Nap & Outback Lecture

Erik and I had the best nap ever. He slept longer than I did and we missed the playlist performance that I wanted to go to, but he isn't feeling well so it's really alright.

We woke up and went to the outback giants lecture at 4pm. Quite an interesting lecture.

Mineral called zircon formed 4.4 billion years ago and is in the Western Outback. Iron rich soil gives the Outback its red color.

Must watch crocodile dundee with Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee.

Aboriginal Australians might have migrated from Southeast Asia over 60,000 years ago.

Dreamtime was a spiritual aspect of aboriginal culture. Young aboriginals are rejecting the dreamtime concept.

Dots, lines, and pattern paintings hold spiritual meaning. Dance is very sacred and might only be allowed to be performed by elders. Smoking ceremonies mark healing, birth, and death. Eucalyptus leaves and paper bark are common for smoking ceremonies.

Uluru (Ayres Rock) is 1142 feet high for Ed over 500 million years ago. The base walk is 6.6 miles. Has the clearest view of the stars in the world.

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) has 36 stones rising 1791 feet. Some areas are off limits to the public. UNESCO world heritage site. Covers 8 square miles. Some dones extend below the desert.

1 in 10 or 1 in 3 aboriginal children were taken and called the "stolen generation" . 1869 at the Victorian aboriginal protection act. They were forced to assimilate and not allowed to use birth names or cultural tongues. They were often told their families died. 1969 ended the removal policies worldwide.

Aboriginals account for 1/4 or the outback population.

Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills Expedition set out to cross Australia 2000 miles. They left Melbourne in 1860. Burke and Wills died in June 1861. Interesting topic about how they died and how an commission on a letter cost them.

Built on the Sheeps Back and by early 1800s the world industry foundation was created. Cattle ranching also became popular. Helicopters are vital for modern cattle herding.

Road trains often 164 feet long and hauling 100 tons will pull 4 or 5 trailers to deliver supplies. World record stretched 4800 feet long with 112 trailers just for the Guinness book of world records.

Australia is the largest export of live cattle. Some ships carry over 20k cattle.

Australia is the top iron ore exporter. Mining trains can stretch up to 1.5 miles long with over 300 wagons.

The Ghana Railway stretches 1815 miles from Adelaide in the South to Darwin in the North. Opened in the 1920s.

Royal flying doctor service (RFDS) founded in 1928 operates a fleet to get service to the outback. First radios were powered by pedals like riding a bike in order to talk to doctors.

School of the air is how kids would be taught by teachers hundreds of miles away. They would use these pedal radios to speak to their teachers.

Australia has the longest golf course in the world. You play a few holes , drive a few hours, and then play more. It is golf tourism.

Rabbit proof fence stretches 1800 miles built in 1907 to stop rabbits from eating crops. Rabbits were introduced and not native to Australia. In 1931 three aboriginal girls followed the fence for 1200 miles back to their house. Award winning film represents this as the Rabbit Proof Fence.

Cooper Pedy is the opal capital. They have underground churches, shops, and hotels.

Unlike the rabbit proof fence, the longest fence is a dingo fence. Built in 1880s to 1950s stretches 3.5 thousand miles to protect sheep from dingos. Dingos are wild dogs. It requires constant patrol.

Roadhouses provide fuel, meals, supplies, and shelter. They are sometimes the only establishment for hundreds of miles. For many visitors, a drink in the outback pub is a rite of passage. Daly Waters Pub has a bunch of bras hanging when in the 1980s a bus of women lost a bet and left their bras as payment. Many now leave bras and hats and other items .

Lake Eyre is the biggest desert salt lake in South Australia.

Land speed record in 1964 at Lake Eyre was completed by Donald Campbell of 403.1 miles per hour. He died attempting a water speed record. His record was broken by Richard Noble to 633 miles per hour.

Silo Art is common.

Red Kangaroo is the most iconic species as the largest kangaroo species in Australia. Can survive for days without water. Can leap 30 feet in one bound.

The dingo is a wild dog. Often found in remote regions of outback.

Bilby is a nocturnal marsupial nicknamed the rabbit eared bandicoot. Can dig a burrow 10 feet long.

Common wombats are native to the outback. Nicknamed the chunky lawnmower. Can run as fast as a human when treated backward facing pouch protects joey when mother is digging. Have cube shaped droppings.

Echidna is a spiny anteater where they lay eggs. They have spines and long snouts. They can detect faint electrical signals.

Camels are not native to Australia but introduced in the 19th century. Over 1 million roam freely over central Australia. Australia exports camel to the Middle East.

The perentie is the largest monitor lizard growing up to 6 feet long. Can run and breathe at the same time.

The thorny devil is a sandy colored reptile. They are lizards that grow only to 8 inches. They can drink through their skin.

Snakes. Eastern brown snake can reach up to 6.5 feet. Woma Python and mulga (king brown) snake are also common.

Wedge tailed eagle can have a wing span of 8 feet.

Budgerigars, galahs, mulga parrots, cockatiels, and zebra finches are common birds.

The emu is the largest bird in Australia and only second in the world to the ostrich. Males will incubate the eggs whiLe the female may go and find another mate.

The great 1932 emu war. Up to 20,000 emu moved into the farming district. The defense minister dispatched soldiers with Lewis machine guns. Emus dodged bullets and outran trucks. After 200,000 rounds fired the army withdrew. A second campaign used bounties instead of bullets.もっと詳しく