The terrible bushfires that ripped through the heart of rural Victoria in southern Australia last week are still burning, though firefighters are hopeful the worst is over.

In Australia’s worst natural disaster, at least 200 people have died and thousands left homeless. People around the world – including musician Pink – have opened their hearts and wallets to help the victims rebuild their lives – and closer to home people have opened their veins as well, with record numbers …

Tags: Australia , Australia Koala Foundation , bushfire , fire , koalas , wildlife

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Wildfires are a fact of life in Australia, owing to the country’s extremely dry climate and highly combustible vegetation (oil-rich eucalyptus forests). Australia’s history is unfortunately dotted with wildfire events such as Black Friday (1939) and Ash Wednesday (1983) that resulted in death and destruction.

But this week, Australia was hit with its most intense and deadly wildfires yet. Sweeping through towns in the state of Victoria, the wildfires left trails of soot, ashes and rubble. At last count, 173 people perished, thousands of families have lost their homes, …

Tags: Australia , climate change , fire , wildlife

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There are less than two weeks remaining to apply for what Tourism Queensland is billing as the Best Job in the World. Have you applied?

For anyone interested in travel and nature, it probably is the best job in the world.

It’s a six-month posting to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia – the largest living being on Earth, larger than the United Kingdom in area, and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Living on beautiful Hamilton Island, your …

Tags: Australia , best job in the world , conservation , contest , great barrier reef , oceanography , travel

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The Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia is a popular holiday destination. It’s easy to see the appeal, with lovely beaches and national parks alongside good restaurants and boutique shops. Perhaps most famously, it’s home to Australia Zoo, made popular by Steve Irwin the “Crocodile Hunter”. It’s an area that is gorgeous in its natural beauty and although it has avoided the high-rise monstrosities of the Gold Coast south of Brisbane, it’s hardly an undeveloped paradise.

In the hinterland it’s a different story. As you …

Tags: Australia , eco tourism , permaculture , Sunshine Coast , travel

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Camel: it’s what’s for dinner? Fraid so, mate. Aussies are being told that tossing camel steaks on the barbie can reduce global warming and save the fragile ecosystems and water resources of the desert where the wild herd is out of control.

The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Center released a three-year study of the environmental threat and what to do about it. The scientists observed that the million-plus camel population inflicts major damage on rare plants, animals and indigenous sites. Adding insult to injury, they make …

Tags: Australia , camel , exotic meat , global warming , vegetarian

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