ago, but no offense to Brisbane, this is one of the world’s truly great bridges so needed to be shown on here (and I like the various lattices on the shot). And it is a very impressive piece of engineering. Eighty years old now but I am sure it will still be looking as good into the next century (though by then, who knows, it might be called the Hancock Westpac News International Bridge or something like that).

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Mar 28 2013
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Cassowary

Thursday 28th March 2013, 11.50am (day 581)

Cassowary, 28/3/13

This is a female Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, the second-heaviest and third-tallest species of bird in the world. They have the lowest bird-song of all, a near-subsonic rumble, just at the edge of human hearing. Cassowaries play a vital role in maintaining rainforest in a healthy state, distributing many seeds, and it is unclear whether any other species perform this role for many plants. They have large territories and are thus a good ‘signal’ species: if the cassowaries are in good shape, the ecosystem’s in good shape. Except that there are only 1,500 cassowaries left in the wild in Queensland. Half of them die in car crashes.

Be nice to cassowaries. I find I am quite taken with them as a species: even in a continent full of beautiful birdlife, it stands out. This lovely resides at the Lone Pine zoo, and this shot was the culmination of a 15-minute modeling session in which Ms. Casuarius was cajoled into posing by yr. humble photographer.

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