Wombat, Kangaroo, & Koala Bears!

Here are three of the animal species that I was able to have a close encounter with! Did you know that these three species can only be found on the continent of Australia? If you are interested, click on the links to learn more about these amazing creatures.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wombat/

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/red-kangaroo/?source=A-to-ZZ

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/koala/?source=A-to-Z

Hobbit & Mt. Doom: Lord of the Rings & Hobbit Movies

Have you read the trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolken: "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King?" Have you seen the blockbuster films named after the books?!

These books/movies are fantasy adventures set in a mythical place called "Middle-Earth." A small sheep farm in the center region of New Zealand was selected as one of the main sites to film this blockbuster trilogy. Sadly, the movie set was deconstructed at the conclusion of filming with the trilogy. The people of New Zealand wanted the "Hobbitville" to stay and were sad to see it go. However, news broke over the past year that "Hobbitville" would be again! The movie "Hobbit" and a sequel to follow will begin filming next year and through 2011 on the same sheep farm.

Here are a few pictures of the movie set. There will be 44 Hobbit homes when the set is completely finished with a village that overlooks a pond. The first picture is of one of the Hobbit homes and the second picture is of the "Party Tree" that was so famous in the trilogy. The last picture is of Mt. Doom. Here is some more information about Mt. Doom!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Doom

I am looking forward to rereading the books and watching the films again! Are you interested in the series? Ask the library specialists for more information if you are!

Marine Life of Southern Ocean

Are you able to identify any of these species? The one commonality all of these particular species share is they are all residents of the Southern Ocean!

These photographs were taken as I toured the Melbourne Aquarium. These are only a few snapshots of the dozens of species I saw on this morning!

Parade of the Penguins: Phillip Island

This afternoon I was able to take a tour to the southern coast of Australia to an island known as Phillip Island. The tour departed from the city centre of Melbourne near 1:00 pm and returned quite late near 11:00 pm. There is a reason why the tour runs on these odd hours: The Parade of the Penguins. It was a spectacular experience and one I will never forget.

Each evening as the sun is setting colonies of Little Penguins (smallest penguin in the world) cross Summerland Beaches to go to their nests just off the shore. The Little Penguins have done this for thousands of years and is an amazing ritual in nature. As the Little Penguins near the shoreline they gather in rafts(groups) for protection against predators and go to their boroughs after a day fishing in the seas.

We were not allowed to take photographs of any kind as the flash could disrupt or scare the Little Penguins. This was one of my favorite moments on the trip so far!

If you are interested in learning more about this amazing species: check out the links below!!!

http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/PARKS_PDFS_LITTLE_PENGUINS.PDF

http://www.penguins.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=54&mytabsmenu=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin