native

Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word taxidermy describes the process of preserving the animal, but the word is also used to describe the end product, which are called taxidermy mounts or referred to simply as "taxidermy". The word taxidermy is derived from the Greek words taxis and derma.[1] Taxis means "arrangement", and derma means "skin" (the dermis).[1] The word taxidermy translates to "arrangement of skin".[1] Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxidermy

Boomerangs are an internationally recognised symbol of Australia. For Aboriginal people the boomerang is as old as creation and a symbol of the enduring strength of Aboriginal culture. The boomerang has also been a popular symbol for tourism and travel, with notions of visitors returning ‘like a boomerang’. The boomerang is a symbol of cultural endurance and a tangible link to the long presence of Aboriginal people on the continent. Boomerangs have many uses for First Nations people, including as a weapon and a tool, for hunting and digging, and in ceremonies. Some are designed to return to the thrower but the vast majority are not. For many thousands of years, Aboriginal groups exchanged boomerangs across the continent. Trade in boomerangs continued after 1788. European fascination with the boomerang, especially the returning variety, meant that early barter with settlers, and then tourists, led Aboriginal people to create an industry making boomerangs. That trade continues today. Source: www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/defining-symbols-australia/boo...

Nymphaea gigantea is a species of aquatic perennial herbaceous plant native to Australia and New Guinea.[2][3] N. gigantea is a tropical and sub-tropical species that establishes tubers in the muddy bottoms of still waters. Petals can be seen to be a light purple-blue when they first blossom. As they become mature plants they become a light blue, or can even be white.[4] Due to its blue-white color, it is also known as “Blue Cloud", and typically flowers between the months June and July. Source: inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/334777-Nymphaea-gigantea

Pandanus spiralis is a shrub or small tree that can grow up to 10 meters in height and is native to northern Australia. It belongs to the family Pandanaceae. It is also found growing in the wild in the northern West Bengal and Sikkim regions of India. It is commonly called Screw Palm or Pandanus Palm despite not being a true palm. It has spined leaves in a spiral arrangement. Wildlife including birds take advantage of the spiny leaves by living in the tree for protection. They also favor its fruit which occurs as large, pineapple-like clusters that turn orange-red when ripe. This is a really useful plant. Humans can extract the fruit's seeds, grinding them into flour. The leaves can be used to weave neckbands and armbands. The fiber of the leaves can be used as the string for dillybags, baskets, mats, and shelters. In addition, mashed leaves can be used to cure headaches when tied around the head. The Burarra people use the plant to make fish traps. What a plant!!! Source: www.projectnoah.org/spottings/28012027

The Brisbane Botanic Gardens were laid out by Walter Hill, the Colonial Botanist and Curator, and one of his first actions was to plant the now magnificent bunya trees which skirt the riverside walk. A great deal of experimental and acclimatisation work was carried out by him in connection with cotton, sugar cane, arrowroot, ginger, indigo, allspice and many others he considered likely to suit the cool and temperate zones of Queensland. Thereafter, he journeyed in the tracks of the pioneers and obtained many valuable specimens of plants and trees. Fortunate indeed, is the city that the pleasantly situated City Botanic Gardens Brisbane are still in their present spaciousness and available for visits by those who enjoy the beauties of plant and flower life as well as the peaceful quietude which raises the heart and refreshes the spirit. Much has been accomplished in the first century of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. It is now doubly opportune to ponder, compare and evaluate the strivings of Walter Hill (as well as his successors) who, from the small six-acre Botanical Reserve hewn from the original native scrub of Brisbane Town, reclaimed, developed and beautified the City Botanic Gardens Brisbane as they are nowadays. Walter Hill did not happily retire from his sphere of activity. Tranquillity would even seem to now permeate the stones which form the base of the dwarf wall facing Alice Street. These blocks of stones once formed the walls of the early Brisbane Gaol in Petrie Terrace built by Andrew Petrie in 1854, and when the Gaol was demolished after the erection of the Boggo Road Gaol in 1881, an entirely different and peaceful environment from the turbulent former surroundings was found for them as a base in the City Botanic Gardens iron-railed fence. Source: www.brisbanehistory.com/botanical_gardens.html