Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree...

Ok, so first random thought: I will miss Australian music on the radio...so good!

Ok, so for the meat of the blog: Outback.
I loved the open spaces, the wide sky, and the red dirt that went for miles and miles. The isolation that I felt out there was overwhelming. The station we stayed on was called Trilby and they owned land that was roughly the size of Rhode Island. Not really that big, but only two people run the farm...yeah now it's HUGE!! But we talked about the land a lot while we were out there and one thing that hit me was that in Australia you approach the land on its terms.

When the British first came here, they thought that it was the dry season (boy were they wrong...) so they cut down tree after tree and decimated the land thinking that they will grow back. Yeah, in like 200 years. The soil is so nutrient deprived that even native vegetation can barely survive. Side note: there is one species of gum tree that can only reproduce when set on fire...yeah. The land is harsh which makes the people and life harsh. Our hostess, Liz, said that if one of her working dogs killed a chook (chicken) then she would shoot it. No second chance, just BAM dead.

Ok, so back to the land, respect is a big thing and something that British had to learn from the Aborigines. They couldn't just cut trees and bushes down, they had to plan around the land. There was a thick line of trees in the distance where the river was because life was always near a water source. Interestingly enough, kangaroos are not endangered as that congressman's wife thought, but they are actually becoming pests because people are finding underground water sources and putting them above ground (creating more sources). So roos are everywhere and destroying fences and bothering the sheep and goats by eating all of their grass. So, there are kangaroo hunters that shoot them and sell their meat to people and it is quite tasty! Kind of like venison, but not as gamey...yeah something like that.

But (stay on topic!) native animals like roos are much more suited to this harsh land because they only need one handful of water a day to survive. Sheep, goats, and cows need tons and tons of water. Also, the soft pads of a kangaroo's feet are much more suited to the dusty fragile soil. The hoofs of other animals just tear the ground up! Not good. Also, some idiot decided to import foxes and rabbits to hunt and they got loose and are now pests destroying Australia...way to go. Foxes have nearly depleted certain small native animals, and rabbits are eating everything to the root tip so that it takes longer to grow back. Foxes are being controlled with poisoned meat and rabbits are being shot with diseases that only affect them, and also sterilizers.

This place is harsh and hard, but the outback was one of the most beautiful places I've ever set foot in. There was so much beauty in the emptiness and you couldn't help but see God's finger prints everywhere. I can't imagine looking at that vastness without God on your side, I would have fainted from desperation. Anyway, the outback is gorgeous and I want to go back so bad!!! Who wants to come with me?