Penguin's in Australia

I wish that I could actually have taken a picture of the Australia Penguin. But like all wildlife, they don't pose for photographers, and sometimes, they just don't show up when and where you think they might appear. (Even when tourist guides build elaborate structures hanging on the edge of cliffs to view them).

Such was the case when we took one of the "wildest rides" I've ever taken, above the cliffs, to get to the viewing area. But it just wasn't meant to be. (As I was hanging on for "dear life" and unable to take pictures again). The only way to get here was a jarring ride on a six wheel All Terrain Vehicle. It required keeping both hands "knuckle white" on the nearest railing to avoid being pitched out of the ATV.

And on another note, little did we realize just how HOT the Australian Sun could be out here.

We were about to travel to a new area where the temperatures were in the 100's. It's hard to imagine the heat being this high, but the center of Australia was the hottest on record while we were there.

How hot?.....How about 125 degrees? Unbelievable......

We were fortunate to only experience 101, (at the Great Barrier Reef) , but parts of Australia experienced "wild fires" with winds of 60+ mph. and there were well over 200 lives lost due to the fires this year. It was unimaginable to think of a fire moving so fast that homes literally "exploded and vaporized" before their eyes.

It was a horrible experience for many hundreds more, that lost everything they had accumulated in their lifetime. Many were fortunate to escape with their lives.