Benz World Blog » Emu

Galactic Emu

Jason Benz — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 05:10:45 +0000

This shows the centre of the Milky Way as seen from Australia. The Southern hemisphere has a great view as it faces the bright heart of our galaxy. On a clear night, you can read your watch with nothing but starlight. With this overabundance of reference points, the ancient aboriginal astronomers mapped the sky by creating shapes from the gaps between the stars instead of joining the dots into constellations. The body of a giant emu is formed from the dark clouds of dust in front of the luminous galactic centre and the head of the emu is the coal sack next to the Southern Cross. Seasonal events such as collecting emu eggs were measured by its movement throughout the year.

I have been travelling through Queensland’s coal country since leaving the coast. I did some research in a local pub and was told by two mine subcontractors it is easier to get into prison than a mine. This was proved earlier today when I had to call a dozen people just to get approval to drive past a mine. Fortunately, I have arranged a tour of two Blackwater mines on the 10th-11th of July. After that, I will visit a number of mine viewing platforms in surrounding area where I hope to recreate the success of this shot before returning to Mackay for QME on 24th-26th July where I plan to make some more contacts.

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

Australia Day

Jason Benz — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 08:36:52 +0000

Today Australia celebrated its national day. It is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet from the UK in 1788. The Gold Coast Council put on an event in Surfers Paradise so we cycled down from Southport. There was sheep shearing, wood chopping and various reptile displays. We saw a demonstration of cooking with local bush tucker and then took our chances with some festival food.

Abbey Emu

Jason Benz — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 10:17:28 +0000

We saw this family of Emus at the side of the road as we drove along the southern edge of Queensland today. Unlike Australia‘s bouncing animals, these elusive birds are a rare sight on Aussie roads. It is a strange experience to see what you think is a bush suddenly sprout legs and start lolloping over the horizon like some possessed shag pile carpet.

We are heading to Broken Hill in New South Wales, via Lightning Ridge and Bourke, and then move in a straight line towards Sydney to catch our flight back to the UK.

Southport Streets

Jason Benz — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:53:08 +0000

This Street Art was done by Greg McDonald as part of the Southport Urban Art Project Gold Coast. I imagine they hope to emulate the drawing power of Hosier Lane in Melbourne. They certainly add some colour to the city.