Benz World Blog » Emblem

Black Swans

Jason Benz — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 10:09:09 +0000

Black Swans are the state and bird emblem of Western Australia. Their white eyes turn red during breeding season. This image puts the herbivores and carnivores neck and neck on this blog at 22 each.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Australian Cranes

Jason Benz — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 10:19:28 +0000

These are Australian Cranes or Brolgas. They are the official bird emblem of Queensland. There are two separate populations in Australia. The Northern Australian Crane is found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and western Queensland. The Southern Australian Crane is found in Victoria, New South Wales, eastern Queensland and South Australia. We saw them at David Fleay‘s Wildlife Park

Ringtail Possum

Jason Benz — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 17:37:52 +0000

We saw this Ringtail Possum in Sydney, before we left New South Wales. It is one of Australia‘s native animals, they are found all along the east coast.

We signed a 6 month lease for a 1 bed flat in Southport, Queensland last Thursday as we are now both working for Panedia. It has two balcony’s and is a 15 minute walk to town. We discovered a double blow up mattress in a cupboard today so we will be able to put up any friends or family who find themselves on the Gold Coast.

Laughing Kookaburra

Jason Benz — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 13:56:03 +0000

The Kookaburra is one of the national symbols of Australia. It was used as a mascot for the Sydney 2000 Olympic games. They are also known as “Bushman’s Clock” or “Alarm Birds” due to it’s distinctive call, which sounds like laughing monkeys. There are four species of Kookaburra; Rufous-bellied, Spangled, Blue-winged and this Laughing Kookaburra. My camera recorded a subject distance of just 1.3 metres which qualifies it as one of Australia’s bold birds.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock as Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Wild Wombat

Jason Benz — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:09:21 +0000

This wild wombat is one of Australia‘s marsupials. We saw this animal on the side of the road in Victoria. I jumped out the van and started taking pictures as I approached. According to my camera’s autofocus, I managed to get within 10 meters before it dived into the undergrowth. These solidly built herbivores are only about 1 metre long but can weigh between 20-35kg and are capable of flipping a car if hit.

This image has been accepted for Stock Photography at Shutterstock and is available for download here.

Bold Birds

Jason Benz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:49:01 +0000

This is a Wedge-tailed eagle we saw on our way into Adelaide. Unlike the timid Blue Wren, most of the birds we have encountered in Australia seem to be surprisingly unafraid of humans. This carnivore let me get within ten meters to get this shot. I also had this Parrot take a chip off of my plate while I was eating my dinner and I have seen a Gull stealing fish from an angler.

We have moved to a cheaper campsite North East of Adelaide in an area called Windsor Gardens. It is a little bit more cosy and we are on a slight slope but we have a great view next to the River Torrens across a eucalyptus park where Koalas roam wild.

This image has been accepted for Stock Photography at Shutterstock and is available for download here.

Koala Bear

Jason Benz — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:17:25 +0000

This Koala is neither a bear or a native of Western Australia. To get this shot I had to resort to a Wildlife park next to Wave Rock. They had three Koalas there although I only found two of them as they are free to roam about the trees. I guess the park did not worry about escape attempts. But then Koalas do sleep 20hrs a day and eat for 3hrs and could not be described as speedy. How far could they get in a break for freedom? We have settled in to Hopetoun now and are ready to start work tomorrow at The Deck. The weather cleared up today so we walked West along the beach from Hopetoun to the Culham inlet. In hindsight it was a little ambitious and we are currently reliving our aching limbs with a little Aussie alcohol.

This image was accepted for Stock Photography at Shutterstock and is available for download here.