On my last day in Australia, I did indeed leave Canberra behind for a jaunt down to the Tidbinbilla National Park in search of marsupials in the wild.

On the way there, I made a brief stop outside the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex …

where NASA is listening for signs of life in outer space, using these big radio dishes:

At Tidbinbilla, I saw these …

… and these …

Unfortunately, koalas was nowhere to be found in “the wild,” though I did see one of the critters …

It was great to be out and about in the bush, even if it was somewhat domesticated bush. One of these days, I’ll be back in search of a more rugged experience.

At the airport, I resisted the temptation to buy these …

I did, however, buy some of these odd-looking items …

What are those, you ask. They’re little scent pots made from the very absorbent cones of the Banksia Grandis, which is found in Southwest Western Australia. A few drops of eucalyptus inside, I’m told, and your room will smell like a forest.