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.
Flandrum Hill 