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-^^The eucalyptus, or gum tree, is Australia’s most famous plant.

Eucalyptus

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The outback is fuli of 'foods that grow in the wild, known as bush tucker. Aborigines have been eating these foods for thousands of years.

On the menu is a wide rangę of plants and nuts, as well as emu, kangaroo, crocodile, and insects such as witchetty grubs (large moth larvae).

The grubs are very jgl nutritious and can be ^ eaten raw (when they taste like almonds or peanut butter) or cooked (when they taste like roast chicken). Sounds delicious!

^^■There are 700 species of eucalyptus, and all but 15 of them are found in Australia.

They are some of the tallest trees in the world, with one famous specimen measuring 327 ft (99.6 m).

The plant is evergreen, _with tough, waxy leaves that are poisonous to most animals, but koalas and possums don’t seem to mind.

The flowers of the trees provide nectar for birds, bats, insects, and possums.

Eucalyptus leaves are rich in oil that is valuable as a natural disinfectant.

Going underground

In the opal-mining town of Coober Pędy it gets incredibly hot, so homes, Stores, and even churches are underground.

Uluru

Out of a fiat plain in Central Australia looms the massive red rock of Uluru (or Ayers Rock), a sacred site of the Aboriginal people.

Rock art

For thousands of years, Aborigines have painted animals and people on the walls of caves and rocks.

Getting around

Tell me morę: shearing a sheep

■    Make surę that your sheep’s fleece is clean.

■    Sit the animal with its back toward you and try to make it relaxed.

■    Carefully cut off the wool close to the body to remove the fleece in one piece.

I It should take around 15 to 20 minutes to shear one sheep.

■ Flying doctors

If someone needs emergency medical help in the outback, a doctor from the Flying Doctor service will fly out to treat them.

Is that a camel?

Camels were brought to the outback in the 1800s to transport goods. Many still live there, some in the wild.

■ Air Mail

Farmers living in remote areas of the outback have all their mail delivered by piane.

■ Road trains

Commercial trucks, known as road trains, are used for transporting heavy loads over long distances in the outback. Road trains can puli several trailers behind them at once.

Bottomless boats

Every year, a unusual race takes place near Alice Springs. Contestants run down a dry riverbed, while holding on to bottomless boats.

Australia 218|219

(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Resen/ed.