We’ve been enjoying seeing Australian wildlife up close, and our campsite yesterday was close to a place where we saw several unusual Australian birds. Ironically, this was also the place where we camped under the wing of an aircraft that fell out of the sky in an electrical storm in 1942.

This grisly memorial has taken wreckage of the U.S. Air Force Dakota C47B and placed it on pedestals.

Although the crew was American, the armed forces on board were Australian.

We were also next door to a stud bull farm.

I really wish I had my Birds of Australia book with me so I could properly identify all the wonderful birds we’ve seen. With a bit of internet research, I’ve made guesses at what else we saw just outside Carnarvon National Park.

This is a red-backed fairy wren. The female was a drab grey that blended in perfectly with the long grass.

This is the large Australian bustard. It was about the size of a swan.

We saw many, many emus — mature adults and half-grown chicks. This little family crossed the road in front of us.

This gum tree was in the centre of our campsite, and after dark we saw a sugar glider leap from it to a nearby tree, clearing almost 20 metres!

For the first time since our friends left us, we were joined at this campsite by a couple other cars. The creek was flooding over the road, and a young Danish couple elected to spend the night here in hopes that the water level would go down overnight. A second couple were travelling from Britain, and the van was occupied by a Maltese tourist.

I loved talking to the other travellers and hearing their stories. We learn of exciting places to visit and are inspired to stay on the road!

David cooked his gourmet potatoes again — we shared them around and everyone agree they were fantastic!

It was here that I enjoyed my first cup of tea thanks to our new friends.

As is fitting to such a lovely visit to the Carnarvon National Park area, we were farewelled with a spectacular sunset!

Our four vehicles made a cozy little camp gathering.

We’re heading north now to see a bit more of Queensland. The next stop is the mining town of Emerald.