Benz World Blog » Marsupial

Rednecked Pademelon

Jason Benz — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 08:46:46 +0000

This is a Red-necked Pademelon in the Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia. They are smaller than Kangaroos and Wallabies but have the same body shape. This one was particularly tame, only the sound of an old diesel engine struggling up the hill made it raise its head from the task of keeping the campsite lawn mowed. The mountain park is surrounded by Gondwanan rainforest and is even cooler than Canungra. It is the first time on this trip it has dipped below 27C so it is time to rug up.

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

Tasmanian Devil

Jason Benz — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:34:49 +0000

We met this Tasmanian Devil at Australia Zoo on the sunshine coast in Queensland. They are Australia‘s largest living carnivorous marsupial. Scientists have been calling for them to be reintroduced to the mainland however they will find that cats and foxes now dominate their space in the food chain.

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

UPDATE: After 3000 years a group called Aussie Ark reintroduced devils to the mainland in 2020.

Baby Roo

Jason Benz — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 02:55:07 +0000

Generally kangaroos are not as photogenic as their wallaby cousins, but this little grey joey was an exception. I would like to get a shot of a big adult red kangaroo as it is Australia’s largest native animal, but all our encounters so far have been too brief to get a good shot.

We are visiting Peak Hill Mine today before our final dash to Sydney to get our flight back to the UK.

Rednecked Wallaby

Jason Benz — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 13:47:08 +0000

This Red-necked Wallaby was the first thing I saw when I emerged from our van in the Guy Fawkes National Park in New South Wales. It had been a wonderful night. We camped in a spot next to the river and our own little waterfall. The ranger had left a huge pile of chopped wood ready for campfires, and as evening fell the bush around us filled with fireflies. We almost did not discover this idyllic spot. The listing warned of “24km dirt road No Caravans or Motorhomes” but as we are in a Classic Campervan which seems to be capable of anything at a certain speed, we gave it a go. No Dramas.

Swamp Wallaby

Jason Benz — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 01:47:39 +0000

This weekend we visited the David Fleay wildlife park. We saw our first platypus and this swamp wallaby. Both are Australian animals found along the east coast of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

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

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.

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.

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.