IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 June 1929, Page 7

IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS

KARITA A E NURSE ABROAD. » A cordial appreciation of backbloclc Australian scenery comes from a Karita.no nurse, who has travelled up to the borders of Queensland, and is placed far away from the ccnl res of life at present. She writes: “The scenery beyond Hawkcsburv is simply wonderful, and the dawn was indescribably fine. There is a lovely range of, hills somewhere east of Xarribi, and about there is most ‘paintable. ’ There was not a cloud to be seen, and the sky was a brilliant orange, a shade I have never seen anywhere before; the hills were deep blue, and there were a few graceful gum tees and feathery Cyprus pines, and beyond miles and miles of flat land. From Morecc' progress is very slow, and I was deeply interested wdicn periodically the engine whistle blew violently to chase herds of cattle, horses, emus, and kangaroos off the line—no fences, of course! “I nearly fell out of the carriage in my excitement over the first lot of kangaroos—they docked so odd, and seemed to take such huge jumps. They use emu’s eggs a great deal here, and

yon c;ui soo people wan tiering about looking for tliom in the prickly pear bushes. The house hero is of wood, with galvanised iron over it, and the roof is of iron, painted red; all seems to be stranded in a waste of dry clay, not grass around, but a waste of prickly pear. Hero and there a stray tree. But the sunsets and the sunrises are unimaginably beautiful—you have to sec them to believe what colour can bo. So far as climate is concerned it is very cold at night, and we are glad of a lire, but it is tremendously hot in the day. I suppose we are* about 400 miles from the sea, and I feel it so strange to look out of a window, and instead of seeing' sheep peacefully grazing like one does in New Zealand, you look out on kangaroos hopping through the pear growth. The more I see of Australia tin? mondo I realise the beauty of New Zealand.

“I am told that on good country hero they can carry hall: ■-> sheep to the acre; at homo in New Zealand the number was four on the flat part, so you "see the difference. I have jus’, been told that there arc plenty of snakes around. They found two deathadders in the chimney not long ago. and the gardener caught six in the garden—as there is only about 4(1 square feet of garden they must be pretty thick. But no one seems to mind, so why should I? Don’t mention flies to me—they simply swarm; every room and window has gauzefitted frames. We went over the borders of Queensland to-day, *aboir four miles, the country just clay, with masses of pear, sho-oaks, and leopard trees .but the low horizon was tha! burning orange tropical colour that w< never see at home, and the sotting sun turned the trees absolutely rose coloni —it really' was magnificent. It is such a different life hero, you cannot imagine, but I am enjoying it immenselyThere, is to bo some sociability soon, 1 am told, in the form of a ball and a show, so I shall have some news of people next time. ,}