Australia is a wonderful country. It has the second tallest tree species on earth and the oldest, the second largest but fiercest reptile predator, the most venomous and aggressive snake in the world, a full quota of dangerous spiders, the longest man-made structure ever built, fantastic
beaches, magnificent countryside, and our coastal waters are regularly visited by the largest animal ever to have inhabited the earth.
The stories in Part I are set in parts of the Australian landscape where field work or recreational trips in isolated offroad terrain were undertaken. These areas were inaccessible during the northern wet season except by helicopter, but at other times could be reached by competent bushmen with properly equipped 4WD vehicles. The country at the time was in almost pristine condition, a privilege to be in, and it brought out the nature lover in us all.
There were often no signs of human habitation, no roads, fences, buildings or people, and self-sufficiency was an absolute necessity.
Apart from small changes to disguise personal identity or provide continuity these stories are all authentic, and actually happened.
Giới thiệu về tác giả
John Aldrick graduated from Melbourne University with
a degree in Agricultural Science and a post-graduate
Diploma of Education. He taught in secondary schools, and
later gained a master’s degree in Tropical Geomorphology
from the University of New England. He worked in State and
Territory government departments across Australia and in
the CSIRO, then as a freelance consultant with international
consulting companies around the underdeveloped world as
a natural resources specialist.
In the course of his career he worked in every State
of Australia except South Australia, a proportion of it
involving field work in remote terrain using 4WD vehicles
and helicopters, with a team of Australian staff. He also
worked in many underdeveloped countries with different
nationalities in challenging environments where the normal
order of Western countries didn’t apply and has had many
extraordinary experiences. Some of these events were
seriously dangerous, but many were unusual and incredibly
funny. A selection of humorous stories from within Australia
and in other countries, all of them true, are recorded in
this book.
The author spent many years domiciled in Darwin and
on the sunshine coast, and lives in his favourite State of
Queensland.