  Nearly a month ago, I set out on a photo expedition to Australia. As this is written, I’m still here and in constant motion, scouring the Outback for great images. Perhaps the greatest testimony to the allure of this vast “island” continent is the fact that after three weeks, I’m still eager to see more. To keep this post from becoming a book-length rhapsody, I’ll just say this country is more than anyone could bargain for. Australia’s ecology lives and dies with fire. Bush fires are common and essential to the cycle of re-germination and regrowth that is a natural constant. With the human population packed along the coastlines, the interior is vast and filled with endless…nothing. No farm land, no settlements, no signs of civilization. It’s a dry world currently enduring a prolonged period of drought, yet still the home to species only found here. My eye is constantly drawn to the natural wonders that are simply not seen anywhere else on the planet. From topography and geography to flora and fauna, Australia seems to be a world unto itself.  As a trained zoologist, my interest in the animal kingdom here has been rewarded with some terrific “nailed it” moments. Discovering Kangaroo Island—a rugged natural habitat that harbors wallabys, “roos”, and the elusive Echidna, a spiney critter I was lucky to stumble across. Echidnas—unique to Australia—are cousins of the platypus, and neither are exactly “social” by nature. They are, in fact, nearly impossible to find, and the only egg-laying mammals in the world. The shot you see here isn’t my greatest from a technical standpoint, but it took hours of guided hunting and a hasty crawl on my belly to capture this image. After capturing koalas, wombats, and assorted rare birds, this Echidna feels like a real feather in my cap!  This has truly been the trip of a lifetime, with stops in Sydney on the east coast, Melbourne and Adelaide on the south coast, and Perth on the remote west coast. I’m now headed to the tropical north to Darwin Kununurra and then to Wyndam to catch the True North Yacht for a voyage around the Kimberfly Plateau. This is one of the most remote regions on the planet, so I’m looking forward to some spectacular landscapes and wildlife that is truly…wild! I’d write more, but I’m up before sunrise tomorrow on the move again. As strenuous and exhausting as some of these days are, this continues to be the trip of a lifetime. Be sure to check out my Facebook page for daily updates and head to the Gallery pages on the website to see recent images that have inspired me. Until next time…do what you can while you can! Comments are closed.
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