Big Voices of the Bush

Kookaburras declare their territories

Blue-winged Kookaburra, North Queensland. © Bronwen Scott

On the morning of 27 August 1883, people on the island of Rodrigues in the western Indian Ocean thought they heard cannon-fire from ships moored just offshore. At the same time, the citizens of Perth were confused by a distant booming sound. They would all soon discover that the noise had been caused by Krakatoa, a volcano thousands of kilometres away in the…