WEBVTT

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In Australia's outback
it's easy to find

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red sand country and even
the occasional woodlands,

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but streamside habitats
are much more elusive.

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The region is so vast and
dry, you could spend weeks

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searching for a glimpse
of the plants and animals

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from all 3 habitats,
unless that is,

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you go to Alice
Springs Desert Park.

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And as he
danced, the dust arose.

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Did you see that barrel
roll that just happened then?

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Funding for
        The Desert Speaks

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was provided by
Desert Program Partners,

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representing concerned viewers
making a financial commitment

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to the education about and
preservation of deserts.

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And by the
Stonewall Foundation.

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Additional funding provided by
The Nature Conservancy.

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             ♪music♪

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             ♪music♪

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Most Australians live within
a few miles of the ocean.

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They refer to the bulk of
the rest of the continent

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as the outback.

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From photos I've seen,
it's very different

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from the Sonoran Desert
which is my home.

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The outback is mostly
empty, but there's a

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surprising amount of culture
in the center of it all.

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Alice Springs is nearly
a 1,000 miles

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from the closest city.

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It's located in a northern
territory which is more

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than a half million square
miles in size and accounts

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for one fifth
of Australia,

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but only one percent
of its population.

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One of those
folks is Gary Fry

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who's agreed to
show me around.

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This is the main
transport route

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into Alice Springs
from south.

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It's where the railway line
runs and crosses the road.

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Alice Springs is here
for a couple of reasons.

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One, there was free water
available at Alice Springs.

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Secondly, it's pretty well
half way between Adelaide

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and Darwin, and when the
overland telegraph came

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they needed a series
of repeater stations

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and this was one, and the
town's been here ever since.

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Roll up.

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    (bell ringing) Roll up and
follow the parade

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and have a great time!

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      (Drums) It's a parade
Australian style.

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      (Drums) It's a parade
Australian style.

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Some people think
that Australians

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are a little uptight.

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Every once in a while
they get to show that

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they're not and this is
a pretty good example

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of a town getting
together and having fun.

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It's a good idea.

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Alice Springs,
Australia, no less.

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This is the 5th year that
it's been in progress,

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and, yep, it's getting
bigger each year.

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We've got a population of
28,000 and I'd estimate

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probably about 5 or 6
thousand would be here.

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It's a good sprinkling
of local talent.

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Well, here we are in the
clearest air in Australia.

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Yeah.

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Do you do this every year?

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I do this whenever
I feel like it.

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One of my favorite places
in the Sonoran Desert is

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the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum.

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What drew me to Alice Springs
is not just its mystique,

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but a similar
special place called

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Alice Springs Desert Park.

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With their short toes.

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The desert park is about
engaging people.

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It's about showing
people that the desert

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is full of life and it's
really interesting.

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The park, as a botanic
gardens, it's all

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a true collection, is an
important biological resource.

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If one goes to
all the exhibits,

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what sort of distances
are we going?

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Probably walk a couple of
kilometers, you know,

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the main path. One of the
great cases of feedback

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we get about the desert park
is from people saying,

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"Wow, how lucky
to find three such

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good habitats so close
to Alice Springs."

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We built this,
this isn't real.

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You know, 9 years or 10
years ago this was nothing

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but baffle grass and
a motor cross track

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and so these trees that
you see are 9 years old.

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It's a creation of a very
skilled team of landscapers.

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I think some people when
they get down to the,

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into the sand country
feel that they are

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a little bit in the
boondocks. That's good.

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As a matter of fact,

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you're not that far
away indeed, indeed.

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But that's what you're
trying to create

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is that psychological
distance there.

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That's what we tried
to create, indeed.

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So hopefully we will
start seeing some

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of the hunting techniques
that these birds use.

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Really important for everyone to
remain seated for that reason.

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Our nature theater runs
a show that's quite different

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from any of the
sort of free flight shows

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that you will see and
that's trying to stay

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in line with the whole
bio-park theme of the park

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in that we don't have
a great deal of contact

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between trainer
and animal on stage

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and the idea is to try
and get the people

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to focus on the message
we're trying to get across.

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Now the brown falcon, which
is a bird that's joined us,

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is a reptile hunter.

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Not the most common bird
of prey though,

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that's the black kite.

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They are Alice Springs'
most recorded bird of prey

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and they catch insects
while still flying.

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So this is black kite and
you can see that catching

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the insect on the
wing is very easy

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and there the food
goes into the beak.

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We're set in the middle
of a woodland habitat now

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one of the areas where you
can find good numbers of

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medium to large size
mammals and that means

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that you have your medium
to large size mammal hunter

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and the witch tail
eagle is such a hunter.

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Just got another
one who's joined us.

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These are two males and
you can see that barrel roll

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that just happened
then. Most of this

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is about trying to scare
your opponent away.

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The audience certainly
thoroughly enjoys a

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display of wild
birds of prey.

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Some are smart enough to
figure out that they can

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get free food by flying
in among all these people.

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Now the eagle that you're
looking at is a male.

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You may have noticed larger
eagles, they're the females.

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What he's doing is just
keeping an eye on that range

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and on that other eagle
and making sure that it's

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not going to come down and
attack it while it's vulnerable,

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set feeding and with its
head down between the feet.

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But those feet are also
your attack and defense

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system in situations such
as territorial defense

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or even trying to scare
off another predator.

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Now good luck with your
photos, I hope you get

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more than a blur.

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We'll see how you go.

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The Australian hobby is
part of the falcon family.

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And most falcons are
adapted for flying at

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speed, especially
the Australian Hobby.

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When it's ready, we'll
actually ask Anthony to

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bring this bird in a
little bit slower for you,

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there you go.

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Now these birds
have been recorded

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at speeds of around
about 150 kilometers.

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We hope that you've
enjoyed this morning and

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we'd just like to thank you
very much for joining us.

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         (applause) Thank
you very much.

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Australia has a bewildering
variety of birds but

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what makes it most distinct is
its unusual array of mammals.

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The one defining
characteristic of a marsupial

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is that they
have a pouch.

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The female has a pouch
to carry her young in,

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so once those young are born
they move directing into

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the pouch and that's where
they stay until they're weaned.

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Young are born very,
very tiny almost,

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some species it's about
the size of a jelly bean.

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Quite a few marsupial
species, things from

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kangaroos, wallabies,
desert murids as well,

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which are your small
carnivores, or small

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carnivorous marsupials,
things like mulgaras,

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phascogales, bilbies,
bettongs, things like that.

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You can find kangaroos,
pretty much anywhere.

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They'll occupy many
different habitats and

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they've all got sort of
different features to be

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out to inhabit different
areas so your larger

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kangaroos like the red
kangaroo is occupying

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more of the, the open
grassy plains.

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And some of the smaller
species of wallaby,

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will, you can even find
in rain forest.

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Well, that's my first
ever rock wallaby.

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They're not a
huge kangaroo,

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but they're
definitely a kangaroo.

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I guess they can be
pretty ferocious fighters

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among themselves, and it
looks like, looks like

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some of them have
big old ear scars,

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bites taken out
of their ears.

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Here species such as the
black-footed rock wallabies

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that you'll find central
Australia, find in

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the very rocky habitats
on the sides of ranges

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and usually there is a bit
of water around as well.

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Some of the rodent species
that we've got here

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in Alice Springs, things
like spinifex hopping mice,

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inhabiting mainly the
sandy dunes through

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central Australia, very
harsh environments,

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as well as animals
like mulgara.

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Plains rats, another
rodent out here,

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their population fluctuates
a lot with rainfall.

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Stick nest rats as well,
the greatest stick nest rat,

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presumably extinct out
in the wild, but we do

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have a few isolated
populations in captivity.

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And all sorts of
echidnas you'll find,

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will actually vary between
sand country and woodland.

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Bettongs, stick
nest rats once again

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preferring the
woodland type habitats.

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Some animals are
fairly specific

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in what habitats
they're going to choose.

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The kangaroos are doing
quite well, unfortunately,

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other species, such as
bilbies and malla, their

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populations have really
declined, mainly due

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to the introduction of
cattle, introduction of

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feral animals and competition
with grazing animals.

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One of those feral animals
is the introduced camel.

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They number 750,000 and
are increasing at a rate

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of 8% a year and that's
bad for the desert.

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Their huge mouths and
enormous feet, eat and

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stomp Australian plants
like no native mammal.

11:37.296 --> 11:40.166 align:start
Fortunately in
the Desert Park

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there are no camels
to eat the plants.

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Here's one that's
sort of familiar

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growing out of
the red sand.

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It's yellow,
it's a composite,

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I don't
know what it is.

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It's what many people in
the New World called DYC,

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a dang yellow composite,
sure pretty, Australia.

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Another native composite,

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locally called, the
poached egg flower.

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What you see
before you is some

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of the medicines that
we have around here.

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Central Australia is
very rich culturally.

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People from Australia are
particularly interested,

12:20.439 --> 12:25.978 align:start
and from overseas, in learning
more about aboriginal culture.

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Tell you a bit of a story
on what's out there.

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Out there you got a hardware
store, beauty salon,

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supermarket, pharmacy,
home all wrapped up in one.

12:42.161 --> 12:46.832 align:start
Wild tobacco, this is
dried out in the shade,

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the juices can be used on
spider bites, insect bits

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or bull ants, you
Australians know the one,

12:56.976 --> 12:59.478 align:start
they bite like bloody
hell I tell you what,

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and mosquito bites.

13:02.915 --> 13:05.317 align:start
Well at the beginning
of time those

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seven sisters came
down out of the sky.

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Cultural stories sound
incredibly important to us.

13:13.425 --> 13:15.728 align:start
.he dances up a song,
and as he danced the dust

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arose in the air, in the
air.

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We've worked really
closely with out

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traditional owners from
the beginning of the

13:23.569 --> 13:25.905 align:start
idea of the Alice
Springs Desert Park.

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They formed this land.
They formed this land

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in song and dance, gathering
the seed, telling stories,

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meeting up with all
other sisters, dancing.

13:38.083 --> 13:40.419 align:start
Our testament coming
from the stars, this is

13:40.486 --> 13:44.723 align:start
the new testament
one here, mm-hmm,

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I tell this story
for a reason.

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We're not new land,
we're bloody ancient.

13:53.232 --> 13:56.001 align:start
This is the oldest living
continuous culture on this

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earth, so we as
Australians have something

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and we got a value.

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People have been here
for 25,000 years.

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Humans have had massive
impact upon this landscape

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and it's important we
tell the stories of what

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that impact is and how best
we can manage for the future.

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Conservation is from the
heart, it's, it's, it's

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more of a heart thing I
think than a mind thing,

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and I think if people
develop a greater

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understanding of how this
system works and some of

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the ecosystems through here,
then they're more likely

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to tread more softly upon
the earth if you will.

14:34.440 --> 14:37.743 align:start
Here in the red sand
country of central Australia

14:37.810 --> 14:40.112 align:start
you see a lot of different
eucalyptus trees,

14:40.179 --> 14:42.448 align:start
well you do in the whole
country as a matter of fact,

14:42.514 --> 14:44.717 align:start
but this is one
they call blood wood,

14:44.783 --> 14:46.685 align:start
it's one of
hundreds of species.

14:46.752 --> 14:49.154 align:start
This one's really
important for the

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aboriginal people, they
use it for all sorts of stuff.

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This one looks more
familiar, it's an acacia,

14:59.832 --> 15:01.800 align:start
and I have seen acacias.

15:01.867 --> 15:04.136 align:start
The difference here
in Australia is

15:04.203 --> 15:06.138 align:start
they don't seem to have
any thorns on them.

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I could never do this with our
acacias in the Soronan Desert.

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At Alice Springs Desert
Park, each plant,

15:15.881 --> 15:18.217 align:start
and there are thousands
and thousands of them,

15:18.284 --> 15:21.086 align:start
has a bar code attached
to it and the researchers

15:21.153 --> 15:24.089 align:start
can scan that and compare
it with a database

15:24.156 --> 15:26.125 align:start
so they will know where
every single plant

15:26.191 --> 15:28.193 align:start
in this facility is,
when it was planted,

15:28.294 --> 15:33.933 align:start
how fast its growing,
on and on and on.

15:33.999 --> 15:36.135 align:start
Some of the plants that are
here have actually come up

15:36.201 --> 15:38.437 align:start
from seed that was in the
sand that was brought in.

15:38.504 --> 15:39.738 align:start
Oh really?

15:39.805 --> 15:41.407 align:start
.the rest have been planted.

15:41.473 --> 15:43.609 align:start
So this is red sand
that you actually

15:43.676 --> 15:45.244 align:start
brought in to
create the habitat?

15:45.344 --> 15:46.578 align:start
Yes, yes.

15:46.645 --> 15:48.681 align:start
These dunes aren't
complete sand,

15:48.747 --> 15:50.616 align:start
there will be a hard
surface underneath them.

15:50.683 --> 15:52.785 align:start
From how far away did you
have to truck in the sand?

15:52.851 --> 15:54.486 align:start
Probably about
30 kilometers.

15:54.553 --> 15:56.889 align:start
There's some quarries
just down where

15:56.956 --> 15:58.557 align:start
sand country starts,
south of town.

15:58.624 --> 16:02.027 align:start
These and other habitats
assembled to form the outback.

16:02.094 --> 16:04.330 align:start
Each one has its
resident reptiles in

16:04.396 --> 16:08.634 align:start
as great a variety
as there are mammals.

16:08.701 --> 16:10.369 align:start
They're cold-blooded
and they deal with

16:10.436 --> 16:12.705 align:start
the desert in many
of the same ways

16:12.771 --> 16:17.242 align:start
as reptiles do in
the Sonoran Desert.

16:17.343 --> 16:19.311 align:start
The adaptations that
lizards have to live

16:19.378 --> 16:21.513 align:start
out in these harsh habitats
would be speed and

16:21.580 --> 16:23.682 align:start
burrowing so a lot of
these lizards actually

16:23.749 --> 16:25.484 align:start
burrow at the hottest time
of day to get away from

16:25.551 --> 16:27.619 align:start
the heat, so it'll
be out early mornings

16:27.686 --> 16:29.088 align:start
and late afternoons.

16:29.154 --> 16:31.790 align:start
And lizards in woodland,
they generally have a lot

16:31.857 --> 16:34.660 align:start
of camouflage so they're
hard to spot and they can

16:34.727 --> 16:37.629 align:start
actually blend in
with the environment.

16:37.696 --> 16:40.165 align:start
Stony soil skink, it's got
these perfect lines that

16:40.232 --> 16:44.370 align:start
acts as a camouflage
when he's moving fast.

16:44.436 --> 16:47.306 align:start
The king grass dragon, great
little dragon, you look

16:47.373 --> 16:50.042 align:start
at its camouflage, it's
got those beautiful stripes

16:50.109 --> 16:52.745 align:start
on its belly which makes
him blend in perfectly

16:52.811 --> 16:55.280 align:start
with the king grass where
it generally hides out.

16:55.381 --> 16:57.716 align:start
Thorny devil, extremely
thorny, obviously the

16:57.783 --> 16:59.885 align:start
thorns are a way of
deterring predators from

16:59.952 --> 17:03.622 align:start
eating it, extremely spiky
and also the way it moves.

17:03.689 --> 17:07.393 align:start
It moves in a
very jerky manner.

17:07.459 --> 17:10.195 align:start
They exclusively feed on
ants, they might eat some

17:10.262 --> 17:13.198 align:start
other insects accidentally
but ants is their main

17:13.265 --> 17:16.635 align:start
source of food and they
can eat up to 3000 ants in

17:16.702 --> 17:19.772 align:start
a sitting which is, which
is a fair amount of ants.

17:19.838 --> 17:22.975 align:start
I couldn't ever eat it.

17:23.042 --> 17:25.244 align:start
Blue tongue lizards,
they're a big lumpy

17:25.310 --> 17:27.479 align:start
animal, most people think
that they're very slow

17:27.546 --> 17:31.917 align:start
but as a matter of fact,
they're really fast.

17:31.984 --> 17:34.820 align:start
Desert cockroaches are
like the cleaners of the desert,

17:34.887 --> 17:36.789 align:start
they've got special
bacteria in their gut

17:36.855 --> 17:39.425 align:start
so they can actually
digest some of the spinifex

17:39.491 --> 17:42.294 align:start
that you might have seen
around and most other animals

17:42.361 --> 17:44.463 align:start
are actually not
able to do that.

17:44.530 --> 17:46.732 align:start
The desert roaches are
perfect for that

17:46.799 --> 17:48.734 align:start
because they clean
up the old spinifex

17:48.801 --> 17:50.903 align:start
that lays around
the ground and also

17:50.969 --> 17:53.172 align:start
other organic matter that
they might run into.

17:53.238 --> 17:55.507 align:start
There's actually no diurnal
geckos in Australia.

17:55.574 --> 17:59.078 align:start
They come out at night and
basically wait in ambush

17:59.144 --> 18:02.247 align:start
for big moths or big
insects to walk past them

18:02.314 --> 18:07.286 align:start
and then they attack them
with amazing speed and force.

18:07.352 --> 18:09.621 align:start
Helios dragon is
master of camouflage.

18:09.688 --> 18:11.790 align:start
It sits out on
logs and rocks

18:11.857 --> 18:13.859 align:start
and it actually
looks like a rock.

18:13.926 --> 18:16.095 align:start
It's got the texture of
a rock on its skin and

18:16.161 --> 18:19.731 align:start
the colors just blend in
perfect with the environment.

18:19.798 --> 18:21.700 align:start
Definitely five of the
snakes in Australia

18:21.767 --> 18:25.304 align:start
are listed as most
dangerous/venomous.

18:25.370 --> 18:27.406 align:start
There's always the small
chance that people

18:27.473 --> 18:29.241 align:start
get bitten out bush
walking, but most of the

18:29.308 --> 18:31.343 align:start
bites occur when people
actually are trying to

18:31.410 --> 18:36.648 align:start
pick up an animal or
trying to kill it.

18:36.715 --> 18:39.118 align:start
The death adder is a
very specialized feeder.

18:39.184 --> 18:41.453 align:start
He feeds mainly on
mammals and geckos.

18:41.520 --> 18:44.022 align:start
And geckos and mammals,
they don't like the heat

18:44.089 --> 18:46.458 align:start
at all at winter light,
and so they come out at night.

18:46.525 --> 18:48.460 align:start
And so this death adder is
sitting right there until

18:48.527 --> 18:50.863 align:start
this mouse comes past it
and what it does, its got

18:50.929 --> 18:53.298 align:start
a little lure on its tail
which acts as a little

18:53.365 --> 18:55.667 align:start
worm and he moves that
around and as soon as this

18:55.734 --> 18:58.370 align:start
little mouse comes past,
it sees that lure and

18:58.437 --> 19:01.373 align:start
thinks that's bingo, it's
a nice little worm and so

19:01.440 --> 19:03.809 align:start
it goes towards the worm,
but the death adder is

19:03.876 --> 19:06.044 align:start
ready to strike and
basically strikes it,

19:06.111 --> 19:08.580 align:start
injects the venom, very
potent venom, and the

19:08.647 --> 19:13.952 align:start
spinifex hopping mouse will
be paralyzed within seconds.

19:14.019 --> 19:16.321 align:start
Mulga snake,
extremely venomous,

19:16.388 --> 19:18.457 align:start
very dangerous,
and grows very big.

19:18.524 --> 19:20.726 align:start
The ones in Alice Springs
don't grow as big, but

19:20.792 --> 19:22.494 align:start
they can still grow
up to about 6 foot,

19:22.561 --> 19:24.930 align:start
mainly nocturnal,
especially in the summertime

19:24.997 --> 19:29.101 align:start
when it gets hot
during the day.

19:29.168 --> 19:31.036 align:start
At Alice Springs it
regularly gets up to

19:31.103 --> 19:34.840 align:start
110 degrees during
a summer's day.

19:34.907 --> 19:37.576 align:start
Birds don't seem to be as
affected by the heat,

19:37.643 --> 19:41.914 align:start
even though most of
them are day workers.

19:41.980 --> 19:44.149 align:start
If you look at any habitat
you will see that the

19:44.216 --> 19:46.652 align:start
birds are almost layered
in that habitat in their

19:46.718 --> 19:48.887 align:start
different niches, so
you'll get birds that live

19:48.954 --> 19:51.790 align:start
pretty much on the ground,
and they may hang around

19:51.857 --> 19:54.059 align:start
a certain group of plants
and then you'll get birds

19:54.126 --> 19:56.328 align:start
that will stay in
the lower story.

19:56.395 --> 19:58.197 align:start
As you get up through the
vegetation, you'll have

19:58.263 --> 20:00.399 align:start
different layers of bird
life, so you'll get some

20:00.465 --> 20:03.135 align:start
birds that hang up right
at the top, like wood swallows,

20:03.202 --> 20:06.872 align:start
and other birds that move
up and down like babblers.

20:06.939 --> 20:09.074 align:start
As you walk around
the park, you will see

20:09.141 --> 20:17.115 align:start
evidence of that, as
well as in the aviaries.

20:17.182 --> 20:19.718 align:start
The beak shapes as
anywhere in the world really,

20:19.785 --> 20:22.154 align:start
give you a good indication
of what the bird eats

20:22.221 --> 20:24.656 align:start
and in some cases how they
forage for their food.

20:24.723 --> 20:27.392 align:start
So you would expect your
insectivorous birds to

20:27.459 --> 20:30.629 align:start
have a fairly fine sharp
beak, and especially birds

20:30.696 --> 20:33.832 align:start
that may gather their
insects by gleaning on the

20:33.899 --> 20:36.635 align:start
bark and places like that.

20:36.702 --> 20:39.538 align:start
Cockatoos and parrots
will have a large rounded

20:39.605 --> 20:44.176 align:start
shaped beak for
breaking open seeds.

20:44.243 --> 20:46.645 align:start
Finches will have a blunt
little strong beak, also

20:46.712 --> 20:50.015 align:start
for breaking open seeds,
and then your classic out here

20:50.082 --> 20:53.385 align:start
is probably the honey eaters
that have a fine long beak

20:53.452 --> 21:00.125 align:start
that they can slip down
into flowers to get nectar.

21:00.192 --> 21:03.128 align:start
You don't get as much
marked migration as you do

21:03.195 --> 21:07.199 align:start
in the USA and the birds
down here tend to have

21:07.266 --> 21:09.868 align:start
a smaller clutch size
and put a lot more

21:09.935 --> 21:15.807 align:start
parental effort into
rearing a smaller clutch.

21:15.874 --> 21:18.777 align:start
A lot of our mammals are
nocturnal and they're hard

21:18.844 --> 21:21.246 align:start
to find, so unless people
are really prepared

21:21.313 --> 21:24.816 align:start
to work hard at it they're
not going to see many mammals.

21:24.883 --> 21:28.220 align:start
Our peak time to come
to central Australia is winter.

21:28.287 --> 21:31.023 align:start
I mean, it's not too hot,
which of course a lot of

21:31.089 --> 21:33.058 align:start
the reptiles aren't
terribly active then.

21:33.125 --> 21:35.661 align:start
Birds are something that
people will always see,

21:35.727 --> 21:37.796 align:start
they will always hear,
they can always experience

21:37.863 --> 21:42.968 align:start
bird life in some form.

21:43.035 --> 21:46.872 align:start
Australian birds are not
only sensational for their

21:46.938 --> 21:50.142 align:start
color, which is beyond
comprehension to me

21:50.208 --> 21:52.844 align:start
but also for their
ethereal sounds.

21:52.911 --> 21:55.480 align:start
Even if you were
blind this place is

21:55.547 --> 21:59.951 align:start
sensational from a bird
standpoint.

22:00.018 --> 22:10.529 align:start
        (David whistling)

22:10.595 --> 22:13.899 align:start
In a sense the entire
outback is a desert park.

22:13.965 --> 22:19.705 align:start
We don't have to drive far to
get to the red sand country.

22:19.771 --> 22:21.506 align:start
We're used to
seeing road signs

22:21.573 --> 22:23.875 align:start
that say "Phoenix
110 miles" maybe 120.

22:23.942 --> 22:28.714 align:start
Not "Adelaide 1,519 kilometers.
Now that's vast.

22:28.780 --> 22:31.717 align:start
It's a long way, its,
it's a 15 hours drive,

22:31.783 --> 22:37.656 align:start
it's a day and a half. It's,
it's a great drive.

22:37.723 --> 22:39.958 align:start
Well, Australia's been
described as a fairly boring

22:40.025 --> 22:42.594 align:start
and featureless landscape,
which it's anything but,

22:42.661 --> 22:45.664 align:start
and so I rejoice
in being out here.

22:45.731 --> 22:47.799 align:start
And how about. I have to
say that though,

22:47.866 --> 22:49.735 align:start
I've got some
scuba diving gear

22:49.801 --> 22:52.637 align:start
which doesn't get
out very often.

22:52.738 --> 22:55.040 align:start
Right.

22:55.107 --> 22:57.976 align:start
And as you can see they're
very, very well vegetated.

22:58.076 --> 22:59.444 align:start
They're also red.

22:59.511 --> 23:00.746 align:start
They're also red.

23:00.812 --> 23:02.614 align:start
Well, they're
rusty, you know.

23:02.681 --> 23:04.316 align:start
It's as simple as that.

23:04.383 --> 23:06.017 align:start
What are these sand
dunes doing out here?

23:06.084 --> 23:08.353 align:start
I guess a lot of us when
we think of dunes we think

23:08.420 --> 23:10.555 align:start
of those evocative
images of the Sahara and

23:10.622 --> 23:12.824 align:start
them moving around and here
today and gone tomorrow,

23:12.891 --> 23:16.061 align:start
well these have been here
for 12,000 years or so.

23:16.128 --> 23:17.929 align:start
They're not going
to move because

23:17.996 --> 23:22.234 align:start
of this level of this
quite dense vegetation.

23:22.334 --> 23:24.236 align:start
Is it always windy here?

23:24.302 --> 23:26.905 align:start
No, it's almost
never windy here.

23:26.972 --> 23:29.708 align:start
It's just, we've done
that for you, David.

23:29.775 --> 23:31.443 align:start
Thank you, I
appreciate that.

23:31.510 --> 23:33.311 align:start
Pleasure, pleasure.

23:33.378 --> 23:35.213 align:start
Hey the sand's blowing.

23:35.280 --> 23:36.715 align:start
See, they do move.

23:36.782 --> 23:37.949 align:start
Yeah.

23:38.016 --> 23:38.850 align:start
Not very much.

23:38.917 --> 23:40.051 align:start
Not very much.

23:40.118 --> 23:41.520 align:start
So they're semi-active?

23:41.586 --> 23:42.821 align:start
Yeah.

23:42.888 --> 23:44.055 align:start
Nice.

23:44.122 --> 23:45.791 align:start
The rainfall in
central Australia

23:45.857 --> 23:47.559 align:start
is predictably
unpredictable.

23:47.626 --> 23:50.061 align:start
Just because this is
the pattern this year,

23:50.128 --> 23:52.798 align:start
doesn't mean anything as far
as next year is concerned.

23:52.864 --> 23:54.766 align:start
The big pile of rain today
doesn't mean anything

23:54.833 --> 23:56.268 align:start
as far as tomorrow
is concerned.

23:56.334 --> 23:58.403 align:start
And so the plants have
had to evolve when it does

23:58.470 --> 24:00.305 align:start
rain and that's a good
time to have babies for

24:00.372 --> 24:02.674 align:start
plants and animals and
if it doesn't rain, it

24:02.741 --> 24:05.110 align:start
doesn't mean you should
necessarily die, you just

24:05.177 --> 24:07.612 align:start
need to cope with it and
so there's a whole pile

24:07.679 --> 24:11.917 align:start
of adaptations that
have occurred.

24:11.983 --> 24:15.454 align:start
I hope that the visitor
leaves thinking,

24:15.520 --> 24:18.590 align:start
"Wow, you know, I really
didn't know what to expect

24:18.657 --> 24:20.358 align:start
when I went to
central Australia.

24:20.425 --> 24:22.794 align:start
I kind of thought tin
sheds and lots of red sand

24:22.861 --> 24:25.997 align:start
and, and flies." And we've got
red sand and we have flies,

24:26.064 --> 24:27.966 align:start
but we've also got
lots of life,

24:28.033 --> 24:32.637 align:start
lots and lots
and lots of life.

24:32.704 --> 24:36.741 align:start
The Australian outback is
enormous, nearly 2 million

24:36.842 --> 24:41.079 align:start
square miles in area, and
very sparsely populated.

24:41.146 --> 24:43.849 align:start
Yet vast as it is,
Australian researchers

24:43.915 --> 24:46.618 align:start
warn that many of its
native animal species

24:46.685 --> 24:50.288 align:start
are in trouble, and
thus focal points like

24:50.355 --> 24:53.358 align:start
Alice Springs Desert Park
become critically important

24:53.425 --> 24:57.295 align:start
in underscoring the
vulnerable magnificence

24:57.362 --> 25:04.336 align:start
of Australian deserts.

25:04.402 --> 25:07.038 align:start
In southwestern
Australia some folks are

25:07.105 --> 25:10.575 align:start
reconnecting a variety of
forests that were wiped

25:10.642 --> 25:13.411 align:start
out when the government
bulldozed millions

25:13.478 --> 25:15.180 align:start
of acres of land.

25:15.247 --> 25:18.216 align:start
That clearing booted out
aboriginal people

25:18.283 --> 25:24.589 align:start
after they had lived here
for over 30,000 years.

25:24.656 --> 25:27.926 align:start
Now it's time to
welcome them back.

25:27.993 --> 25:30.795 align:start
Next time on
        The Desert Speaks.

25:33.932 --> 25:47.379 align:start
             ♪music♪

25:47.379 --> 26:00.392 align:start
             ♪music♪

26:00.392 --> 26:07.132 align:start
             ♪music♪