Western Australia....

Some random photos from my trip earlier this year to Western Australia to see my son. Oh, and its my birthday today!

Western Australia boasts some of the most unique and isolated wildlife on Earth, thanks to its vast size and long geographic separation from the rest of the continent. From the quokka—the famously smiling wallaby of Rottnest Island—to the numbat, a rare termite-eating marsupial and the state’s faunal emblem, its biodiversity is extraordinary. The southwest is a global biodiversity hotspot, home to over 12,000 plant species, nearly half found nowhere else. Offshore, whale sharks glide through the turquoise waters of Ningaloo Reef, while inland deserts shelter resilient reptiles like thorny devils and Shingleback skinks. This variety reflects the state’s extreme contrasts—lush karri forests in the south, coral coasts in the west, and red desert habitats in the interior—making Western Australia a living showcase of evolution in isolation.