September - October 2023

Australian Geographic

The journal of the Australian Geographic Society

Australian Geographic2 min read
A Celebration Of Australia
IT’S WITH ENORMOUS pride that I take over as editor of this prestigious masthead: for anyone working in environmental journalism in Australia, as I’ve done for more than two decades, it’s seen as one of the country’s premier gigs and I don’t take tha
Australian Geographic2 min read
Impelled By Curiosity
EVERYTHING photojournalist Don Fuchs does is “driven by curiosity”. In the case of the Aussie Camino (page 84), he simply wanted to know, “Who goes on a pilgrimage and what motivates them?” A long-time AG contributor, Don quickly realised this was go
Australian Geographic1 min read
Eastern Bettong
Also called balbo or ngaluda in the Ngunnawal language, eastern bettongs are ecosystem engineers impacting where they live by dispersing spores of the native truffles they eat, turning and renewing soil and leaving diggings that promote nativeplant g
Australian Geographic1 min read
Australian Geographic
EDITOR Karen McGhee CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aleksandra Beare GROUP PICTURE EDITOR Nicky Catley CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Maggie Cooper SENIOR DESIGNER Mel Tiyce STAFF WRITER AND SUB-EDITOR Esme Mathis DIRECTOR OF CARTOGRAPHY Will Pringle PROOFREADER Susan McCreery
Australian Geographic5 min read
Beetle Bounty
As stated in the Defining Moments article Introduction of cane toads (AG 173), the cane toad was introduced to control cane beetles at Gordonvale in Queensland. I worked in the laboratory at the Mulgrave Sugar Mill at Gordonvale during the early 1950
Australian Geographic1 min read
Talkb@ck
Here’s what you had to say: That is the cutest snoot ever. Love that their young sit on their backs. Adorable! Each winter we have an antechinus that likes to live in the cupboard under the kitchen sink. Very cute but gives me a fright when I open th
Australian Geographic1 min read
Puppet Power
This image was taken the morning after the Yakanarra community’s Big Country Puppet Project performance. The children – mostly students from the Yakanarra Community School – and local Ngurrara rangers arrived on foot or in the back of utes, holding o
Australian Geographic1 min read
Desert Mob returns
THIS SEPTEMBER, artists from more than 30 desert communities in Central Australia will gather in Alice Springs for Desert Mob 2023 to show and sell their work, and celebrate Culture through dance, song and film. The event is one of Australia’s best p
Australian Geographic1 min read
Busting Myrtle Rust
Scientists have discovered a native guava tree that appears to be resistant to invasive myrtle rust. The tree, which is growing in a Jimboomba backyard in Queensland, might offer a solution to slowing the spread of this rampant plant disease. The tre
Australian Geographic1 min read
Gouldian Finch Habitat Under Threat
LARRAKIA ELDERS, Darwin locals and conservationists are taking a stand against a proposed 800-house development at Lee Point, which would see 132.5ha of tropical savannah bulldozed. The ecologically significant site is home to centuries-old trees and
Australian Geographic1 min read
Placenames
Despite its explosive name, Gunpowder (a copper mining locality 120km north of Mount Isa in Queensland) is unlikely to blow you away. The 2021 census reported a modest population of 104. During World War II, Gunpowder was part of the inland defence r
Australian Geographic1 min read
Tracking Greater Gliders
Greater gliders in Tallaganda State Forest in NSW have been equipped with GPS collars to help scientists better understand how these animals move through burnt forest. Nearly a third of the habitat of the greater glider – the world’s largest gliding
Australian Geographic1 min read
WWII Service Records Available Online
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES of Australia (NAA) has now digitised more than 1 million WorldWar II service records, which will progressively become available online free of charge. The NAA’s Digitisation Project began in 2019 and has since digitised the vast
Australian Geographic1 min read
Roaring Family Fun
Featuring more than 80 life-sized animated dinosaurs, the Dinos Alive Immersive Experience is a captivating VR experience that brings the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods to life. Explore dense jungles and come face to face with some of the
Australian Geographic1 min read
Do Frogs Have Accents?
RESEARCHERS FROM THE University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Australian Museum have discovered that banjo frogs have distinct “accents”, suggesting the amphibians adapt their vocalisations to suit local conditions. In a behaviour that’s describe
Australian Geographic1 min read
New Soil Database Takes Root
CSIRO has launched its Australian National Soil Information System (ANSIS) database, making nationally consistent soil data and information available for the first time. ANSIS will be an important tool for farmers, researchers and policymakers, allow
Australian Geographic1 min read
Wild Diary
CHARLEVILLE BILBY EXPERIENCE With National Bilby Day on the second Sunday in September, it’s a great time to visit the Save the Bilby Fund’s Charleville Bilby Experience at Charleville, 750km west of Brisbane. The fund runs a captive breeding facilit
Australian Geographic1 min read
Meet The Carnivorous Sponges New To Science
SCIENTISTS FROM THE Queensland Museum (QM) have described three new species of carnivorous sponges from the Great Barrier Reef. The deepsea sponges were collected 2km below the surface by a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) during the 2020 S
Australian Geographic3 min read
The Australian Geographic Book Club
By Georgina Steytler Australia’s unique botanical wealth unfurls on every page of this homage to our astonishingly beautiful native flora, artfully shot by Georgina Steytler, one of Australia’s most talented and creative photographers. Following on f
Australian Geographic2 min read
Smooth Sailing To Victory
IN THE EARLY hours of Tuesday 27 September 1983, thousands of Australians were wide awake and jumping with excitement. The 12m-class racing yacht Australia II had won the America’s Cup, bringing to an end the USA’s 132-year winning streak. It was a s
Australian Geographic2 min read
Gravity Hills
ON A RECENT FAMILY trip to the fabled Hanging Rock in Newham, Victoria, the Yowie clan took an unplanned detour to Woodend. Emily, my 11-year-old daughter, found “something on the internet” about a nearby “gravity-defying” section of road “where thin
Australian Geographic1 min read
Talking Australia
Darryl Jones is an urban ecologist who once advocated against feeding birds. Now he encourages it, and has become a responsible voice for this popular activity. In this episode, Darryl discusses why feeding birds isn’t as bad as we’re told – as long
Australian Geographic3 min read
Penicillin Breakthrough
BEFORE ANTIBIOTICS, a scratch – even a small one – could be fatal. Every year, countless people died as minor wounds – blisters, cuts and scrapes – became infected with streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria. Treatments were also limited for bacte
Australian Geographic5 min read
Why The Voice To Parliament Will Help Close The Gap
THERE IS CLEAR evidence mainstream government services have, for decades, failed to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. In fact, there is evidence that many of their policies cause harm. For example, the Northern T
Australian Geographic3 min read
Damping The Deafening Din
NOISE POLLUTION in oceans has returned to the fore as an issue thanks to a recent United Nations report on this insidious threat to marine life. The report, which was released on World Ocean Day on 8 June by the body behind a major UN treaty – the Co
Australian Geographic1 min read
Oz Words
THE SAYING “I wouldn’t know him from a bar of soap” seems to be a variation of the much older expression “I don’t know him from Adam”. But I think the soap version is an Australian coinage. The earliest appearance in print uncovered by my research is
Australian Geographic2 min read
Sniffing Out Parkinson’s Disease
WE KNOW OF one (that’s correct, only one!) person able to smell Parkinson’s disease, before the symptoms became visible some 14 years later. As a teenager, Joy danced with Les Milne at a party. She loved his unique and attractive odour. “He had a lov
Australian Geographic2 min read
A Meteor Mystery Solved
EVERY YEAR, I receive a celestial birthday present. No, it’s not because of any secret insider connection with the universe, but a simple coincidence that on the day in question – 14 December – Earth ploughs through a swarm of dusty particles, which
Australian Geographic1 min read
Looking Up
The changing size and phase of the inner planet, Venus, is easily visible through a small telescope. This brilliant beacon can’t be missed in the morning sky, low in the east about an hour before sunrise. Passing between Earth and the Sun in August,
Australian Geographic2 min read
Brighter Future For Squirrel Gliders
FUNDS DONATEDTO the AG 170 fundraiser have allowed Aussie Ark to install more than 250 nest boxes for squirrel gliders. Wild squirrel glider populations have been found in Aussie Ark’s Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanct
Australian Geographic1 min read
Your Subscription Is Essential To The Australian Geographic Society
EVERY SUBSCRIBER to this journal automatically becomes a member of the not-for-profit AG Society. Your subscription helps us fund Australia’s scientists, conservationists, adventurers and explorers. To subscribe, call 1300 555 176 Patron: Dick Smith
Australian Geographic8 min read
Out On A Limb
DID ROB BLAKERS climb trees as a child? He says no. Well… Growing up in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory: “We had a reserve out the back of our place, and we had cubby houses up in trees, with nailed-in planks as ladders. There were sever
Australian Geographic1 min read
Comet Encke returns!
It’s not as famous as Halley’s, but Comet 2P/Encke has one of the shortest orbiting periods, circling the Sun once every 3.3 years. During its 2023 return it will be seen best at dawn in early September, above the north-eastern horizon. After leaving
Australian Geographic7 min read
Our War Against Dung
IMAGINE AUSTRALIA without dung beetles. Put simply, we’d be drowning in poo. Australia has more than 500 native dung-beetle species, but they feast on marsupial poo, which is dry and compact. They don’t clear away large, moist cow pats – a huge probl
Australian Geographic2 min read
Sharing Beetles
Ensuring dung beetles are established as far as possible across Australia begins with applied experimentation by Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers (DBEE), now a multi-institutional project run out of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
Australian Geographic8 min read
The Fishermen And The Sharks
I AM DRIVING along the narrow island roads of Lombok, Indonesia, heading for the fishing village of Tanjung Luar to visit one of the country’s largest seafood markets – a market renowned for its trade in sharks. Fuelled by Asia’s insatiable desire fo
Australian Geographic1 min read
Adventure
ISSUE 10 of Australian Geographic ADVENTURE is packed with all things outdoors! In this issue, we reveal some of the best summer adventures in AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND, hike the NT’s Larapinta Trail and TASSIE’s Flinders Island, explore CAPE YORK an
Australian Geographic1 min read
RECEIVE AN AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC JIGSAW AND SAVE 25% When You Subscribe Or Renew Today
$71.99 for 6 issues via annual automatic renewal (credit card or direct debit) SAVE over $23 – 25% discount every 6 issues $2 for 2 issues via automatic renewal (credit card or direct debit) then $62.99 every 6 issues SAVE over $62 – 50% discount ove
Australian Geographic16 min read
Broughton’s Inconvenient Allure
TOM CLARKE’S VOICE soars above the turbulent soundtrack of the waves smashing the cliff base far below. “Oh, look at you!” he says in triumph and exhilaration, as though he’s just found a jewel – which, in a way, he has. Tom is joined by Alan Stuart,
Australian Geographic8 min read
Nature At Her Best
THE BEAUTIFUL OBSERVATIONS of nature in our annual celebration of the ANZANG region’s best nature photographers remind us of the wonder of our wild spaces and species. This year marks 20 years of the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Y
Australian Geographic1 min read
Aussie Camino
A small town on the edge of the Coonawarra wine region in SA, Penola, one of the end points for the Australian pilgrim trail, is the central location in the life of Mary MacKillop. Australia’s first (and only) saint is commemorated with a shrine in S
Australian Geographic10 min read
THE MIGHTY McILWRAITH
AS THE LIGHT FADED at the end of a long day of riding, I flicked on the LED headlights of my all-terrain vehicle (ATV) so I could see better as we meandered in convoy through a tunnel of dense vegetation. The rainforest is reclaiming the track from a
Australian Geographic8 min read
A Journey Of Faith
THE BUTTERFLIES DIDN’T come this morning, and Leanne is distraught. I find her, with red-rimmed eyes, hugging a spindly tree. Leanne started walking this morning in good spirits, leaving from Lake Mombeong in Discovery Bay Coastal Park in south-weste
Australian Geographic1 min read
The Calling Of MARY MACKILLOP
• Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne on 15 January 1842. • Driven by a desire to educate children in the bush, she worked alongside parish priest Father Julian Tenison Woods to open her first school on 19 March 1866. It was housed in a converted st
Australian Geographic10 min read
Behind The Moon’s Shadow
ALL PROFITS DONATED DARWIN, 6.45AM, Saturday 15 April 2023. We’re standing with our baggage and sky-watching equipment outside one of Darwin’s imposing waterfront hotels, ready and waiting for our Big Adventure. All we need is the transport we booked
Australian Geographic1 min read
More Kimberley adventure
Join Coral Expeditions on a classic 10-night voyage exploring the rugged Kimberley coast carved by the powerful forces of nature. Enjoy thrilling rides through the Horizontal Falls, shower under King Cascades, observe ancient rock art and crocodiles
Australian Geographic1 min read
Travel With Us
ACCESS Travelling with Australian Geographic inspires people to care about the planet by providing meaningful opportunities to explore it. Our experiences are rich in nature and adventure, and our travel partners specialise in small-group experiences
Australian Geographic6 min read
Think Carefully, Tread Lightly
MANY TRAVELLERS COME to Lutruwita/Tasmania seeking so-called ecotourism experiences that will immerse them in nature, are low-impact, provide authentic First Nations cultural experiences and promote mental and physical wellbeing. Although the word “e
Australian Geographic2 min read
Wild Islands Of South Australia
SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S GULF waters boast 5000km of deserted shoreline and more than 300 islands. There’s a huge diversity of natural wilderness to explore, including spectacular bays and beaches, remote islands and stunning sea cliffs. Best of all, most o
Australian Geographic2 min read
Through The Islands And Atolls Of Micronesia
JOIN US ON an extraordinary island adventure as we journey through the rarely explored islands of Micronesia. Aboard Coral Adventurer, sail from Manila through the Philippines, Palau and around the remote islands of the Federated States of Micronesia
Australian Geographic2 min read
North Queensland Tropical Birding Tour
THE WET TROPICS stretch from Townsville to Cooktown encompassing approximately 9000sq.km of rainforest interspersed with farmland, rivers and tropical savanna, not to mention coastline and coral cays. Such an array of habitats explain the region’s hi
Australian Geographic2 min read
Citizen Science On The Great Barrier Reef
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Australian Geographic, embark on an immersive scientific expedition aboard Coral Discoverer, exploring the outer reefs and unique marine ecosystems of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef. Travel with a community of conservation-m
Australian Geographic1 min read
Kimberley Early Bird Special – Save 20 Per Cent!
EXPERIENCE NATURE ON an unfathomable scale as we explore Australia’s wild and remote Kimberley coast where towering, iron-tinged red cliffs, torrential waterfalls, hidden coves and rare and endangered wildlife meet white-sand beaches, magnificent ree
Australian Geographic1 min read
Top End Luxury Safari Adventure
JOIN US ON this once-in-a-lifetime exclusive Top End adventure and immerse yourself in an extraordinary trip across World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land to experience the world’s oldest-living continuous culture. Stay at two awa
Australian Geographic1 min read
Packers’ Ghost Trek
● Ancient Egypt in Sydney ● Tiny reef life lost ● AG Award winners for 2023 ● Reinventing Broome australiangeographic.com.au or call 1300 555 176 WHILE WAITING FOR YOUR NEXT ISSUE, ENJOY OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS, PACKED WITH INFORMATION AND STORIES. SU
Australian Geographic4 min read
Swan Hill, VIC
AT THE EASTERN edge of the Mallee district in north-western Victoria, the picturesque Swan Hill overlooks the Murray and Little Murray rivers. Now a regional city with a 2021 population of just under 12,000, Swan Hill was once an important inland riv
Australian Geographic2 min read
AusQuiz
1 Daydream, Haslewood and Hayman are all part of which island group? 2 This author wrote Picnic at Hanging Rock. Can you name her? 3 Is this eclectus parrot male or female? 4 What are the common names of Erythrina vespertilio? 5 What is the First Nat
Australian Geographic3 min read
Sarah Island
BETWEEN 1822 AND 1833, any re-offending convicts in Van Diemen’s Land were sent to Sarah Island (known as Langerrareroune by the local Toogee people) on Tasmania’s remote west coast. Described as an “Earthly Hell”, Sarah Island’s Macquarie Harbour Pe
Australian Geographic1 min read
AG Subscriber Benefits
IF YOU ARE a subscriber to AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC you are automatically a member and supporter of the Australian Geographic Society. From 2023, 100 per cent of profits goes towards supporting scientific and environmental research, conservation, commun

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