Australia, the only island continent on planet earth, and while we may sometimes bemoan our abysmal National Broadband Network or a particular gadget being released here late, or never, I doubt any of use would give up “Our home [is] girt by sea”. We are indeed the lucky country in my eyes, hey we don’t have Donald Trump as a leader, that’s something, and on this Australia Day, it’s something worth remembering.
As is Google’s way to acknowledge special events, today they have released a special Google Doodle tipping their hat towards our beloved oceans. In conjunction with The Ocean Agency, they choose to “honour the precious creatures and coral in this underwater world – featuring protected species such as the Green Turtle, Pipefish, Barramundi Cod, Potato Cod, Maori Wrasse, Giant Clam and Staghorn Coral”.
The fun doesn’t stop there, however, thanks to The Ocean Agency and Google’s Street View team (that product may need renaming soon!) you can now venture into 7 of the great locations on the Barrier Reef including Norman Reef, Knife Reef, Myrmidon Reef, Ribbon Reef 10, St Crispins, The Cod Hole and Tijou Reef. Check them all out here.
As a diver, I’ve had the privilege of diving the Great Barrier Reef first hand and can attest to its unsurpassable beauty and majesty. It is truly a travesty that this marvel of nature is under threat, here’s hoping my great grandchildren will have a reef left to see.
Antarctica?