Coal is like a butterfly of the earth in how it goes through a period of transformation from plant matter – it has different phases of development before it becomes coal. Coal is ancient and controversial – there’s issues of renewable resources and dirty fuel. Higher quality coal is called …
Bat
Bats are found worldwide and there are over fifty species in Australia. Bats are the only mammals able to fly. Bats use ultra-sonic echo-locating pulses during flight to avoid obstacles and to catch flying insects. In human terms, it may mean being able to perceive things in an uncommon way; …
Cockatoo – Black and White
The Australian cockatoo is either black with striking red or red and yellow tail feathers (the female also has yellow feathers on her head), or more commonly, white with a yellow crest. Both types represent powerful spiritual symbols in the Dreaming. In their natural state, cockatoos nest in the hollows …
Crow
These intelligent birds are found in other places of the world and universally symbolise cleverness and slyness, as well as being messengers for the Spirit World. As an archetype, they appear as intermediaries for the devil or an evil force in movies and novels. Crows feed from carrion; and so …
Curlew
The sound of a curlew crying at night has many meanings according to Aboriginal lore. Xavier Herbert writes in “Poor Man My Country” that curlew calls the spirits of souls wanting to be born. In the northern areas of Queensland, it is the sound of the dead returning to the …
Willy Wagtail
This clever black and white bird is well-known and loved for his cheeky, bold nature, always busy and cheerful. They are unafraid of people; if one approaches too close to a nest, this wagtail will guide you away, flying and darting just out of reach. They will also vigorously defend …