Photo backlog & adapting to change

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Well, there is always a silver lining to everything! I started my PADI dive course yesterday and had ear problems even 1 foot underwater in the pool.... so going to have the dive medical this afternoon anyway, if only to find out what the problem is. Hopefully it is temporary and I can complete my dive training later in the trip. If not, well you see a lot snorkelling anyway.
There are at least 2 good things as a result though - one I now have time to see some things on the west coast on the way to Perth -e.g. the stromatolites and Shark Bay / Monkey Mia (dolphins) and the Pinnacles (weird rocks near Cervantes) and two I have some time to get some photos on to the web. At long last I hear you say. OK, only as far as Kakadu which was about 3 weeks ago so I am still somewhat behind - the Kimberley ones will have to wait a little longer.
hope to be in Perth by Sunday/Monday for a week or so - lots to see and do around there - Freemantle, Rottnest Island etc and then the long awaited train trip across the Nullaboor Plain - I think I need to smarten up a bit before the 1st class travel stage. Anyway, on to the technical challenge of photo loading... bye for now Hxx
Right - I'm pretty pleased with myself for managing that! Great to find an internet place that let me sort the photos out first for free.

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Photos

Goanna surgery
Robyn managing the anaesthetic, Helen watching heartbeat, Peggy surgeon (performing CPR!). All in order to remove a data logger and insert a new one so body temperatures and location can be found.

Operation
just be glad I have not put the pictures of the echidna autopsy on here!

Baby echidna
alias something like Jabba the Hut from Star Wars. A baby echidna is called a 'puggle'. Eventually it will look like it has 5 o'clock shadow where the spines start.

Helen and goanna
Getting better at handling new things (!). Also snakes in Alice and licking a green ant's backside in Kakadu (mmm tastes of lemon).

Kangaroos for Lauren
Saw more kangaroos and wallabies in the 2 weeks on Kangaroo Island than in the rest of the time.

At work - kangaroo outside
better than the view from my last office!

The group
The volunteers and staff 1st - 14th October 2005 Pelican Lagoon.
Back row: Bob, Mike, Peggy, Coral, Violet, Nancy. Front row: Robyn, Nelson, John, Ricky.

The Todd River
most of the time this doesn't flow - the Henley-on-Todd regatta is held in September with bottomless boats and people that can run fast. However, when I was there, the Todd starting flowing - if you see it flow 5 times you can call yourself a local...

Me at Kata Tjuta
also known as the Olgas (European name). Amazing rocks - especially as it was raining and the water was running off them.

Uluru up close
on the base walk around Uluru. Much of it you cannot photograph because it is of significance to the women or men of the local Aborigine group. I ought to remember which one it is, but can't - information overload...

I was there
One of the best bits of the Red Centre trip for me - walking around Uluru - without the whole group!

If you see a crocodile...
...don't forget to scream.

And another one
don't row your boat down the Adelaide River, especially when the crocodile cruise is offering raw meat to get the crocs to jump!

Sunset in Kakadu
I think this is at a place called Yellow River. The 'log' in the foreground is a crocodile.

Rock Art
Kakadu was a mixture of rivers, billabongs, escarpments, rock art, waterfalls - great diversity of wildlife. It means that the groups of Aborigines that have lived here had plenty of time to indulge their artistic sides - hunting and gathering is relatively easy in this area.

Wonderful waterfalls
Great pools to swim in - as it was the end of the dry season, fairly sure no salties (saltwater crocs) in there. didn't stay in too long though. also horrible (feral / pest) cane toads had invaded.

Termites
when you consider the size of termites, it makes these mounds even more amazing.