Australia Presentation by Cynthia Clampitt

  Last Monday evening, my husband and I enjoyed another great travel presentation by Cynthia Clampitt at the Schaumburg (IL) library.  This presentation was about Australia.  The first time that Cynthia visited Australia, she spent 6 months there.  She traveled all over Australia including Kangaroo Island.  Her book, "Waltzing Australia", tells about her experience and includes beautiful photos and expert tips.   Throughout Cynthia's presentation, she enlightened us with her vast knowledge about Australia and her good humor.  Here's a list of a couple of the many interesting facts that I learned about Australia during her presentation:

• Australia is almost the same size as the United States but has a population size close to the population of Illinois.

• Australia has been nicknamed "The Land of the Parrot" or "The Land of the Orchid".

• About 85% of all of the world's opals come from Australia.

• Camels are a big part of Australia's past and present.  Australia has the only thorough-bred, disease free camels in the world.

• Australia has 2 types of crocodiles.  Their freshwater crocs average about 5-7 feet in length while the saltwater crocs can reach up to 25 feet in length.

• In the northern part of Australia, there are giant termite mounds with the termites living in an underground tunnel system.

• The flower for Western Australia is the Kangaroo Paw.  It has red stems and green petals.

• Kangaroo Island has its own species of kangaroos.

• The Tasmanian Devil's back legs are slightly shorter then its front legs.

•  The Australian War Memorial, in Canberra, has a very large collection of Victorian Crosses along with a vast array of other war artifacts.

These are just a few things I learned at this wonderful presentation.  This presentation made me yearn to travel to Australia and have my own adventures Down Under.
For more information about Cynthia's book on Australia, please visit her website Waltzing Australia.