An interesting bird, the 'Bush Bustard' is so clueless it could be hunted with a club. BUT, if caught, the fine way back in 1970 was many hundreds of dollars. They were a well-protected species which would be extinct were they not.

We had a 'watch schedule' that allowed us a 3-day weekend each week, so we went out exploring and camping often. Driving across the outback, in my case on my motorcycle, we would often see Emus. I have tried to chase these magnificent birds as sport, but they can leave you in the dust, maintaining a pace of 40-45 mph across the broken terrain.

A billabong, or 'water hole' formed by springs that have nowhere to go. It's not so clear which way is 'right-side-up' in this photograph.

These are great to find for a cooling dip in the summer heat, but the infamous Australian flies can make them a challenge.

If our destination was 'civilization', we would wind up somewhere like Onslow, Western Australia. Population probably 75 or so. Here are (clockwise from upper left) the Hotel, Church, Bar/Hotel, and the petrol station on the road out of town. You never passed up any chance to fill with petrol as you didn't necessarily know where you could next find it available out here.

On seldom occasion, we would witness a gathering summer rain cloud which would start to rain. The rain never reached the ground as the temperature was often around 115 F and it evaporated before falling. I spoke to one woman who, as a girl, had never felt rain in the summer until she was 16 years old.