Australian Geographic

Australian Geographic, Australia’s premier geographic journal, brings you the best of the country from those who know it best. Discover Australia’s rich cultural heritage, its beautiful landscapes, its unique and diverse plants and wildlife, and explore outback towns and the true-blue characters who call them home.

Think big, act big

Notes from the field

Australian Geographic

YOUR SAY • January . February 2020

Featured Letter • WILDLIFE HERO

Talkb@ck • Sign up to the Australian Geographic email newsletter on our homepage and we’ll deliver fresh content to your inbox every week!

NEW LIFE

FIXING THE HOLE IN OUR SKY • Lessons from the Montreal Protocol, or how the people of the world can successfully respond as one to avert a global environmental catastrophe.

EVENT

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

VOLCANO-MADE FRANKENSTEIN

LOOKING UP

THE LITTLE DRAGON THAT ROCKS • This tiny reptile is supremely adept at disappearing into its environment.

THE GREAT MELBOURNE TELESCOPE • This marvel of 19th-century Irish engineering is being painstakingly restored to full working order by a band of dedicated enthusiasts.

BEAUTY MINUTIAE • Function and form beget art in a world where life is less than half a millimetre wide.

THE SMOKY MOUSE IS NO ORDINARY RODENT • This endangered native mammal is crucial for forest health.

WHALERS AND WALERS

SILVERTON, NSW • Perched on the edge of the desert, this outback town might be a shadow of its former self but it’s definitely worth a visit.

MAHINA – AUSTRALIA’S DEADLIEST CYCLONE: 1899

A PORTRAIT OF AUSTRALIA • Warwick Art Gallery, Queensland 9 January–29 February

DON’T FORGET TO LEAP!

AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST BORES • Attempting to surf these rarely witnessed tidal phenomena is strictly for the very lucky, or very foolhardy.

STAR WALK 2 – NIGHT SKY MAP

LOOKING FOR WHALES • Wade and Robyn Hughes Halstead Press, $39.95

COSMIC CHRONICLES: A USER’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE • Fred Watson NewSouth, $32.99

THE PUZZLE OF TABBY’S STAR

SAVE HALF THE WORLD • Reserving 50 per cent of Earth for nature could be more achievable than it seems and keep us from catastrophe.

WILD AUSTRALIA DIARY ENTRIES • Explore river red gums, VIC Barmah NP

Talking Australia • Subscribe and never miss an episode of our entertaining new podcast.

Voices of hope • Australian Geographic Society Awards 2019

Lightning Ridge

Sponsorship update

AG SOCIETY FUNDRAISER POWERFUL OWL

Your subscription is essential to the Australian Geographic Society • EVERY SUBSCRIBER to this journal automatically becomes a member of the not-for-profit AG Society. Your subscription helps us fund Australia’s scientists, conservationists, adventurers and explorers.

Power couple • A pair of endangered owls breeding in a suburban backyard shows why we need to protect remnant bushland in our cities.

Rescue and release • With time and dedication, injured powerful owls can be saved.

Owls in mainland Australia and Tasmania

OUR TOP AWARD TURNS 60 • This year’s milestone Australian of the Year nominations reflect where we are as a nation more than ever before.

2020 AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR FINALISTS • These are the other seven state and territory winners. One of the eight finalists (including Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas) will be named Australian of the Year on 25 January in Canberra.

Underwater and Underrated • Scientists are finding plenty of clues that fish are more intelligent than anyone imagined.

Ancient but not primitive • Why we shouldn’t judge fish by their age

Refined for survival • The...