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Bottle Trees can grow in a wide variety of soils and aspects and can sustain temperatures from -5 to +45 degrees. They can be used to provide shade from the sun and shelter from the wind. The Bottle Tree is very versatile and easy to grow and will make a fantastic addition to just about any location or environment. The Queensland Bottle Tree used to be primarily used as a feature tree in larger landscapes – when given the space to thrive, its bottle-shaped trunk really stands out, making it a fantastic focal point. The Queensland Bottle Tree is now a protected species, meaning that it can no longer be harvested from the wild. It plays an important role in what has now become an endangered ecosystem; the way in which it emerges from above other trees and plants enables it to provide a safe habitat for several native species, many of which are now endangered. Source: www.designertrees.com.au/trees/bottle-trees/

Brachychiton rupestris, commonly known as the narrow-leaved bottle tree or Queensland bottle tree, is a tree in the family Malvaceae[a] native to Queensland, Australia. Described by Sir Thomas Mitchell and John Lindley in 1848, it gained its name from its bulbous trunk, which can be up to 3.5 metres (11 ft) in diameter at breast height (DBH). Reaching 10–25 metres (33–82 ft) high, the Queensland bottle tree is deciduous, losing its leaves between September and December. The leaves are simple or divided, with one or more narrow leaf blades up to 11 centimetres (4 in) long and 2 centimetres (0.8 in) wide. Cream-coloured flowers appear from September to November and are followed by woody boat-shaped follicles that ripen from November to May. No subspecies are recognised. As a drought-deciduous succulent tree, B. rupestris adapts readily to cultivation and is tolerant of a range of soils and temperatures. It is a key component and emergent tree in the endangered central semi-evergreen vine thickets—also known as bottletree scrub—of the Queensland Brigalow Belt. Remnant trees are often left by farmers on cleared land for their value as shade and fodder trees. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_rupestris

The history of the rocking horse is one of a handcrafted wooden rocking horse, and it includes the story of two toy horses that came before it, the hobby horse and the barrel horse. During the medieval times, the hobby horse was the horse of choice. The hobby horse design featured a fake horse’s head that was attached to a long stick. Little ones would throw one leg over the stick to “get on” and gallop around with delight. The hobby horse design is still popular today, inspiring creative play and movement. Source: www.dutchcrafters.com/blog/the-history-of-the-rocking-horse/

Who were Australia's original crocodile hunters? By Bridget Judd Updated 17 Jul 2018, 12:54pm Crocodile hunting in the Top End was first pioneered by Indigenous Australians, but it's the beer-swilling, knife-wielding macho men of the Northern Territory whose presence has been etched into popular culture. So just who were these daredevils that would come to typify outback Australia? And what happened to them? "I've never been to the NT, but being a keen hunter and experienced bushman, I loved Keith Willey's book Crocodile Hunt from the moment I rescued it from the library throw-out bin," says Curious Darwin questioner Anthony Story. The book tells the tale of the old-school Top End crocodile hunters, documented in the swamp plains of the South Alligator River, bordering Arnhem Land. Willey teamed up with Bill Dean, a professional crocodile shooter, and together, they explore what life was really like on the buffalo plains. The croc-hunting industry really rose to notoriety in the 1950s and 60s, around the time Willey's book was written and published when scores of hunters made their way to the Top End in search of a quick buck. A group of men pull aboard two crocodiles in the Daly River in 1934. PHOTO: Hunters haul in crocodiles along the Daly River. (Supplied: Territory Stories) Tracking down these old timers poses its challenges. Many safari hunting camps went bust when crocodile hunting was outlawed in the NT in 1971, after the animals were hunted almost to extinction, and most — if not all — of the old-school hunters have since passed away. Source: www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1UEAD_en-gbAU966AU966&sxs....