Original subtitles

If Australia makes you think

of beaches and barbecues, cricket and cork hats,

you haven't seen anything yet.

(serene music)

Giant deserts,

ancient rainforests,

tropical coasts,

mystical rock formations,

and some of the weirdest and most wonderful animals

on the planet.

These bucket list encounters,

can only be fulfilled in one place, Australia,

The sixth largest country,

similar in size to the United States,

but with a 16th of its population,

Australia, is a vast wonderland for the intrepid explorer.

It is the only country that occupies an entire continent.

It's a staggering 7.6 million square kilometers,

4,000 kilometers from coast to coast.

Wherever you live in the world,

a trip to Australia is probably on your to do list.

Most tourists and residents head for the coast.

80% of the population live

within 100 kilometers of the coast,

that leaves a whole lot of land in between

for the traveler, willing to step off the beaten track.

If you were putting together the ultimate bucket list

for a trip down under, what would you include?

Perhaps the ultimate road trip.

Australia's roads seem to go on forever.

It boasts the longest highway on earth,

at more than 14,000 kilometers from end to end,

it would be a daunting road trip for anyone to take on,

but one that's well worth it.

The Outback's the best place

to see the ultimate Oz icon,

the red kangaroo.

There are 44 million roos in Australia,

more than twice the number of people.

There are several kinds, but big red is the biggest.

Taller and heavier than the average man,

the big males are huge,

the biggest native mammals in Oz.

Most famed for their hop,

what site could be more wonderful,

than a herd bouncing across the Outback?

With supersize elastic tendons, their legs work like springs

and hardly use any energy to run.

Effortlessly covering nine meters, in a single boing.

(birds chirping)

There are other mammals that are even bigger,

and seeing one in Australia, might be a bit of a shock.

Dromedary camels,

these great beasts were first brought from the Middle East

to help open up the hot, dry interior,

shipping in supplies and building materials on their backs.

Once the road infrastructure was complete,

the camels were surplus to requirement,

and the animals were turfed out into the desert.

Now there are more camels in Australia, than in Egypt.

They thrive in the barren landscape.

Sadly, roads kill a lot of rare

and extraordinary local wildlife.

Still, a tragedy on the tarmac can also reveal

a glimpse of one of the nation's most dramatic birds.

A sharp-eye passer by, might notice wedge-tailed eagles,

or wedges for short.

Among the world's biggest eagles,

meter-long bodies and wingspans wider than the garage door,

they're capable predators that can even snatch kangaroos,

but won't miss the chance for an easy meal.

Roads provide carrion,

as long as they keep their wits about them,

and don't become themselves.

A journey through the middle of Australia,

might seem monotonous at first glance,

two thirds of it is desert, the Outback,

the name given to the dry interior of the continent.

Australia is a vast flat continent, with few mountains.

It's the only continent without any active volcanoes.

After Antarctica, It's also the driest continent.

At first glance, it doesn't seem too inviting,

but it's an incredible place for wildlife.

But not all of the Outback is dry and brown,

craggy rock formations can protect tiny bodies of water,

from the fierce sun, oasis.

The perfect place for any weary traveler to cool off.

The oasis of scattered far and wide,

and so act like islands, protecting their own little unique

collections of plants and animals.

Out here the little bodies of water, are dubbed Billabongs,

the Australian word for oxbow lakes.

Once tight bends in rivers,

but left behind, when a river's course changed,

or it dried up.

In a place where water is scarce,

just a few drops can make all the difference.

Zebra finches, dash in for a sip.

Firefinches find enough water for a bath.

The black-fronted dotterel,

even uses the sand banks to raise a family.

The small bodies of water attract animals from far and wide,

including the red kangaroos.

And another icon,

the emu.

In this case, an emu dad.

The male bird is responsible for raising the stripey chicks,

and leaves them to water to cool off.

These two classic Outback Oz's have something in common,

they both feature on the national emblem,

the Australian Court of Arms.

It said that the kangaroo and emu were chosen,

because they are two animals that can't walk backwards,

reflecting the forward thinking view,

Australia wanted to project.

But it's also true,

that Australia is the only country,

to eat its national emblem.

Both species are common on restaurant menus.

Looking at the scale of the harsh landscape,

It's hard to imagine what brought people out here.

One of the drivers in the great migration in land, was gold.

From the mid 1850s onwards,

a global crowd was drawn to search,

and plunder the region's mineral wealth.

Even today, Australia's the world's second biggest

producer of gold.

But it was also farming.

The numerous unspoiled, unaltered tracks of land

were irresistible to people,

looking for homesteads, where they could run some livestock.

But the ground isn't very productive,

to feed a herd of animals, they needed big areas.

And so travelers of the Outback

might come across some pretty enormous ranches,

the biggest, is the size of Belgium.

The livestock creating conflict between farmers,

and one of the most stunning native predators, dingoes.

The wild dogs were hunted and fenced out.

In some regions, dingoes have become scarce,

but fortunately there are still plenty in the Outback.

They're important top predators,

helping to regulate the ecosystem.

Seeing a beautiful canine in the wild,

should be on everyone's bucket list.

The persistent people who push out into the wilderness,

eventually come to the red center.

Oxidized iron in the sand,

gives this classic view of Australia, it's warm hues,

and at its heart, the famous jewel in Australia's crown.

Formerly known as Ayers rock,

Uluru the name given by indigenous Aboriginal people,

stands proud.

To gaze upon it, is one of the most desired experiences

on a tour of Australia.

Despite the fact that it's hundreds of kilometers

from any major cities and during summer,

often has temperatures in the mid forties.

The spectacular rock is more than 500 million years old.

Though towering slopes

reaching 350 meters in height are impressive,

they are just the tip of the iceberg.

It's the top of a mountain range, buried beneath the sand.

It's one of Australia's many UNESCO world heritage sites,

much treasured by the nation.

But it's not just the geology that makes this place special.

Ever thought of adding licking an ant's bottom

to your wishlist?

Local people do that here, because locked underground,

the ants doing something pretty odd.

Not all of the ants in the colony do it,

but these chosen few, are known as replete.

When the going is good in the desert, the ants harvest food,

especially the sweet, energy-rich nectar

from desert flowers,

and they feed it to the replete.

These bloated bugs are literally living larders.

They store as much food as their bodies can hold.

When hard times roll around, during the dry season,

when food is scarce,

they gradually regurgitate their rich honey,

to feed the colony.

Answer something of an Oz's specialty,

there are 4,000 different kinds.

The social insects work together

to build their elaborate homes, to defend their colony,

gather food and even hunt together.

And the abundance of ants makes the living easy,

for a wide variety of ant-eaters.

Like one of the Outback's most bizarre critters,

the thorny devil.

It looks like it should be attacking Tokyo,

even though it rarely reaches 20 centimeters in length.

It's evil looking armor,

helps to deter anything that might want to eat it.

But covered in little grooves,

it also collects moisture from the morning dew

funneling it into its mouth,

providing a drink in the desert.

It means the lizard has plenty of time on his hands,

to sit around eating ants.

Which is just as well.

It's estimated that it might munch 2,500 a day.

If you're a reptile lover,

then you need to put the Outback back on your list.

The continent boasts 900 species.

From the lovable bearded dragon, a common pet,

to the huge perentie, a Komodo dragon-like monitor lizard,

the size of a person.

While reptile watching, you need to be careful though,

you might not be the only one,

with their eyes on a lizard.

20 of the world's 25 deadliest snakes, live in Australia.

This species, the eastern brown snake,

kills more people than any other.

Because the performance of reptiles

is determined by the surroundings,

the desert sun means the brown can move fast.

It is the second most toxic of land dwelling snakes.

The only reason it is implicated with human deaths,

is because it often lives in the same areas as people,

and only attacks when it feels threatened.

It's much happier munching on rodents or lizards.

Incredible creatures and a privilege to watch,

but just keep your distance.

You'll only see some of Australia's wonders reptiles,

by night.

But what an awesome experience, a camp out under the stars.

For those who venture out after dark,

the rewards can be rich.

Like many geckos, the knob-tailed prefers hunting at night,

when there are fewer predators around.

His sensitive eyes,

allow him to see colors by moonlight.

There might be fewer predators now,

but that doesn't mean he won't be bothered.

Spinifex hopping-mice,

prefer to forage in the cool of night,

avoiding the daytime sun in their burrows.

The gecko draws their attention,

just because they are hoping for a drop of moisture

from its huge sensitive eyes.

The mice should be spending more time watching their backs.

This looks like a mouse, but in Australia, assume nothing.

The fat-tailed dunnart, is a marsupial,

a pouched predator, a tiny tiger,

that can eat its own body weight in a single night.

It's fearless, and might tackle a mouse.

Luckily, a cricket catches it's eye.

There are plenty of other things

for hopping mice to worry about.

Expert in digging, the woma python,

has no trouble hiding out in the desert.

Unlike it's more famous Oz cousins,

this snake doesn't kill with venom.

Throwing its coils over the mouse,

it suffocates its meal, before it swallows it whole.

Night time in Australia, beautiful and a little scary,

but the sun soon returns.

In the desert, there is one claim to fame,

that not many people achieve,

getting rained on, in the driest country on Earth.

Rains are scarce and unpredictable.

Doesn't take much to trigger a bit of desert magic.

Though, perhaps more familiar to most of us

as talkative pets in living rooms,

budgies are one of Australia's most famous residents.

Normally they're hard to see,

living in little scattered groups across the desert,

but throw in a bit of rain, and as if by magic,

they come together in great green tidal waves,

to quench their thirst.

There might be millions in a single flock.

A must for bird watchers bucket list.

But the spectacle is rare and short lived,

and the flocks will soon break up and spread out.

In the Outback, water is scarce.

So, if you are a true water baby,

you might be happier at the coast,

and Australia has plenty of that.

(tides roaming)

Almost 36,000 kilometers of it,

bordering three different oceans.

The Indian ocean, Southern ocean and the South Pacific.

And it's here on the Eastern coast,

the tropical waters of the South Pacific,

where bucket list chasers come to experience,

one of the great natural wonders on earth,

the Great Barrier Reef.

Made up of 3000 reefs,

It's the biggest reef system on earth

and considered by some to be the largest living structure,

one that's clearly visible from space.

Almost 350,000 square kilometers of marine paradise.

Famously, the incredible landmark is in danger.

In the last hundred years,

the surface temperature of the sea

has risen by half a degree.

It doesn't sound like a lot but in hot years,

it puts coral under tremendous stress

and can cause it to die off

in events called coral bleaching.

And the increase of carbon in the atmosphere

from human industry, has increased the acidity of the sea,

which impacts the health of shellfish.

One of the great natural wonders of the world,

is under threat.

All the more reason to visit it, treat it well,

enjoy it and see what you can do to help it.

Any explorer not afraid to get their feet wet,

will want to dive in.

More than 1,500 species of fish,

wait to greet you, in every conceivable size and color.

And there are giants.

More than 100 kinds of shark,

not everyone's favorites,

though this, is a bucket list worthy species,

the whale shark,

the biggest fish on the planet.

There are true whales, like the much loved humpbacks.

And plenty of everyone's favorites, dolphins.

Six of the world's seven turtles live here too.

And they're drawn to the continent's

glorious beaches to breed.

And there are plenty to choose from.

Australia has more than 11,000 beaches.

It's not just turtles and tourists who seek them out,

many animals come to the beaches to forage,

seeing what the tide has washed up.

None more dramatic, than the cassowary.

This giant flightless bird, looks like a leftover dinosaur

from a land lost to history.

It has a large velociraptor-like claw on each foot,

and a deadly reputation.

Though it only attacks if provoked or protecting its family.

Seeing one on the beach is a rare treat,

really they're denizens of the rainforest.

Despite the fearsome appearance, they're fruit eaters,

and this dad teaches his chicks how to find

and swallow the right fruits.

In cassowaries, like their emu cousins,

it's only the males that raise the young.

Bizarre behavior, but in rainforest down under,

that's commonplace.

(bird squawking)

Lyrebirds have a unique gift.

They're among the many great vocal artists

to come out of Australia.

Both males and females are masters of mimicry,

famously impersonating anything from other birds,

to mobile phones and even chainsaws.

But when it's time for courtship,

the male goes the extra mile.

He clears his stage ready for his performance,

swings his cloak of lacy tail feathers,

like he's pulling back the curtains on opening night.

Then his song and dance begins.

Not everyone has showy plumage.

While handsome in his own right, the satin bowerbird,

adds to his appeal by building himself a bachelor pad.

Who isn't attracted to someone with property?

Looking like it belongs in a modern art museum,

the incredible structure looks like a home, perhaps a nest,

a shelter for a family,

but no, it's simply an extension of his male ego.

Again, it's a stage,

a way to get himself seen.

When it's ready, he'll perform in it.

But first, some decoration.

Rather than scattering rose petals over his love pad,

he selects objects.

There are many kinds of bowerbirds,

and each prefers a different color.

Satin bowerbirds, have a thing for blue.

With his treasures laid out, his heart is on the line.

Will the girls be impressed?

Among the balmy birds of the bush,

there is one who truly steals the show.

Hardly a modern man, the Victorian riflebird

has no interest in raising a family.

His interests are fulfilled,

once he's got a female knocked up.

But he does at least work for his reward,

by staging the best show in town.

(cultural instrumental music )

And for the finale,

how could she say no?

There are close to 1000 different kinds of bird in Australia

and nearly half of which like the riflebird are endemic,

which means if you want to see them,

Australia, is the only place to come.

The rainforests of Australia,

need to be seen to be believed.

They have an other worldly feel,

perhaps because they have

some of the oldest jungles left on the planet,

remnants of long forgotten times.

They're leftovers from a time,

when the Southern continents

were joined in a vast land mass known as Gondwana.

As the land broke apart and drifted, climate changed.

Today many plant species that exist elsewhere

only in the fossil record, thrive here.

Some of the world's oldest conifers and ferns,

a whole host of plants unchanged, for 100 million years.

Not even half a percentage

of Australia's surface is rainforest,

yet this incredible place,

contains a third of the country's birds and mammals,

and half of all its plants.

It's also a land of dragons.

Reptile lovers will enjoy exploring the undergrowth.

Scaling predators like the water monitor and carpet Python,

Keep the mammals on their toes.

There's even a kind of kangaroo that's taken to the trees.

If you're a fan of bizarre creatures,

the lumholtz's tree-kangaroo is one for you.

Its ancestors were ground dwellers,

like more typical kangaroos and wallabies,

rock-wallabies in fact.

Their rock hoping skills made them good climbers,

and during warmer periods of the Earth's history,

they started climbing rainforest trees to feed.

When the climate dried and rainforest became scarce,

some of the tree-climbers remained,

unique and wonderful.

But there is one other reptile lurking in the forest,

that puts everyone on edge.

For thrill seekers,

there is only one true King of the reptiles,

the biggest of them all, the salt water crocodile.

Feral pigs are not native to Australia,

in fact, they're a menace.

Digging up the fragile flora, but the giant crocs,

make their best efforts in pest control.

These incredible crocs, can reach more than six meters long,

nearly as long as a minibus.

They also have the most powerful bites known on earth,

exerting one and a half kilos of force.

It doesn't take long to turn a pig into streaky bacon.

The crocs make the waterways of Australia

dangerous places to be, demanding great care.

But for the careful and determined,

they can also reveal one of Australia's weirdest,

most wonderful and famously unique animals.

Barely changed from the time of the dinosaurs,

this is a mammal that still lays eggs.

With the body of a beaver, but a duck beak,

there is no mistaking, the platypus.

But the gorgeous creature is hard to spot.

It's barely the size of a rabbit,

and spends most of its time foraging under water.

Using its sensitive bill,

to locate shrimps and other little creatures

from under rocks.

For Australia's fresh-water crayfish, known as yabbies,

there is competition.

Not just from people wanting them on the barbecue,

but from the planet's biggest

and the meanest looking Kingfisher, the kookaburra.

The size of a football and with a menacing beak,

it's a formidable predator.

No shellfish armor can stand up to a beating from this bird.

King, among feathered fishermen.

If the forest gets a bit claustrophobic for you,

how about a hike in the mountains?

The Flinders Ranges, breach 400 kilometers of the Outback.

In the midst of time,

Australia was largely underwater.

800 million years ago,

geological forces from deep underground,

thrust the sea bed up into the dramatic mountain range.

They contain fossils of the earliest traces of life.

For millions of years of being shoved about

through tectonic force,

the land was buckled and folded over itself multiple times,

resulting in bizarre structures, like Wilpena Pound.

A natural amphitheater,

farmers once tried to use it as a pound for their livestock,

though failed due to the lack of water.

Today, It's a wildlife haven,

and an exciting place to explore.

The highest peak is here, over 1000 meters tall.

The longest range though,

and the fifth longest on earth, is the Great Dividing Range.

Three and a half thousand kilometers,

stretching the entire Eastern coast,

and explaining why Australia is contrasting.

When water from the Pacific coast drifts in,

it's caught by the mountains,

causing rain and creating the conditions,

that have allowed the rainforests to survive.

But the range blocks the rain,

from making it over into the interior,

which is why it's so dry and desert-like in land.

Exploring the continent's high country,

you might run into these.

Rock wallabies.

In this case, Mareeba rock-wallabies.

These guys invented parkour.

With rubberized soles to their feet,

they can effortlessly scale vertical surfaces.

And when they do battle,

it's like something from the martial arts movie.

Why not join them, for some rock hopping yourself?

There's even something you can do

in the mountains of Australia,

that goes against most people's expectations.

Did you know, it was a place to ski?

Part of the great Dividing Range,

is known as the Australian Alps.

Australia's highest peaks, over 2000 meters above sea level,

get as much snow as the Alps of Europe.

Australian wildlife,

that you might expect to see on the dry hot Plains below,

seem to cope with the extremes.

A common wombat on a cold mountain hike.

You'd be hard-pressed,

to dream of a more extraordinary country,

where you can go back in time through ancient rainforests,

travel across endless desert,

and hike through snow.

The ultimate land of contrasts

with equally incredible,

diverse and colorful wildlife to match.

And of course,

there's one other thing that everyone wants to see.

No bucket list trip to Australia would be complete,

without a koala encounter.

These cute and cuddly creatures,

evolved at least 20 million years ago,

and there is nothing else like them on Earth.

And they live here, and only here, in eucalyptus forests.

They eat almost nothing apart from eucalyptus leaves.

Because the leaves are low in protein and high in toxins,

they take a lot of digesting,

a good excuse for koalas to have big tummies,

and spend most of their time sleeping.

They might not do much, but they sure are cute.

Nothing says down under, like these lovable tree huggers.

After meeting one of these,

your Australian bucket list, is complete.

(slow serene music)

��moovlmvhd�-��