The trees of Australia

Most of the trees were evergreens, and had unusually thick, leathery leaves. Thick leaves can retain water for long periods of time, and there were very long dry seasons in many parts of the continent. The eucalyptus, upon which the koala bear lives, is unusual because it may be as small as a spruce Christmas tree, or it may be as much as two hundred feet high. There are many different kinds of eucalyptus, and each kind is a different size. The settlers found that the timber of the eucalyptus is very strong, and useful for heavy construction jobs, such as dock pilings and cattle fences. Australia has a beautiful flowering tree the British had never seen before. This is the acacia, which bears thousands of colorful blossoms each year.

There are so many of these trees, and they are so beautiful, the acacia has been made the national flower of Australia. Australian birds are not very different from birds of Africa and parts of Asia. The emu of Australia is very like the ostrich. Like the ostrich, it cannot fly, but can only run swiftly along the ground on its long, powerful legs. There are some birds that are found only in Australia. One is the kookaburra, or "laughing jackass." This bird is named for the sound it makes. Some people have used the kookaburra as a kind of living alarm clock, because every morning and evening at about the same time a flock of kookaburra birds will suddenly start making their loud noises. Another interesting Australian bird is the lyre bird, which looks like a small harp, or lyre, because of the way its tail feathers stand up. Australia has more poisonous snakes than any other continent, but only about six of them have a deadly poison. Today there are plants and animals from all over the world in Australia. Settlers have imported them, and they have done well in the Australian climate. Australia's big problem is rabbits. It began when an Englishman took a pair of rabbits to Australia as pets.

The rabbits escaped, and were never caught. That one pair of rabbits was the start of a tremendous rabbit population. Over a period of years, there were finally so many wild rabbits that they were eating and spoiling the farmers' crops. To keep them under control the Australians have built long fences and held annual rabbit hunts. There are so many rabbits in Australia that thousands of rabbit skins are exported every year. They are used when inexpensive fur is wanted VALUABLE THINGS IN AUSTRALIA Two years after the 1849 "gold rush" when gold was discovered in California, the same thing happened in southern Australia. Australia had its gold rush in 1851. In just one year the population of Port Phillip, where the city of Melbourne is today, increased from 50,000 to 250,000. Even today, gold mining is very important in Australia. Over thirty million dollars' worth is mined each year. Australia also has large iron and coal deposits, which proved valuable during both world wars, because they made it possible for Australia to manufacture armaments for the Allies. There is a good supply of other necessary minerals. Australia also has a good supply of gem stones, used for making jewelry. Australian opals are especially plentiful, and there are some sapphires and diamonds.