Haiku Dreaming Australia
Note 2:
Note 2:
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Silvereyes Archibald Prize Bondi Bunyip Mangroves Billabong Hills Hoist |
Morton Bay Fig Swag/Swaggie Bushie/Swag Gidgea Nullabor Camp Oven |
Entry for: Archibald Prize
"The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize, and is the most prominent of all arts prizes, in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J F Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919. It is administered by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and awarded for 'the best portrait, preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics...' " — Wikipedia
Entry for: Morton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)
A large evergreen banyan tree of the Moraceae family that is a native of most of the eastern coast of Australia. Its common name is derived from Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia. It is best known for its beautiful buttress roots.
pic wanted
Ficus macrophylla is a strangler fig; seed germination usually takes place in the canopy of a host tree and the seedling lives as an epiphyte until its roots establish contact with the ground. It then enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a freestanding tree in its own right. Individuals may reach 60 m (200 ft) in height.
It is widely used as a shade and feature tree in public parks and gardens, and wherever boys like to climb.
Please use "Back" button to return to haiku.Entry for: Bondi Beach
Australia's iconic surfing beach is Bondi (Boondi) in Sydney, NSW.
The 14 km City to Surf Fun Run (60,000+ entrants) held each August ends here.
Other festivals include Festival of the Winds (kite flying) held each spring.
Entry for: Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis)
a Silvereye on a
Firewood Banksia
"The Silvereye is a small (9.5cm - 12cm) bird with a conspicuous ring of white feathers around the eye, and belongs to a group of birds collectively known as white-eyes." More pictures and information -- Australian Museum Fact Sheet
Entry for: Bunyip
The Bunyip was one of the magical beasts in Aborigines’ Dreamtime stories. It lived in swamps and billabongs, had a terrifying bellow, and devoured invaders of its territory.
[pic of bunyip wanted]
European settlers, attributed strange sounds of the Australian bush to many mythical beasts, including the bunyip. However the settlers’ bunyips were more benign – herbaceous, shaggy animals. Some attribute the bunyip to crocidile sightings, some to fugitive swaggies who hid in swamps and emerged, covered with weeds, after the law had passed. The booming cry of the Australasian Bittern was often attributed to a bunyip.
Entry for: Mangroves
‘Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow along sheltered intertidal shores, mainly in tropical amd subtropical coastal waterways. Australia has 39 mangrove species, which is more than half the global number.’ – OzCoast and OzEstuaries – for further reading and images about Australain mangroves.
Entry for: Billabong
"A billabong ('bill-a-bong') is a body of water, like a large pond."
"A billabong forms when a river changes its course, leaving a section cut off from the new river. When the river floods every wet season, the water in the billabong flows again as it connects up with the main river. Because of this the water stays fresh and supports an abundance of life." more from Questacon
Entry for: Hills Hoist -- a rotary clothes hoist
"It was popularised in Australia by Lance Hill and is a common sight in Australian and New Zealand backyards. It is considered one of Australia's most recognisable icons, and is used frequently by artists as a metaphor for suburbia in Australia." [ Wikipedia]
and see GNT History
The "Hills Rotary Hoist" become an emblem of Australian enterprise.
Entry for: Groper
The Eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) is a large fish found in the southern, coastal waters of Australia, especially exposed reefs.
There are two species. Eastern blue gropers have been known to grow to 1.2 metres (4 ft) in length and weights of 22 kilograms. The western species is larger, reaching 1.6 m and 40 kg.
The blue groper is a member of the wrasse family and should not be confused with the Queensland gropers (Epinephelus).
Entry for: Gidgea Tree
Gidgea trees , [photograph courtesy and © Ruth Sandow]
a species of acacia that survives in desert conditions along water courses on stony gibber plains.
Gibber plains are inland plains covered with red-brown, wind-polished, gibber stones that are close-packed and form patterns.
Where the Dead Men Lie is the title poem of a book of ballads by Australian poet, Barcroft Boake.
