First Impressions in Australia

After finishing my Peace Corps service in the Philippines and spending a few weeks catching up with friends and family back home in Washington State. I jumped at the opportunity to travel to Australia. I am here on a work and holiday visa which basically allows me to stay in the country for up to one year and work to subsidize my travels.

I have been in Western Australia for a few weeks and I still can't seem to figure out where all the people are hiding. Even in Perth, the closest city, the streets are quiet and the shops close early. On the other hand, I have really been enjoying the hiking and wildlife in Western Australia. Here are some of the natives...

Bobtail lizard

Koala

Wallabies

These are just a sample of some of the animals I’ve actually been able to capture on camera. I've seen a few snakes and large race horse goannas but those sightings are quite rare. I have almost daily encounters with cockatoos, doves, kookaburra and magpies which as you can imagine are much harder to photograph.  The natural landscape is also a wonder. 

These mysterious limestone formations known as "The Pinnacles" are believed to have been formed underground possibly up to 500,000 years ago during the Ice Ages of the Quaternary period. Evidence from aboriginal artifacts suggests the Pinnacles were exposed about 6000 years ago, then buried by sands and only revealed again in the last hundred years. 

As I wandered through the vast desert I was amazed by the sheer number of the Pinnacles as well as the size. It was truly a bizarre environment, reminiscent of walking among tombstones. 

 

The indigenous tribe of the Noongars believed that the Pinnacles Desert was the Werinitj Devil place and that if you disobeyed your elders and wandered into the desert you would disappear into the sand. The Pinnacles represented the fallen wanderer’s fingertips, grasping for a way to pull themselves out again.