Backbencher

The magazine Australian Geographic was filled with a lot of articles that I found interesting. I couldn't help but want to read every word of every article to learn more about the topic of each particular article. This magazine covered material such as the geography, the science behind certain geographical topics, culture, and history. The purpose was to teach Australians more about the land they live on, which was put together by the Australian Geographic Society.

One article I found fascinating was an article called Once Stung, Never Forgotten. It was about the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree that's leaves have microscopic hair that sting an unsuspecting person/animal walking by with toxic venom. They say that even a gentle brush up with this tree can cause instant itching followed by severe prickling feelings and intense pain that lasts for days to weeks. Since the hairs are so small, they may remain embedded in the skin which may become irritated years later with skin contractions during changes of weather for example. One man said he feels intense pain if he takes cold showers. Several scientists and surveyors have had to endure this pain. Stories of these encounters included horses going mad and dying, a surveyor who said it's "like being burnt with hot acid and electroculted as the same time," a guy who's pain persisted for 2 years & whenever he took cold showers, and people drinking themselves silly or shooting themselves. Those planning to explore where these trees grow (NE coastline of OZ) are supplied with thick gloves, respirators, and anti-histamine tablets as precautionary action. If one does get stung and hives form, steroid treatment can be taken, however the pain is still horrible. The Gympie-Gympie tree, one of the world's most venomous plants, is something no one wants to mess with!

Secondly, I would like to share an article called Jatbula Country: Take the Plunge. It was about a hike on Jatbula Trail in the Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park. This is a one-way, 4 or 5 day hike. The Jawoyn are the "traditional custodians" of this land, and can accompany hikers along the trail if desired. Based on what I read in this article, it sounds beneficial to have a Jawoyn along because they have a lot of stories to tell about the land and brought the land around the trail to life. The land was taken from the Jawoyn by drovers, but eventually it was returned to them. The trail goes through several terrain types, everything from rocky to flatland to swampy. The article mentioned the cane toad briefly stating how it's affected the region by depleting numbers of several species; the Jawoyn guide squashed any he found along the way. There are a total of 8 campsites from start to finish, each with their own varying character. Along the way hikers encounter various creatures, beautiful waterfalls, rock paintings in the Amphitheatre, more than 750 plant species, and so much more. This trail's standard is "challenged" but they say hikers only need to be fit, organized, and eager. This sounds like an adventure I would love to encounter.