History & Culture
It wasn’t until the dark of midnight, on Christmas day, 25 December 1974, that Cyclone Tracy really began to make an impact. In the seven hours it took the cyclone to pass over Darwin, it destroyed roughly 70 per cent of the small capital city. In all, 71 people were killed in the chaos, 13 of them lost at sea. A bill of $500-600 million dollars also racked up ($2.5-3 billion today), as planes, cars, power lines and structures were whipped across streets, destroying buildings and infrastructure. But there were sparks of hope amid the destruction. The then-tiny town of Alice Springs raised $100,000 (~$700,000 today) with 24 hours of the tragedy.
Destinations
Straddling the ephemeral Todd River, Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory and the geographical heart of Australia, or as locals are given to saying, “the town closest to every beach in Oz”. In reality, it’s 1200km as the crow flies to the nearest ocean and about 1500km to the closest major cities, Adelaide and Darwin. It has a population of approximately 28,000, 12 per cent of the NT’s population.
Wildlife
Photographers Stanley and Kaisa Breeden have focused their lenses on some very small forms of life. The pair are masters of ‘focal stacking’ photography, in which they merge images to create an otherwise unachievable depth-of-field. Here, they’ve used their skills to bring out some of nature’s smallest details, from the amazingly delicate textures of moth wings to the curled-up form of a sleeping wasp. All these images can be found in their book, Small Wonders: A close look at nature’s miniatures.
History & Culture
We think of Australia’s penal settlement and its wars as times of great turmoil for many, of events that changed things on a national and global scale. Yet, it is important to remember that amongst these events were people just like us. The Australian War Memorial and the National Museum hold an immense collection of material tracing the nation’s history and wars. In-between the battle plans and the official histories are many small gems which remind us of the resilience of the human spirit and the necessity of love.
Most images and captions are courtesy of Rebecca Britt, a curator at the Australian War Memorial and author of the book, Stories of Love and War.
News
An Australian sea slug uses a spike to inject fluid into the head of its mate during intercourse, researchers have found.
Wildlife
A picture really is worth a thousand words when it’s underpinned by rigorous research and crafted with skill.
Science & Environment
The aurora australis lights have been captured from a unique angle by the International Space Station.
Wildlife
The record-breaking aviator’s life, and why he was mourned around the world after his mysterious disappearance.
Wildlife
On the hunt for pygmy seahorses, biologist Richard Smith captured the precious diversity of underwater Japan.
