As many of these photos suggest, Australians seem to have a great sense of humor about themselves and their country–making a visit seem even more enticing.  Especially when you combine that with the unique animals and natural wonders.  Did you know Australia has camels and penguins as well as its most famous and beloved cuties?

FIRST, SOME AMUSING SIGNS

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A flood warning sign starts to disappear below floodwaters near Charleville, about 685 km (426 miles) west of Brisbane February 6, 2012. Thousands of Australians were forced from their homes on Monday because of floods that have risen to record levels in some areas and killed one person, and authorities issued warnings for more than a dozen rivers in Queensland and New South Wales states. REUTERS/Queensland Police Service/Handout (AUSTRALIA - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

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I have no idea what this sign means. No walking your sheep on the road?

I have no idea what this sign means. No walking your sheep on the road?

aus, signs, 10aus, signs, 11aus, via john 2O.K.  Before we move away from signs, I have to add this one even though it’s from New Zealand, not Australia (because there are no wild kiwis in Australia.)

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An albino kiwi. Too cute.

An albino kiwi. Too cute.

ANIMALS

 Though the unique, interesting and often cute animals of Australia could easily fill an entire post, these images are picked mostly because they highlight the interaction of the animals with their human neighbors.

Camping hazard, like raccoons and bears in the US?

Camping hazard, like raccoons and bears in the US?

 

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Yikes!

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A tourist attraction?

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I believe this is a frilled lizard.

I believe this is a frilled lizard.

 

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Emu babies

 

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An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 Camels, imported into Australia between 1860 and 1907, were used as draft and riding animals by people pioneering the dry interior. With the introduction of motorised transport in the 1920’s, large herds of Camels were released and they have established “Free-range” herds in the semi-arid desert areas of Australia. The estimated population of camels is 150,000 and 200,000.

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Called fairy penguins or little penguins found in S. Australia and New Zealand.

Called fairy penguins or little penguins found in S. Australia and New Zealand.

aus, signs, 7Of course Australia’s Great Barrier Reef deserves it’s own post, so here’s a taste.  Stretching over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles (344,400 kilometers) the Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. It is composed of over 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands.

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Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Northern Territory’s Red Centre desert, 450km from the nearest large town, Alice Springs. It’s sacred to indigenous Australians and believed to be about 700 million years old.

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Northern Territory’s Red Centre desert, 450km from the nearest large town, Alice Springs. It’s sacred to indigenous Australians and believed to be about 700 million years old.

The unique orange, grey and black stripes of the Bungle Bungle range are the result of alternating bands of sediment, each with different clay content. Deposited in the Ord Basin 375 – 350 million years ago, the effects of wind from the desert and rainfall over millions of year shaped the domes. Photo by Paddy Ryan.

The unique orange, grey and black stripes of the Bungle Bungle range are the result of alternating bands of sediment, each with different clay content. Deposited in the Ord Basin 375 – 350 million years ago, the effects of wind from the desert and rainfall over millions of year shaped the domes. Photo by Paddy Ryan.

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Kennedy Range National Park, honeycomb rocks.

Kennedy Range National Park, honeycomb rocks.

King George Falls, The Kimberley region in Australia's west.

King George Falls, The Kimberley region in Australia’s west.

More Kimberly region

More Kimberly region

More Kimberly.

More Kimberly.

Cockburn Range, El Questro, Kimberley

Cockburn Range, El Questro, Kimberley

 

Eroded Rock Formations, the Pinnacle Desert, Nambung National Park, Western Australia

Eroded Rock Formations, the Pinnacle Desert, Nambung National Park, Western Australia

Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.

Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.

From the wetlands of Kakadu.

From the wetlands of Kakadu.

Magpie Geese at the freshwater wetlands, Kakadu National Park. Image by Simon O'Dwyer.

Magpie Geese at the freshwater wetlands, Kakadu National Park. Image by Simon O’Dwyer.

Aboriginal rock art. found in rocky outcrops that have afforded shelter to Aboriginal inhabitants for thousands of years.

Aboriginal rock art found in rocky outcrops that have afforded shelter to Aboriginal inhabitants for thousands of years, Kakadu.

Image by Dustin M. Ramsey (Kralizec!)

Image by Dustin M. Ramsey (Kralizec!)

Image by Toursim NT, Image by: gallery Tourism NT. Via Wikimedia Commons

Image by Toursim NT, Image by: gallery Tourism NT. Via Wikimedia Commons

A river in Kakadu National Park, Australia

A river in Kakadu National Park, Australia

More Kakadu from the air.

More Kakadu from the air.

Cape Crawford in the Northern Territory.

Cape Crawford in the Northern Territory.

Cape Crawford. Picture by Vanessa Hunter

Cape Crawford. Picture by Vanessa Hunter

Murphy’s Haystacks are ancient, wind-worn pillars and boulders of pink granite estimated to be over 1,500 million years old set in the middle of a wheat field.

Murphy’s Haystacks are ancient, wind-worn pillars and boulders of pink granite estimated to be over 1,500 million years old set in the middle of a wheat field.

Murphy's Haystacks again.

Murphy’s Haystacks again.

Wave-Rock by Christof In Oz

Wave-Rock by Christof In Oz

"The 12 apostles"rock formations in Southern Australia named that even though there were never more than 10.

“The 12 apostles”rock formations in Southern Australia named that even though there were never more than 10.

Apostles at sunset.

Apostles at sunset.

 

The Pinnacles are limestone formations contained within Nambung National Park. The raw material for the limestone came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime-rich sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes.

The Pinnacles are limestone formations contained within Nambung National Park in Western Australia. The raw material for the limestone came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime-rich sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes.

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More Pinnacles

 The following are a few random images where I lack most info except to know it is Australia.

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141 thoughts on “Australia: Amusing and Awesome

  1. We spent many happy hours exploring the pinnacles in w.a. Well worth a visit if you haven’t seen them. W.A. Oysters are superb!

  2. Ganz hervorragende Aufnahmen. Wunder schöne Motive! Ganz große klasse. Ich bin begeistert. Vielen Dank!

  3. I do have another comment to make the photo of the Falls, whch is named Kakadu Nation Park, in the photo, is in fact Edith Falls, part of Nitmiluk National Park in the NorthernTerritory,notfar fromKatherine.

  4. Ah!!! The Bungle Bungles ! The most interesting area in
    aus

    The Bungle Bungles would be one of the interesting areas in Aus.
    Particularly
    the Cathedral Gorge!

  5. amazing what god does with wind and water! The formations at Bungle Bungle, and also Cape Crawford, remind me of beautiful Bryce Canyon, USA

  6. The top most photo ’22 Miles” surely cant be in Australia; or was it taken pre 70s when yard, ibs and miles were still used??.

  7. I climbed Ayres rock back in late 80’s when it was still allowed and still remember the amazing view over the area, including The Olgas.
    Also rode camels in Alice Springs and snorkeled on The Great Barrier Reef. It was the trip of a lifetime in one of the very best countries in the world!! Have been back 4 times since.

  8. Amazing photos, I have never traveled very much, so great to see
    how wonderful Australia is. I will keep this email, to look back and
    see again and again.thank you so much.

  9. I thought the 12 Apostles were in Victoria, near the town of Lorne and not in South Australia.

  10. Visit Tasmania also,the island below Aus. The town of Hobart and area surrounding is very interesting,

  11. No wonder I love being an AUSTRALIAN.
    I love to travel but how good is it when you can come home to this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  12. These are the best pictures I’ve ever seen of Australia. Being a traveler myself I can appreciate them even more. I imagine all the miles of nothing-to-photograph one has to traverse between those places in order to capture the pictures.

  13. I have been to nearly all of these amazing sites & landforms.
    We have a wonderful country!!
    Perhaps add Lichfield national Park NT (particularly Wangi Falls), Kings Canyon NT, The Olgas NT & the Horizontal Falls WA to the list.

  14. My Husband and I have been to most of these places and what an experience Australia is so Beautiful and what can we say except Magnificent.

  15. GRACIAS POR LOS HERMOSOS PAISAJES AUSTRALIANOS, ME GUSTARÍA CONOCERLOS EN VIVO.

  16. i travelled around the world i did some amuture photoengravy never seen such beauty ant where

  17. Soo greate and creatif it is wonderfull,
    it must bi nice to live a little longer to experiens this part of the world.
    I m 70 now and like to live till 100 jr to see , but iam in Holland on the other side of this bol

  18. Great pictures and information. Very interesting with all the different species. Some of these I may not see live in my life time. Never say never though. Much more positive than some of what we see on the news. Looking for more positive enrichment these days. Live in Canada and nice to experience some “travel” right at home here. Thank you.

  19. The 12 Apostles is definitely in Victoria, along the Great Ocean Princetown, near Port Campbell National Park.

  20. These erosional features have easily explained by known physical agents such as wind, rain, and other weathering agents, so do not require a god as an ‘explanation’.

  21. The Carnarvon Ranges and Carnarvon George in Central Queensland with the aboriginal art gallery is well worth a look.

  22. This brings back many memories of my many trips to OZ
    and thankfully quite a bit of time spent in the outback which
    I loved despite its starkness.

  23. The Judeochristian ‘god’ only came into being about 1300 BCE, while the rock formations were formed millions of years earlier, so ‘he’ couldn’t have formed them. Effects of erosion are also evident on Mars and earth’s moon, and need no reference to a supernatural causes. Science rules.

  24. The “Satan’s Kingdom” State recreation area is in Connecticut, USA. Love the Glendambo sign.

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