Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Travelogue: Australia – 'Roo Crossing

You see them all over the states, those deer crossing signs; and yet, how often do you actually see deer at the crossing. (I wonder if the deer actually know where they are supposed to be crossing the highway.)

Over here in Australia, the crossings are a bit different.

They have signs for Kangaroo crossings. I would assume that one has about the same likelihood of seeing deer at the deer crossing as one has of actually seeing a kangaroo at the kangaroo crossings. (The phrase "…in a blue moon…" springs to mind…)

The area that the client is in is way out on the edge of the town, in "the bush" as they call it, but it sort-of reminds me of the area around west-central Florida, the area to the east of Tampa where you see a lot of sand pine, fichus, and palmetto nestled in the leaf-strewn sandy hills here, there are not the palmettos, but there are what look like Australian pines interspersed with the Melaleucas. There are other trees that I can’t identify.

The hills are a bit more pronounced than one would see in central Florida, and there are mountains sounding the city, but on the whole, the effect is the same. If only I could see a kangaroo I would then know that I am not in Florida any longer!

This weekend I am hoping to get to the bush with one of my colleagues from the Sydney office. He offered to take me to a wildlife preserve not far from here and I had to weigh my options carefully. I am only here for one weekend… I was thinking of getting to Sydney and doing the tourist thing, but the wildlife thing is something I can do no place else.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Sydney is a city. I can go to cities anywhere I go. Where else in the world will I be able to see kangaroos (and wallabies, and emus, if I am lucky!) in the wild? It seems to be a no-brainer. So I think that it is a wild weekend for me this weekend. Look for pictures as soon as I get connected to the internet again!

Wherever you are today, I hope that all your choices are as difficult for as pleasant reasons!

Don Bergquist – 02 August 2011 – Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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