Some people look at the desert landscape of central Australia and wonder how anyone could survive off the land. Yet, indigenous Australians have done this successfully for tens of thousands of years.

Today, many indigenous Australians still have the
traditional knowledge and skills for identifying edible native plants and animals, also known as bush tucker.

 

In a bush tucker diet, meat comes from animals including kangaroos, possums, birds, fish, reptiles and insects. This may also be supplemented by the flowers, leaves, roots and seeds of many different plants, and other foods, such as honey and eggs.

 

It was (and still is) indigenous women who gathered most of the bush tucker while the men were out hunting animals. The children would accompany the women and learn exactly when and where a particular food was available. Some native plants are poisonous, so check with an adult before eating any bush tucker.

 

Known as the hottest town in Australia, Marble Bar is situated in the Eastern Pilbara region of Western Australia. In 1923–24, Marble Bar had 160 consecutive days of temperatures at 37 degrees Celsius and over! Marble Bar is incorrectly named after a bar of jasper stone (rather than marble) that lies across the nearby Coongan River. When the jasper is wet, its beautiful colours can be seen.

 

With the discovery of gold in 1891, Marble Bar soon became a thriving town of about 5,000 people as miners flocked there to make their fortunes. Impressive government buildings were constructed in 1895 and are still in use. The population has dwindled to a few hundred, but the mining of gold and other minerals continues in the region. About 10 kilometres away, the Comet Gold Mine can be seen. It supposedly has the tallest smokestack (approximately 75 metres) in the southern hemisphere.