Animals at the Olgas
Julie Haddrick 2007
Hand
dyed, painted & printed fabric: machine pieced and quilted
Stained glass applique technique
The Kata Tjuta, also known as Mount Olga (or colloquially as The Olgas), are a group of 28 large domed rock formations with another 33 smaller domes located about 32 km west of Uluru, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia, are a unique, colourful and popular tourist destination in Australia’s red centre.
In the foreground area are a pair of Red Kangaroos; Australia’s largest
mammal. There are over 60 different species of kangaroo and their close
relatives. All kangaroos belong to the super-family Macropodidae (or macropods,
meaning 'great-footed'). The male is taller and with short, red-brown
fur, fading to pale, contrasts with the smaller female; [a blue-grey with
a brown tinge] mammal, who is illustrated here carrying a “Joey”, in her
pouch. The kangaroos’ heavy and very strong tail is used both to help
with balance and for jumping. A kangaroo's legs work much like a rubber
band. The male Red Kangaroo can leap in full force approximately 30 feet
(9 meters) in one leap. Inhabiting most of the dry inland of the central
part of Australia in small groups called mobs, the Red Kangaroo eats grasses
and vegetation, preferring open plains where trees and bushes are scarce.
The Red Kangaroo is nocturnal and crepuscular, and largely spends the
daylight hours sleeping or otherwise relaxing. Kangaroos are native to
the Australian continent and as such are an easily recognised Aussie character,
popular with both locals and tourists alike.
“OZ ANIMALS “ or Australian Animals as they are correctly known are amongst the most unique and diverse animals to be found on any continent, and 9 are found on the borders of the central panel. Their differences are vast; from a bird like the ‘Emu’ who runs very fast but can not fly, to a larger than man size hopping marsupial, the Red Kangaroo, that carries its’ young in a pocket like pouch on its’ tummy, to the rarely seen ‘Lesser Bilby’ that inhabits the outback bush and who was almost made extinct by the European introduced fox. Another “pouch breeder or marsupial as it is correctly known, the Koala is a perennial favourite. It inhabits trees almost exclusively, its’ supply of particular eucalypt leaves always at close hand. Babies live on their mothers back until they are old enough to fend for themselves, whereby they will wedge themselves in the fork of a tree to prevent falling out when they sleep. The Short beaked Echidna, a slow, waddling spine covered mammal, can survive in climates that are snow covered, through to the heat of a desert. It has powerful claws to dig burrows in the earth and a long sticky tongue to lick up ants. Hairy nosed Wombats also dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. They are not commonly seen during the day but leave evidence of their passage, treating fences as a minor inconvenience to be gone through or under and leaving distinctive cubic scats. The Ring tailed Possum is also a nocturnal animal that is most active for the first half of the night. It uses its long tail as an extra limb, to climb up and swing through trees. The Frilled neck Lizard runs very quickly on its’ hind legs and when threatened or excited, will fan out its neck to scare off predators. The water inhabiting Platypus swims with webbed like feet and uses its’ soft, duck like bill to steer through the muddy riverbeds in search of food. The Seal on the other hand is found on many coastal haunts, enjoying an abundance of fresh fish and a protected lifestyle on some of the countries’ most beautiful coastlines. .