Nothing says "Australia" like the distinctive eucalyptus smell
of gum trees. You can find these amazing trees all along
Australia's East Coast, and especially here in New South Wales. Our
famous Blue Mountains are named after them because of the bluish
haze that come off the gum trees on hot days - and the same oil
that makes this haze makes the delicious smell.
Gum tree forests like a cooler and drier environment, and are so
thick they make lots of homes for a huge variety of birds including
the kookaburra - you might even hear him laughing at you, because
you can't fly to the top of the tree like he can! And because gum
trees drop lots of leaves and bark the forest floor has lots of
places for goannas, lizards and snakes to hide.
But the versatile gum tree is more than just a home - cuddly
koalas think they taste delicious too. Koalas (which aren't bears
at all - they're marsupials!) can only eat the leaves of special
types of gum trees, but because the leaves aren't very nutritious
the lucky koala gets to cling to a branch and munch his favourite
food all day long.
Koala: Perhaps Australia's most famous animal - and it's not a bear!
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Snakes: Australia is home to a huge variety of snakes
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