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One of the great wonders of the underwater world, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, beckoned the Cousteau team in a way that no other place on earth could do. They traveled there to observe, study, and document an amazing phenomenon, the mass spawning of millions of corals. But what began as an exciting undersea exploration in a familiar environment ended as a richly diverse three-year journey, broadened to include both land and sea. Along the way, the Cousteau explorers teamed up with fishermen and natural scientists, native peoples and island voyagers, as they traveled around and across the fascinating country-continent Down Under.
Telling the story of these varied and exciting explorations are the leader of the group, Jean-Michel Cousteau - inspired and guided by his father, Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau - and his old friend and writing partner Mose Richards. (Together the two men have produced three books and countless hours of television documentaries.) Describing the efforts of the Cousteau scientists, divers, camera crew, and sailors, the authors engage in a voyage of discovery throughout a land that resembles little they had known elsewhere. They encountered fascinating new species; traveled over a remarkably featureless, dry landscape; and came to know members of an indigenous population that had long established a close rapport living in a harsh land.
In four event-filled chapters and more than 120 crisp color photographs, the authors relate the story of their expeditions as they traveled: by houseboat up the fertile Murray River, which waters much of Australia's agricultural heart; by four-wheel drive vehicle to stunning Ayers Rock in the distant Red Center, where flash floods turn the desert into a quagmire; by boat and truck into the amazingly rich and varied habitat of the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, where fresh and saltwater crocodiles mingle and clouds of cockatoos fill the air. These natural history adventures and more comprise a lively and colorful view of Australia's unique land and wildlife.
