• null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    12 hours ago

    I don’t mean to be critical, it’s great that you know the term outback, but that’s not quite the right usage.

    It tends to refer to very remote very arid places. As in outback explorers used camels and often perished due to dehydration.

    We do have very lush forests with rivers and so on along the coast, which is more popular with campers than in the outback.

    • boonhet@lemm.ee
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      8 hours ago

      Oh, tbh I thought Outback referred to the Australian wilderness as a whole, though I guess I’ve mostly heard it used in the context of desert overlanding.

      Then I think there’s also “the bush”. What parts of Australia does that refer to?

      • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        8 hours ago

        Yeah so bush in that context is pretty much “forest”, but Australia’s has a pretty unique vibe. In the same way jungle isn’t really “forest”.

        We call areas with fairly homogeneous species a forest like karri forest or jarrah forest, but in the absence of something more specific it’s just bushland / bush.

        • boonhet@lemm.ee
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          4 hours ago

          That’s pretty cool

          In Estonia we have specific words for forests of most common trees. Spruce is kuusk, spruce forest is kuusik. Pine is mänd, pine forest is männik. Etc. Otherwise it’s just “forest”.

          Still, none of our forests, even ancient untouched ones, look as beautiful as the Australian rainforest. Which I’ve admittedly only seen in movies and Forza Horizon 3.

          Would love to visit one day, but I’m not sure if I’m planning on ever visiting Australia. It’s so far and there’s not all that much I want to do in Australia in particular - though the car nut in me wants to drive the Mount Panorama circuit and it IS very close to Blue Mountains and a few other national parks, so if I find a few other things I’m interested in, Australia will start looking pretty attractive. I mean there’s the great barrier reef too, but I think the reef tourism is actually very damaging for the reef, so it’s best not to go see that?

          • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            45 seconds ago

            I don’t think that’s necessarily true about the reef.

            I think tour operators would be extraordinarily careful.

            The only problem I’ve ever heard of is people with private boats destroying coral with careless anchor placement.

            The main threat to the reef is bleaching, due to climate change.