If you dug a hole straight through to the opposite side of the planet, where would you come out? Like most North Americans, Nova Scotians would find themselves in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Wherever we live on the planet, we tend to think of our immediate environment as stale and mundane compared to what lies beyond the horizon. The intrigue of the unknown is fascinating to us all. If we live where it’s cold, we long for tropical weather and dislike having to shovel snow or drive on icy roads. Desert and tropical inhabitants long for cool fresh air and wonder about the magical qualities of snow. We humans are a tough lot to please.
The part of the Indian Ocean where Nova Scotians would find themselves is just southwest of the Great Australian Bight, an area inhabited by marine creatures, the majority of which (like the leafy sea dragon at left) are only found in that part of the world. Now THAT is fascinating. Though they are pretty cool too, I believe all the plant and animal species found here in Cow Bay are found elsewhere in Canada and the United States.
As luck would have it, there actually exists another Cow Bay in Queensland Australia. Located in the Daintree Rainforest, it boasts an average annual daily temperature of 27 Celsius. We don’t even enjoy that as an average during our summer months. But it rains there 120 days of the year. As evidenced by the phenomenal flooding that’s wreaked havoc in Queensland recently, no place on the planet is likely perfect. But that won’t stop me from wondering about faraway lands (and waters) and the amazing creatures that inhabit them.
Photo credits and references:
You can try Zefrank’s Earth Sandwich tool for yourself by clicking on the map images at the top of this post.
A larger version of the photograph of the amazing leafy sea dragon by Laurent Ballesta and other marine wildlife found off Australia’s coast can be found at National Geographic by clicking on the dragon image above.
More images of the flooding in Queensland can be found by clicking on the image of the kangaroo ferryman photographed by Traci Woods. Thank you to Dawn at Sahlah Photos and Thoughts for inspiring me with her post on Flooding in Queensland.
That was fascinating indeed, Amy. Of course, I had to try out the Sandwich Tool for myself – and it turns out that Cape Town’s ‘other side of the planet’ is in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, almost halfway between the US and Japan – and there don’t seem to be any islands near there… except for Hawaii, which also happens to be ‘on the other side of the planet’ from more or less Windhoek in Namibia! I found that most intriguing. 🙂
Reggie, it is pretty cool isn’t it? I believe Hawaii is the only part of the United States that doesn’t have water on its point on the opposite side of the planet.
One of the things that first intrigued me about your blog was its name – Namib Sands. It sounded so exotic and faraway. Now I seldom look out at the Atlantic and not think about the African shore on the other side.
Aw, I’m glad you think it’s exotic – Namibia is a pretty awesome country to visit.
Politically it has been quite stable since independence, and the economy relies heavily on tourism, so you would be WELCOMED with open arms. 😀
I also think it’s kindacool that, when you stand on your shore and look south-eastwards, and I stand on our beaches looking north-westwards, we could almost WAVE at each other! Mind you, we’d need seriously good eyesight…
That’s an interesting way to think about our location on our planet. Thanks for sharing the Earth Sandwich tool!
I have a friend I met online who lives in Australia. When I posted my favorite photo of a squirrel she was delighted because she said they don’t have “exotic” animals like that there. I guess kangaroos and koala bears seem perfectly ordinary to her!
And the different sea creatures, too – I think I saw a National Geographic special on the unique life found in the Great Australian Bight. What marvels there are on earth and in the sea, we could never get bored exploring our “little” blue planet.
Barbara, it is a wonder how our North American squirrels could ever be considered exotic but they can be pretty entertaining 🙂 The Great Australian Bight is a marvelous place indeed. I don’t think we’ll be getting bored any time soon.
Oh, that tool is so cool. My opposite is south of Africa and out in the middle of the ocean. 🙂 I like that. I imagine all the marine giants swimming in that water.
You picked the wonderful Kangaroo ferry image. That is such a wonderful image. xoxo
Dawn, the thought of marine giants way off Africa’s southern coast certainly spark the imagination.
Yes that photo of the kangaroo ferrryman spoke volumes to me about our relationship with the wild creatures on the planet. We’re not just our brother’s keeper. Human or animal, we’re all in this together 🙂
You now have me completely intrigued and more than a little frustrated. The “Start over” click won’t send me anywhere, so I can’t find the other end of the tunnel from Northport. Maybe I should just look at a globe….
Pamela, Northport’s opposite point is in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Australia’s southwestern most point and the Kerguelen Islands (which belong to France). Très cool n’est-ce pas?
The sandwich tool is fascinating and a great post accompanied. I always think of “faraway places” but sometimes they are a little closer than the Indian Ocean; being from Connecticut I dream about living in Nova Scotia, or British Columbia, someday. Life seems gentler there than here from my perspective so sometimes “greener” doesn’t always have to be an exotic, faraway local.
Cala4Lily, I know that Nova Scotia is a dream destination for many people around the world. The pace here is probably much slower than what you’re used to in Connecticut but not as slow as the Caribbean. Thanks for visiting. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to visit in person some day.
Nothing like a little vacation, eh? If only for our eyes. I never knew such a thing as a leafy sea dragon existed, let alone a kangaroo ferry! “Life is so full of a number of things–I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings!”
Or at least, like the Court Jester, never bored! This was fun, Amy-Lynn, pure fun. Thank you.
Gerry, there’s more than one way to take a vacation. The best part of this type of holiday is not having to deal with airport security. Glad you enjoyed yourself.
Fascinating! Who would have ever thought about where one would end up when one dug to the other side of the earth? Would we in the U.P. be in the middle of the Indian Ocean, too? And how are you figuring this out?
Kathy, I always thought I’d end up in China, but this Earth Sandwich Tool set me straight. I mention it at the bottom of the post. You can link to it by clicking on the map images at the top.
Gosh, I even went back and looked a second time before asking this question…thank you. (I have always been accused of being a terrible skimmer.) Yep, we’re in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
No worries Kathy. I’ve been accused of only reading the headlines 🙂
Darn that sandwich tool. The piece of bread on the “other” side of the sandwich is all soggy.
A really interesting post Amy-Lynn. That sea dragon looks made up … such very cool things on this earth.
Especially YOU !
Sybil, you would take that analogy to the next step!
I don’t think I could dream up a creature as fantastical as that sea dragon. A Google image search for leafy sea dragons will produce many other similar photos.
Glad you liked the post. With this cold snap upon us, I am certainly feeling ‘cool’ this morning 🙂
Wonderful and thoughtful post! What is it about the unfamiliar that we find so endlessly alluring, I wonder? I like to think that if we can balance that deep fascination for elsewhere with an equal curiosity and intimacy with our local place, then we’re beginning to get somewhere. Wherever that somewhere might be!
Julian, our fascination with the unknown and unfamiliar is certainly a mystery. Blogging seems to open up a bit of that unknown world to us. If it can help us also see a bit of the magic and mystery in our own neck of the woods, all the better.
That’s very cool. Interesting that I’ll dig from near the arctic to near the antarctic! Dang – here I was hoping for a free (if rather labour intensive tropical vacation). 🙂
Cindy, with all the snow and cold we have here in Nova Scotia right now, you’re not the only one hoping for a tropical vacation right now 🙂
Lovin’ the Sandwich! The other slice of mine is also a tad damp… about 500m SE of the southern tip of New Zealand!