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THUNDER CRACKS
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In the darkest hours
of a winter night...
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00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,840
..in a forested corner
of southeastern Australia...
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00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:32,560
..I'm on a mission
to find an extraordinary creature.
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00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:41,320
It's a bizarre animal, and one that
few people have seen in the flesh.
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00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,600
And it can help us unravel
the mysterious history of
Australia,
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00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:50,480
perhaps the most surprising
of all the continents.
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00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,080
Australia is famous
for its odd and unusual animals,
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00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,120
but the one that I'm hoping to see
tonight
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00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,160
has got to be the strangest
on the planet.
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00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,920
This is a...is an ancient survivor,
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00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:07,080
the rarest of beasts that goes back
160 million years to a lost world.
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00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,160
A lost world, not only full
of strange creatures...
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..but also a world where the shape
and character of our continents
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00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,920
was utterly different.
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00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,400
This is the way to see rocks!
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00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:30,360
I want to reach back in time
using the clues that are hidden
all around us...
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00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:32,880
You don't get much clearer evidence
than that.
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..in living creatures...
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There's one.
Can you see that, just over there?
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..in landscapes...
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..and written into the rocks.
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The tiniest detail can reveal
the history of a vast continent.
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00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,880
I'm going to piece together
these clues
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00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,760
to uncover key moments
in Australia's history...
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00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,520
..and find out how Australia's
journey
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00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:11,720
has created the conditions
that allowed people to settle
this harsh land
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00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,560
and shaped the lives
of those who followed,
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00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:21,560
but also how that journey continues
to affect the destiny of people
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00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,680
far beyond the shores
of this island continent.
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I've come to the Yarra Valley
in the state of Victoria
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to search for the creature
that takes us back
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00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,280
to the beginning
of Australia's geological story.
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00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,200
It is a legendary creature.
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I mean, it's described as venomous,
egg-laying, duck-billed,
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beaver-tailed, otter-footed,
mole-furred.
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00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,880
Plus, it's odd, it lactates,
but it's got no nipples.
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00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,600
I mean, the lactating business
means it is a mammal,
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00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,120
but the egg-laying,
that's much more like a reptile.
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00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,120
It's a... It's an odd fusion
of animal.
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00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,400
I'm here with Josh Griffiths,
a biologist who does regular
surveys...
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So, have you caught them here
before?
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Yeah, I've caught some
just upstream here before.
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00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,640
..to check on the welfare
of these unusual animals.
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00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:38,800
Just need to stretch this out and
tie it up to the bank so it's nice
and secure.
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00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,800
This creature, which links back
to Australia's past,
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00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,040
lives today only in the wetter
forested parts of the continent
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00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,360
but it's hard to track down,
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00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,880
because it leaves
almost no detectable trace.
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00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:02,040
So, we could be in for
a very long night.
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00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,160
Do you think they can see us?
Do you think they're laughing?
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Finally, after seven hours, I get my
first glimpse of an animal that few
people
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00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:20,600
have ever seen in the wild -
a platypus.
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00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:22,640
Oh, my gosh.
That's incredible.
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00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,160
This is what we've been waiting
for. It's a male, is it?
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00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:26,960
Yeah, it's a male. It's an adult
one.
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00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,080
Can I see his face? Can I see
that classic, classic face?
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00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:36,600
Three in the morning it is. You kept
us up till three in the bloomin'
morning.
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00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:38,760
But isn't that worth the wait?
Ah, no, absolutely.
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00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:40,400
Can I stroke...?
Yeah.
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00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,200
He's perfectly happy, is he?
Lovely.
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00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,200
I mean, the fur is very mammalian.
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00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:47,720
The fur's definitely mammal,
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00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,360
and the way that they regulate
their temperature.
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00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,240
Right.
Their eyes are quite reptilian,
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00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,400
and the way their legs are splayed
out to the side is like a lizard.
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00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,600
This strange mix
exists in the platypus
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00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:04,400
because it's a link back to a world
160 million years ago.
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00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:10,880
A time when our mammal ancestors
were just beginning to evolve from
early reptiles.
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00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,720
Millions of years ago, we all
would have shared a common ancestor,
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00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,200
and it would have been
very reptilian,
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00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,360
and it would have looked
a lot more like a platypus
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00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,000
than it would look like you or me.
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00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,640
I have to say, it's hard to imagine
that we've got a common ancestor.
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00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:26,520
It just looks so different from us.
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00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,840
It certainly does now,
but millions of years ago
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00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:30,720
we all would have looked much the
same.
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00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,280
While the platypus survives
in the backwaters of Australia,
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00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:43,880
the common ancestor is long gone.
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00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,240
All that's left
are tiny fossil fragments
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00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,280
that reveal creatures
from that long lost world.
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00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,880
The animal that gave rise to the
platypus and to all of the mammals
we see today
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00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,080
might well have looked
something like this.
84
00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,880
Crucially, their remains have been
found across the globe.
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00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,040
These creatures
were living all over the place.
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00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,160
And that suggests something
highly intriguing.
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00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,360
Just as all life
has a common ancestor,
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00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,840
so too does the land
that we're standing on.
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00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:35,440
To imagine that time, you've got to
try to undo the shape and position
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00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,440
of each continent
that's been imprinted in your brain
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00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,960
by every atlas and world map
you've ever seen.
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00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,160
If you turn back the clock
through geological time...
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00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,280
..you see Australia
was once part of a huge landmass...
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00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,880
..in which most of today's
continents were joined...
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00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,400
..and over which
the platypus' ancestors roamed.
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00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,880
It's hard to imagine
what this ancient world looked like,
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00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,440
and how our modern continents
were arranged within it.
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00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,480
But there are clues
if you know where to look.
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00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,760
And the first one comes from the
substance that has helped to make
modern Australia
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00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:35,840
one of the wealthiest nations
on the planet.
101
00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,640
This black layer that I've been
following here is coal.
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00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:44,200
This is a natural layer
that's been exposed by the waves.
103
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:49,120
Just a few miles away, though,
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00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,920
there's vast diggers pulling
this stuff out of the ground.
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00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:02,880
Around one million tonnes of coal
are exhumed from this land each and
every day.
106
00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:12,000
But it has another value
that goes beyond the financial.
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00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,760
What I'm looking for
is a fossil that's in here.
108
00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:20,160
There's a nice one, see that,
just here.
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00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,200
That's a little fragment.
That's a nice one too.
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00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,120
These fossils contain evidence
of Australia's past
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00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:32,120
and that of the whole southern
hemisphere.
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00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:35,640
But their importance
was brought home
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00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:40,600
only when almost identical fossils
were found on a famous expedition
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00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:42,520
to another continent entirely.
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00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:53,880
On the 1st of November 1911,
Robert Falcon Scott and his team
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00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,120
set out across Antarctica
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00:08:56,120 --> 00:09:00,080
on their ill-fated attempt
to be the first to the South Pole.
118
00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:07,560
Their final days, in March 1912,
are now legendary.
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00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:13,000
Suffering frostbite, snow-blindness
and malnutrition,
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00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,440
they were only 11 miles
from a supply base
121
00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:19,880
when a fierce blizzard hit
and trapped them for ten days.
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00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,080
Their last.
123
00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,480
Almost eight months later,
when their frozen bodies were found,
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00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,080
something extraordinary
was laid out beside them.
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00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,760
16 kilograms of fossils.
126
00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:47,560
Clearly Scott thought they were
valuable. And he was right.
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00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,600
They would help define
the boundaries of the landmass in
which Australia sat
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00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,240
and the nature of the landscape
that covered it.
129
00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,240
What I'm really looking for in these
rocks is that exact same fossil that
Scott found
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00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:05,760
in Antarctica.
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00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,600
For all those that think rocks
are boring, look at this.
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Look, it's just beautiful.
133
00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,800
It just feels as though
it was created yesterday.
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00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,960
From these fossils
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00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:34,160
I can find the type of vegetation
that once covered Australia.
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00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:43,800
Glossopteris, lost forests,
fossils found in Antarctica.
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00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,320
Just packed full of plant debris.
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00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,920
These are leaves of a tree
called glossopteris
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00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:58,040
which formed 255 million years ago,
140
00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:03,240
and that means that 255 million
years ago, this part of Australia
was lush forest.
141
00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:10,120
It was these glossopteris forests
that transformed over time
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00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,280
into Australia's enormous coal
reserves.
143
00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:17,120
And that's why the fossils
are found inside them.
144
00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,800
But more importantly, because the
exact same fossil was found in
Antarctica,
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00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,400
it means that Antarctica
was also lush forest.
146
00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,640
But that's not all.
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00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:30,760
Glossopteris fossils from elsewhere
also reveal the extent of the
landmass.
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00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,960
In fact, glossopteris is found
right across the southern
hemisphere.
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It's found in southern Africa,
it's found in South America.
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00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,640
Thing is, the spores of these
glossopteris
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00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:43,520
just couldn't be transported
across vast oceans.
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00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,840
In other words, all those land
masses must have been together.
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00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:55,280
Glossopteris has helped reveal the
arrangement of all the continents
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00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,120
in the southern hemisphere
at the time.
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00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,360
Not only was Australia
linked to Antarctica...
156
00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:13,760
..but also to Africa, India
and South America.
157
00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,160
This vast landmass was called
Gondwana,
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00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:21,600
a supercontinent which was the
southern half of the even larger
landmass
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00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,120
of Pangaea.
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00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:31,160
The primeval land of Gondwana
was on an almost mythic scale.
161
00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:37,120
It was carpeted
with glossopteris trees.
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00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:41,800
A forest more than four times
the size of the Amazon Basin,
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00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,200
stretching further than any eye
could see.
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00:12:55,280 --> 00:13:00,480
A tiny fraction of Gondwana's forest
still remains today
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00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,880
in a cool pocket of New South Wales
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00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:05,120
in eastern Australia.
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00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:16,840
It's quite an eerie sensation,
really,
168
00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:21,280
to just be amongst
these giant ferns and things.
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00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:25,160
You know, you spend all this time
studying rocks and fossils in the
laboratory,
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00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,840
trying to piece together
the Gondwana forest, and here it is!
171
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,480
Here it is, just all laid out
for us.
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00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,960
I've been dumped
into the heart of Gondwana.
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00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:45,160
This tiny remnant stands for a great
phase in this continent's history.
174
00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:54,280
Australia was green and lush
for over 300 million years.
175
00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:00,200
Enduring through
the reign of the dinosaurs
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00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,800
as well as the rise of the mammals.
177
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:10,560
Gondwana was so huge
that it was destined to break up.
178
00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:14,480
And it was that break-up
that created the character of
Australia.
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00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:25,000
The mighty supercontinent of
Gondwana and its fairytale forests
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00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,720
would soon be lost for ever.
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00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:32,520
A great change
was about to come across this land,
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00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:36,680
an event that would transform
Australia into the continent
we know today.
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00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,400
To piece together what happened,
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00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,480
you need to travel deep
into this continent's red heart.
185
00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:26,280
The interior of Australia today
couldn't be more different.
186
00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,200
A vast, empty expanse.
187
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,040
Thousands of kilometres
of burning, barren earth.
188
00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:43,200
But as you fly deeper into the
interior, there's an odd sight.
189
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,800
Strange white pock-marks
across the surface,
190
00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,400
hundreds of thousands of them.
191
00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,960
Each pock is an entrance to a hidden
world beneath the scorched surface.
192
00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,560
And down there is where
I'll find evidence of what happened
193
00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:00,240
when Gondwana broke up.
194
00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,240
This is the unusual country town
of Coober Pedy.
195
00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,600
Unusual because the 3,000 people
who live here
196
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,040
mostly live underground.
197
00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,760
Houses, restaurants, hotels,
churches.
198
00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,640
There's even a subterranean
bookshop.
199
00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,880
The people here have dug out these
caves to escape the desert heat.
200
00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,880
You know, at first, the idea
of people living underground,
201
00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:12,320
modern-day troglodytes,
202
00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:16,400
just seems bizarre, really, and
there's definitely odd things here,
203
00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,480
but actually, it mainly makes sense.
204
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,440
It's not claustrophobic,
it's cool and it's airy.
205
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,800
And for a geologist like me,
to be surrounded by rocks,
206
00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:29,200
just ideal.
207
00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,840
The reason the townsfolk
go to such lengths
208
00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,240
is because this rock
contains a treasure,
209
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:42,160
one of the most precious jewels
on the planet.
210
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:43,960
For them it provides a livelihood.
211
00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,520
For me, it's a crucial clue
to how this land changed
212
00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:52,720
when Gondwana broke up.
213
00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:02,680
And I'm on my way to see
what everyone's digging for
214
00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,240
with straight-talking miner
Kevin Swain.
215
00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,440
So this is it?
Yep, this is it. No doubt.
216
00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:14,480
So, lift this over.
Yep.
217
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:15,720
Step through it.
218
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:20,200
Yep, lift it a bit. Down.
219
00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,840
It's quite smooth. I like this.
Sit square.
220
00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:25,080
Liking it less now.
221
00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,120
There's no-one to answer you.
Stop talking to yourself.
222
00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:29,240
HE LAUGHS
223
00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:40,880
This is Kevin's patch for mining,
one of thousands around Coober Pedy.
224
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:47,840
A 22-metre shaft that takes me
into a warren of tunnels.
225
00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:52,320
Oh, ho! Stop!
226
00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,640
Kevin spends every day down here,
alone, digging for one thing.
227
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,720
It's like a knife through butter.
Very soft.
228
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,640
Where's the valuable
rock here, then?
229
00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,320
Well, right up there by the light,
you can see it.
230
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,920
There's, er...
That kind of opaque, kind of...?
231
00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,320
Yeah. That's good quality stuff,
that, there, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
232
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:24,800
It's opal.
233
00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:30,360
A precious gemstone that, at best
quality, has more value than
diamond.
234
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,360
That's a good enough reason
for miners to work here
235
00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:37,840
in these solitary subterranean
conditions.
236
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,480
This is no place
for big mining companies
237
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,280
because of the very small seams
in which opal occurs.
238
00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:50,360
And how often do you strike lucky,
hit a rich seam?
239
00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:52,080
Rarely.
240
00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,480
Does that mean five years,
ten years, one year?
241
00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:55,720
No, it's unpredictable.
242
00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:57,920
If you work steadily at it...
Yeah.
243
00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,160
..you get...you'll cover
your expenses
244
00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,200
and every now and then,
you have a surprise comes along.
245
00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,920
So, every time you come to work,
are you hoping for that big find?
246
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:11,000
Yeah. You wouldn't come to work
if you didn't. Yeah.
247
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,520
Pick's always sharp,
bucket's always empty.
248
00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,080
Opals are extraordinary.
249
00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,360
The highly specific conditions
in which they form
250
00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:29,120
have occurred only rarely
in the history of our planet,
251
00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:32,200
and then, mainly here
in the Australian outback.
252
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:39,320
But they've also occurred somewhere
strangely similar to here -
253
00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:40,960
the planet Mars.
254
00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,400
These distant places share a similar
chemistry in their red rocky
deserts.
255
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,320
In Australia, opals only occur
256
00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,720
because of what happened
during the demise of Gondwana.
257
00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:53,920
Ah, now, there's a bit.
258
00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:00,040
And I can figure out those ancient
events by examining these gemstones.
259
00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,120
Silica.
260
00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:05,760
Sulphuric acid.
261
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:10,360
Bacteria.
262
00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:12,440
An inland sea.
263
00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:20,800
What I love about opal is it forms
through this peculiar set of
conditions.
264
00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,400
You need two raw ingredients for it.
One of them is silica...
265
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:27,680
..and the other's acid.
266
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,520
Now, the silica's pretty simple,
267
00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,200
it comes from minerals in the rock
around here.
268
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:38,760
But for the acid, you need a really
strong acid like sulphuric acid,
269
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,440
and the sulphur for that
comes from bacteria
270
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,480
that eat sulphur
when oxygen's not around.
271
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,520
Bacteria that live in the mud
at the bottom of a stagnant sea.
272
00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:54,040
To turn that sulphur
into sulphuric acid,
273
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,520
you essentially need
to put oxygen into it.
274
00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,160
So, you need to take the sea away,
exposing it to the air.
275
00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,080
So, now you've got sulphuric acid,
and what that does is,
276
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:10,320
it just leaches its way through the
rock, picking up the silica
277
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,760
and concentrating it
into these narrow bands.
278
00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,680
What all that
complicated chemistry tells us
279
00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,120
is that there used to be
an inland sea here,
280
00:22:22,120 --> 00:22:24,840
but actually, down here,
in a few places,
281
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,760
the opal's preserved far more
obvious evidence of that sea.
282
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,480
Now, look at that - sea shells.
283
00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,480
You don't get much clearer evidence
than that.
284
00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,120
It's hard to imagine now,
285
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:50,760
but here in the dry,
dusty interior of Australia,
286
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:55,200
there existed, for just a while,
an inland sea.
287
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:04,360
This sea was created by an event
of epic proportions -
288
00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:06,880
the break-up of Gondwana.
289
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,720
Around 180 million years ago,
290
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,760
huge upwellings of hot rock
began to rise from the mantle,
291
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:19,840
deep below the Earth's crust.
292
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:23,040
These plumes wore away
at weak spots in that crust...
293
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:30,800
..until finally, 150 million years
ago, they gave way.
294
00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,240
This was the beginning
of the break-up of Gondwana.
295
00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,200
As the continents separated,
296
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:45,840
new sea floor
was created between them.
297
00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,040
This new material was hot,
298
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,800
which made it expand
and displace the seas above it.
299
00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,400
This was what caused
global sea levels to rise
300
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:05,280
so that water rushed into the flat
centre of what would become
Australia,
301
00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,520
creating the inland sea.
302
00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:12,400
And it lasted
for over 35 million years.
303
00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,560
When it retreated,
the sea left in its wake
304
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,520
the specific conditions
for the formation of opals.
305
00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:28,280
But the break-up of Gondwana
also created something else
extraordinary,
306
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:32,720
something which would help people
survive here millions of years
later.
307
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,840
The interior of Australia
is harsh. Forbidding.
308
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,200
When the Europeans first came here,
over two centuries ago,
309
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,880
they realised the key
to settling this land
310
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:09,000
was to find water.
311
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,520
From the time the Europeans arrived
in Australia, they had an obsession
312
00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,800
and that was to get in
to the country's interior.
313
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,440
They were absolutely convinced that
somewhere in this vast landscape
314
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,160
there had to be an inland sea.
315
00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,800
After all, all the other continents
that they explored had one -
316
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:34,280
the Great Lakes in the US,
Caspian in Asia.
317
00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:36,880
Why should this place
be any different?
318
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:47,560
They were, of course, 100 million
years too late to find Australia's
inland sea.
319
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:51,760
But they didn't know that
320
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,880
and such was the importance
of finding water
321
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:56,800
that they kept on trying.
322
00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,320
From 1813, they launched a series
of expeditions
323
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:05,720
that aimed to chart rivers
and find the inland sea.
324
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:14,680
But time after time, the expeditions
ended in failure and even death.
325
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:24,000
The place names that they came up
with gives you a sense
of their desperation.
326
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,440
There's Dismal Plain, Lake
Disappointment, Mount Hopeless.
327
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:37,480
But, of course, there was a people
who had lived here for many
thousands of years,
328
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,480
and they knew a source of water
that the Europeans didn't.
329
00:26:55,520 --> 00:27:00,480
These people had ways and means
of finding that water in the desert.
330
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,280
They saw it in the land.
331
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,880
And they remembered it
with the stars.
332
00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:11,960
And with their songs.
333
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:21,520
..it's not difficult.
334
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:26,120
Dean Ah Chee is an elder of
the Lower Southern Arrernte people,
335
00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:31,000
and was schooled from earliest youth
in the Aboriginal ways of finding
water
336
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:32,480
in this dry land.
337
00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:34,480
So, what is a songline?
338
00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:49,240
So, is it like a kind of...an aural
map?
339
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,560
Is it like a map of the landscape,
but told?
340
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,400
Right.
341
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:13,200
And so do all the songlines
relate to water?
342
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,680
So, how far can you navigate
on a songline? Is it...?
343
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:28,920
So, how do you find it?
Tell me the secrets!
344
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,000
Ah!
345
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:38,080
Right.
346
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:41,480
Really? So, it's that important?
347
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,800
It's that crucial
that it's almost kept like a secret?
348
00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:48,840
Secret law.
349
00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,240
The Aboriginal people,
350
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,720
for thousands of years,
have used these songlines
351
00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,720
to lead them to a reliable source
of water in the desert...
352
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:14,680
..water that emerges from
underground into what's called mound
springs.
353
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,960
So, is it cold or is it hot?
It's hot water.
354
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:24,680
It's hot?
Yeah.
355
00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:28,680
Oh, it is! Ah-ha-ha!
I tell you, it's the mud.
356
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,280
Ah! That's a lovely temperature.
No crocs, yeah?
357
00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:33,720
You sure?
358
00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:37,840
Whoa!
359
00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:40,640
Oh, that is lovely.
360
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:44,840
Ah, yeah... Oh, yeah!
361
00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,040
I can feel... Look at this.
362
00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,320
What the Aboriginal people
couldn't know
363
00:29:56,320 --> 00:30:00,960
was how their songlines, linking up
one mound spring to another,
364
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,240
echoed the geology below.
365
00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:07,840
Because deep in the ground,
all these mound springs were linked,
366
00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,920
in a vast reservoir of water.
367
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:15,200
What's really intriguing about these
springs is just how many there are.
368
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:20,720
In this area there's a handful,
but across the region,
there's something like 700.
369
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,160
What's even more remarkable
370
00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:26,400
is that I'm swimming above
this enormous reserve of water
371
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,280
that's deep down there
372
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:32,040
and extends beneath almost a quarter
of Australia's land surface.
373
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,040
This reserve is called
the Great Artesian Basin
374
00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,280
and, incredibly,
it holds enough water to fill
375
00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:51,480
26 billion Olympic-size
swimming pools.
376
00:30:56,280 --> 00:31:02,320
It's a giant aquifer - porous rock
under the ground which holds water -
377
00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,360
and a key part of it exists here
thanks to the ancient inland sea.
378
00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:14,720
Even before Gondwana
began to break up,
379
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:18,360
the first element of the Great
Artesian Basin was in place.
380
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,480
Deep underground, there were layers
of porous sandstone rock.
381
00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,800
But any water which got into that
rock would quickly escape again
382
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,000
because there was nothing
to contain it.
383
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,120
The inland sea brought,
and left behind,
384
00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,360
the crucial ingredient
needed to trap the water inside.
385
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,320
Mud.
386
00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:53,520
The mud hardened
into a lid of impermeable rock,
387
00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:56,320
which lay across
the top of the sandstone.
388
00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,400
So, when rainwater fell,
389
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:02,640
it could trickle around the edges
of the lid and get into the
sandstone,
390
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:08,120
but, crucially, that same lid
prevented the water
from evaporating away.
391
00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:20,120
At a few places, where the lid's
broken, the water escapes.
392
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:24,000
These are the mound springs
that have sustained
the Aboriginal people
393
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:25,800
for thousands of years.
394
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:31,200
And because these springs provide
the only reliable source of water
395
00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:32,920
for much of inland Australia,
396
00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,760
they're a vital lifeline
for wildlife here,
397
00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:42,040
as well as the great sheep and
cattle stations of the Australian
outback.
398
00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:50,440
It's an extraordinary thought that
the muddy remains of a long-lost sea
399
00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,480
still provide water
that sustains life here today.
400
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:06,360
By around 100 million years ago,
Gondwana had broken apart
401
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:10,080
but Australia still didn't exist
as a separate continent.
402
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,880
There was one big split yet to come.
403
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,600
One that would transform Australia,
404
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,640
and lead to the evolution
405
00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,320
of one of the most spectacular
animals on the planet.
406
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:37,000
This is the Great Australian Bight,
407
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:41,520
over one thousand kilometres of
coastline on the southern edge of
Australia.
408
00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,640
It's just vast.
409
00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:50,880
The cliffs themselves are 80 metres
high, falling away to the sea.
410
00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:02,320
If I'd been walking along here
90 million years ago, then...
411
00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:06,160
there would have been no cliff,
there would have been no ocean.
412
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:11,000
Instead, I would have been able
to take a single step from here,
413
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:12,640
directly onto Antarctica.
414
00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:28,080
This is how the coastline of
Antarctica and Australia joined up.
415
00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:32,120
Despite the inevitable erosion,
it's still a neat fit to this day.
416
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:42,440
Although these two continents
are now almost opposites,
417
00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:45,720
back then, the story
was very different.
418
00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:50,800
They were effectively
identical twins.
419
00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:53,680
Both, temperate, forested lands,
420
00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:57,120
which lay together
near the South Pole.
421
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:04,200
And, like all twins,
they weren't easy to separate.
422
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,360
Although Gondwana was gone,
423
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,920
Australia and Antarctica stayed
close together for many millions of
years.
424
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:20,080
But the process that transformed
them into radically different lands
425
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,520
also had another consequence -
426
00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:27,320
the evolution of the largest group
of animals that ever lived
on the planet.
427
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:33,440
Those great Leviathans of the sea.
428
00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:37,000
The filter-feeding whales.
429
00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:42,280
I'm off looking for whales.
430
00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,480
It's the perfect weather,
perfect time of year, August,
431
00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:48,680
which is breeding season,
so hopefully, fingers crossed,
432
00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,520
we'll see some mums and calves.
433
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:03,280
Helping me locate them
is local guide Rod Keogh.
434
00:36:16,720 --> 00:36:18,880
Oh, there's one.
Can you see that, just over there?
435
00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:21,000
The black in the water.
A black strip.
436
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,880
Oh, there's two.
A fin to the side of it.
437
00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:25,960
Oh, look, look, look!
Look at the face!
438
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:29,320
Can you see that?
Yeah! Yeah! It's great!
439
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,400
Just encrusted with barnacles,
just coming up.
440
00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,520
WHALE CALL
441
00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:44,520
Did you hear that? "Hooonnn."
That's the sound of a whale.
442
00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:47,760
Oh! Look at that!
443
00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:49,280
That was incredible.
444
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,920
That was one of the mothers
flicking her tail. That's Scottie.
445
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:55,640
Scottie from the Antarctic,
is that it?
446
00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:57,800
Yeah. She was...
447
00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:03,040
She was named short for "S-cot no
friends" cos she was always
by herself.
448
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,040
And now she's back,
she's still got no friends.
449
00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,760
So, I still call her Scottie.
That's great.
450
00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:10,120
Now she's got a calf.
451
00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:11,760
Oh, yeah, see that.
452
00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:18,400
These whales spend most of the year
in Antarctica feeding
453
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:20,960
but at this time of year, August,
454
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:25,000
they journey over 2000 kilometres
here to breed.
455
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,480
These are southern rights,
third largest whale species
on the planet.
456
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:36,120
You're only seeing
about 10% of the animal.
457
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:38,560
The bulk of it, 90%, is underneath.
458
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:42,080
These whales can grow
up to 15 metres in length.
459
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,560
And they can reach such a size
because of what they eat,
460
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,600
scooping up two to three tonnes
of food each day -
461
00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,760
millions and millions
of miniscule krill.
462
00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,320
How these great animals came
to survive on these tiny creatures
463
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:02,960
is a direct consequence
of Australia's geological history...
464
00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,320
..and its separation
from Antarctica.
465
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:15,440
90 million years ago,
466
00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:19,280
something happened to finally
separate Australia from Antarctica.
467
00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:24,920
Volcanic activity
from deep within the Earth's mantle
468
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:27,640
forced up a new ocean crust
between them,
469
00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:30,600
creating a mid-ocean ridge
which broke them apart.
470
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:39,120
Australia was, at last,
a separate island continent.
471
00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,840
And that left Antarctica sitting
all alone over the South Pole,
472
00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:50,040
still temperate and forested.
473
00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:55,000
That was,
until the isolation of Antarctica
474
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,800
created an unusual effect
in the waters around it.
475
00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,760
Normally,
the wind drives surface currents,
476
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:09,800
pushing the water onto shores like
these, where the energy dissipates.
477
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,240
But thousands of kilometres
over there is Antarctica,
478
00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:15,720
and there,
the situation's slightly different.
479
00:39:15,720 --> 00:39:21,480
The water goes round and round that
huge mass, building up the flow.
480
00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:24,040
And without land to get in the way
to disrupt it,
481
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,640
the current just gets stronger
and deeper.
482
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,400
The oceans were free to flow
all around Antarctica
483
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:38,000
driven by the winds.
484
00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:44,960
And this was the beginning
of the Circum-Antarctic Current.
485
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:46,960
Its effect on Antarctica
was profound...
486
00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:53,240
..cutting off the continent
from the warm waters to the north.
487
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:01,200
In just one million years,
488
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:04,800
Antarctica was transformed
from a temperate forested land...
489
00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,120
..to one entombed in ice.
490
00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:16,320
From now on, Antarctica
would be a land of desolation...
491
00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:23,520
..inhabited by nothing bigger
than a penguin.
492
00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:35,240
But in the ocean, this new current
had a more positive effect,
493
00:40:35,240 --> 00:40:36,960
playing a significant role
494
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:40,080
in the evolution
of all filter-feeding whales,
495
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:43,000
the southern right whale among them.
496
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:48,320
The motion of this current forced up
water from the depths of the ocean
497
00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:53,360
to the surface, carrying with it
nutrients which support tiny
creatures
498
00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,480
such as phytoplankton and krill.
499
00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:09,480
This was a rich source of food,
just waiting to be scooped up.
500
00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:24,480
And, sure enough,
around the time the current appeared
501
00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,160
sea-dwelling mammals began
to develop a new way of eating,
502
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:31,560
filter-feeding
those vast volumes of krill.
503
00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:41,920
Giant whales to this day
feed in the same way.
504
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:54,280
I could watch them all day,
just doing their stuff out there.
505
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:57,200
It's lovely to think that
it's the Circum-Antarctic Current
506
00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:01,840
that played such an important role
in allowing these giants to develop.
507
00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:03,560
And also keeps them fed today.
508
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,400
In a way, these whales are the last
remaining link between two
continents
509
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,160
that started as twins
and have grown so far apart.
510
00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:23,000
Australia's fate was to be very
different to that of Antarctica.
511
00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:26,680
It too would change dramatically,
but in almost the opposite way.
512
00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:43,120
While Antarctica turned to ice,
Australia was turned to dust.
513
00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:49,800
It continued moving northwards
514
00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:55,120
and around 20 million years ago,
Australia pushed into warmer
latitudes.
515
00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:02,880
And this would have significant
consequences for this land
516
00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:04,480
and anything trying to live on it.
517
00:43:09,720 --> 00:43:13,960
The forest died away,
save for a few tiny pockets.
518
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:19,680
It was replaced with bare, red land
519
00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:22,920
and the one tree that thrived
in these new arid conditions -
520
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:24,400
the eucalyptus.
521
00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:33,280
A tree that now accounts for almost
80% of the forest in Australia.
522
00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:40,320
For the animals, it was a brutal
case of "adapt or die."
523
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:48,240
Only a few were able to evolve
quickly enough to survive.
524
00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:52,920
KOALA GRUNTS
525
00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:59,440
And a classic case of that rapid
evolution
526
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:01,000
is this fellow.
527
00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:10,080
(WHISPERS) He's big.
528
00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:11,880
He's really big.
529
00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:13,520
I'm assuming you wanted
the big koala!
530
00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:15,920
Yeah, big koalas are good.
I could have got a female.
531
00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:17,760
I didn't have, necessarily,
a preference.
532
00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:20,600
OK. Just don't move,
cos it can climb across.
533
00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:22,440
Over this way, sweetheart.
Hiya.
534
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:24,440
Good boy. Under his bum.
He's not sure.
535
00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:26,560
Yeah, I've got him. Gosh! He's
heavy.
536
00:44:26,560 --> 00:44:28,680
What's that? Did you say 11 kilos?
537
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:30,320
About 11 and a half, Hank is, yeah.
538
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:32,320
It's just...!
Good boy.
539
00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,080
This feels really nice, actually.
540
00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:42,720
He's quite heavy,
like a toddler size,
541
00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:46,000
and the fur feels absolutely lovely.
542
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,040
It reminds me of holding the kids
when they were young, actually.
543
00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:52,040
It's quite nice. I've not done that
for years, and they're too big.
544
00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:56,920
Wow! Yeah, you go for it! Erm...
545
00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:01,120
I think koalas are great,
actually, now.
546
00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:04,200
I mean, you know they're supposed
to be cute...
547
00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:05,880
They do, they look cute.
548
00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:10,960
Looks like your iconic teddy bear,
doesn't he?
549
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:13,680
But he's not actually a bear at all.
550
00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:15,840
The koala's teddy bear features
551
00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:18,120
and the anatomy that underpins them
552
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,320
are the result of having only
the eucalyptus tree to munch on.
553
00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:23,960
A very chewy tree at that...
554
00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:30,480
..as palaeontologist Mike Archer
showed me.
555
00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:32,480
This is a modern koala.
Ah.
556
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:37,640
Most of this head has to do with
smelling, eating, hold the teeth,
557
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:43,480
and the muscles that drive the
powerful jaws because these trees
are hard to eat.
558
00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:45,520
So, basically,
their head's a chewing machine.
559
00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,360
Exactly. Now, if you look at some
of the fossils,
560
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:52,000
these fossils are 20 million years
old. Ah, cool!
561
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:55,480
You've got an animal here that's
about half the size of the modern
koala.
562
00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:57,440
Yeah.
So, this thing has become gigantic.
563
00:45:57,440 --> 00:45:59,080
It's a bigger and bigger face.
564
00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:06,240
The Eucalyptus trees didn't change
only the koala's machinery for
eating
565
00:46:06,240 --> 00:46:09,320
but also for communicating.
566
00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:12,720
This bubble of bone here
is an echo-locating chamber.
567
00:46:12,720 --> 00:46:16,400
That's very good at picking up
low-frequency vibrations.
568
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:18,080
A low frequency sound?
Yes.
569
00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:22,920
That weird sound they make transmits
long distances, and they have to,
570
00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:26,040
because where they live here,
the trees are far apart. Yeah.
571
00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:29,160
KOALA CALLS
572
00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:33,040
So, koalas have made this kind of
alliance with this tree, really.
573
00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:34,520
I think so.
And then eventually,
574
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:36,760
that little niche
is the one that then spreads.
575
00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:38,720
So, they're the lucky ones.
They lucked out!
576
00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:40,720
They were the furry parasite
that lucked out.
577
00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:47,440
The koala's face reflects
the dramatic climate shift
578
00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:49,880
that Australia has undergone...
579
00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,760
..turning from verdant forest
to mostly red, dry desert.
580
00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:04,960
The drying out of Australia is just
one more phase in the changing
history
581
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:06,400
of this continent...
582
00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:11,800
..that was born in the arms
of the giant Gondwana...
583
00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:21,920
..was flooded by sea
when that supercontinent broke up
584
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:25,760
and spent much of its life
attached to an unlikely twin...
585
00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:33,120
..before finally
becoming an island.
586
00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:40,640
Throughout all that, Australia
has been relentlessly
moving northwards
587
00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:43,120
and it's still going
588
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:47,240
which means Australia's
transformation isn't over yet.
589
00:47:47,240 --> 00:47:49,440
An unexpected fate awaits.
590
00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:59,360
You can already see signs of that
future by looking beyond Australia
591
00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,360
to the Indonesian waters
of the Banda Sea.
592
00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:03,400
Hi.
593
00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:04,680
Hi.
594
00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:06,080
Can I come in?
595
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:11,280
This is Mang, a member of the Bajau,
so-called sea-gypsies
596
00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:14,200
and masters of these waters.
597
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:18,640
He's taking me on a fishing trip
into the seas which are his home.
598
00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:29,280
He's completely gone.
599
00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:48,360
Mang makes it look effortless.
600
00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:54,800
And the Bajau can almost reach out
and take all they need from the sea.
601
00:49:02,920 --> 00:49:05,960
Because with over 2,000 species
of fish
602
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:09,680
and over 600 species of coral,
these waters,
603
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:14,760
known as the Coral Triangle, are the
most bio-diverse and productive in
the world.
604
00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:29,880
That was great! Ahh!
605
00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:35,440
Fish caught,
606
00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:39,080
Mang takes me to his village,
home to over a thousand Bajau
people,
607
00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:41,480
all living off the fruits
of the sea.
608
00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:48,080
So, there's lots of little fish
swimming around.
609
00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:52,480
Hello.
610
00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:55,320
Hello.
611
00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:57,800
Hello.
612
00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:01,400
I love this place. I mean, once you
get past the obvious oddity of it -
613
00:50:01,400 --> 00:50:03,080
all the houses are on stilts,
614
00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:06,320
and you get these treacherous planks
that you walk across -
615
00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:09,520
what you get is this feeling
of a real lively community.
616
00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:11,400
All these kids, it's fantastic.
617
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:14,800
You just forget
you're actually on the water.
618
00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:16,280
CHILDREN SHOUT
619
00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:19,120
But it means that all sorts of
things turn up in your back yard.
620
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:21,560
There is a snake.
Andwa.
621
00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:23,960
Andwa? It's a snake, then?
Yeah.
622
00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:26,320
Although Mang seems to relish that.
623
00:50:27,720 --> 00:50:29,720
CHILDREN SHOUT
624
00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:32,520
He's got the snake!
625
00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:36,440
It's not aggressive, but ten times
more poisonous than a rattlesnake.
626
00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:38,800
Well done, sir.
That's extraordinary.
627
00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:42,240
I'm not going to point out
any other sea snakes from now on.
628
00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:45,600
But sea snakes can't faze a man
629
00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:49,320
who's spent more of his life
at sea than on land.
630
00:50:50,560 --> 00:50:53,800
So, does anyone on this island
not like fish?
631
00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:01,560
There's no vegetarians or vegans
or something?!
632
00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:08,080
To find out why the waters here
are so rich,
633
00:51:08,080 --> 00:51:11,320
and what this can reveal
about the future of Australia,
634
00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:15,880
I'm going ashore,
to the nearby island of Wangi Wangi.
635
00:51:19,160 --> 00:51:21,600
The Bajau villages are strung out
636
00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:23,680
all the way along the coast
on this island.
637
00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:26,760
But I've come inland,
up here into the hills,
638
00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:29,360
to look for something
rather peculiar.
639
00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:35,560
Because, strangely, the key
to understanding the richness
640
00:51:35,560 --> 00:51:37,480
of the waters down there
641
00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:40,760
is the rock on this hill up here.
642
00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:44,960
This is what I've been looking
for here. It's coral.
643
00:51:44,960 --> 00:51:46,840
You can see a whole
kind of colony of polyps.
644
00:51:46,840 --> 00:51:49,520
There's another one here
and there's another...
645
00:51:49,520 --> 00:51:52,960
I mean, essentially, all of the grey
rock you can see is coral.
646
00:51:52,960 --> 00:51:56,400
Which is hardly something you expect
to see at the top of a hill.
647
00:51:56,400 --> 00:51:59,440
And that's because this
is an ancient coral reef
648
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,680
that's been uplifted above the sea.
649
00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:03,760
It's absolutely spectacular.
650
00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:08,320
And by looking
at this fossilised coral,
651
00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:11,600
I can find crucial clues
to the future of Australia.
652
00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:16,600
Strontium.
653
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:18,720
Three million years.
654
00:52:18,720 --> 00:52:20,360
A layer cake.
655
00:52:21,280 --> 00:52:23,240
The clams and corals in this reef
656
00:52:23,240 --> 00:52:26,200
are absolutely
exquisitely preserved. Beautiful.
657
00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:29,120
But what's really interesting
is the age of them.
658
00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:34,080
Scientists have dated these corals
with a form of element called
strontium,
659
00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:37,400
which builds up over time.
660
00:52:37,400 --> 00:52:41,280
And the age that they get
is less than three million years,
661
00:52:41,280 --> 00:52:44,520
which makes this reef
a geological infant.
662
00:52:47,800 --> 00:52:51,560
This means that this whole island
came up above the waves
663
00:52:51,560 --> 00:52:54,040
no more than
three million years ago.
664
00:52:55,720 --> 00:52:59,160
But the biggest surprise
is what lies beneath this reef.
665
00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:01,200
A layer cake of ancient strata.
666
00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:04,440
Beds of sand and mud
667
00:53:04,440 --> 00:53:06,680
that have built up
gradually over time
668
00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:09,120
in conditions of tranquillity
and stability.
669
00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:12,880
Those conditions
just aren't found, really,
670
00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:15,440
in the crumple zone
of Southeast Asia.
671
00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:19,040
Instead, they're absolutely
typical of one place -
672
00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:20,480
Australia.
673
00:53:23,720 --> 00:53:25,800
The implication's intriguing.
674
00:53:25,800 --> 00:53:28,560
These Wakatobi islands
are in Indonesia,
675
00:53:28,560 --> 00:53:31,680
so you just assume
that they're part of Asia.
676
00:53:31,680 --> 00:53:35,080
In fact, they're a fragment
of the Australian continent.
677
00:53:41,720 --> 00:53:44,280
It all points to one thing -
678
00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:49,840
that Australia has moved so far
north that it's colliding with Asia.
679
00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:53,440
Continent is now grinding directly
against continent.
680
00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:06,560
The reason why the collision of
these two continents creates such a
bounty of fish
681
00:54:06,560 --> 00:54:10,560
for the Bajau here, is all down
to the effect it has on the sea bed.
682
00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:16,360
As they smash together,
the crust gets fragmented and broken
683
00:54:16,360 --> 00:54:19,600
because some parts are denser,
stronger than others
684
00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:22,680
and the result is that
the sea floor around here
685
00:54:22,680 --> 00:54:25,040
turns into this uneven patchwork
of highs and lows.
686
00:54:27,200 --> 00:54:29,560
In a way, the sea bed
around here's a bit like this.
687
00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:32,400
If I pour some water
in to create a sea...
688
00:54:33,680 --> 00:54:36,720
When the sea level's low,
you get a series of isolated pockets
689
00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:40,080
and each one of those
has different conditions
690
00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:41,760
and so different species.
691
00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:46,040
But if sea level rises
and the water spills across
692
00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:48,120
then everything gets mixed.
693
00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:50,840
The thing is, the sea floor around
here is constantly shifting,
694
00:54:50,840 --> 00:54:52,480
constantly going up and down,
695
00:54:52,480 --> 00:54:55,760
and so you're always
revealing new pockets.
696
00:54:55,760 --> 00:54:58,360
And it's that separation, mixing,
separation, mixing,
697
00:54:58,360 --> 00:55:00,640
that drives evolution here so fast.
698
00:55:05,720 --> 00:55:12,120
And that's what, in turn,
creates these phenomenally rich seas
699
00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:14,520
and a way of life for these people.
700
00:55:14,520 --> 00:55:18,080
CHILDREN SHOUT
701
00:55:19,120 --> 00:55:23,800
Being in this place, here, now,
it's kind of a rare moment in time -
702
00:55:23,800 --> 00:55:29,360
a time when two continents are
starting to directly collide into
each other.
703
00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:36,640
But the effects of Australia's move
north
704
00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:41,960
are much, much bigger than the
fabulous haul of fish around these
islands.
705
00:55:41,960 --> 00:55:46,360
They're visible all along the
boundary where these two continents
meet
706
00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:50,360
as a startling variety
of dramatic natural phenomena.
707
00:55:58,520 --> 00:56:02,800
It's forced up many of the volcanoes
of Indonesia, even whole islands
708
00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:04,400
such as Timor.
709
00:56:09,520 --> 00:56:13,160
And on the Pacific side,
in Papua New Guinea,
710
00:56:13,160 --> 00:56:17,360
it's thrust up entire new mountain
ranges as high as Europe's Alps.
711
00:56:25,520 --> 00:56:27,560
And the action isn't over,
712
00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:29,160
not by any means,
713
00:56:29,160 --> 00:56:32,040
because this is Australia's future.
714
00:56:32,040 --> 00:56:34,800
To effectively become
a part of Asia.
715
00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:42,440
It's impossible to tell exactly how
that collision will pan out
716
00:56:42,440 --> 00:56:44,240
but a likely version of events
717
00:56:44,240 --> 00:56:48,920
is that Australia crushes the
islands of Indonesia into Vietnam,
718
00:56:48,920 --> 00:56:52,440
pushes on into China
and sideswipes Japan.
719
00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:55,600
One thing's for sure -
720
00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:59,720
Australia's brief existence
as an island continent
721
00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:01,560
is coming to an end.
722
00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:10,320
Australia's destiny is to become
much more like this place -
723
00:57:10,320 --> 00:57:13,080
Indonesia.
724
00:57:13,080 --> 00:57:17,720
No longer isolated
and with a lush climate once again.
725
00:57:25,520 --> 00:57:28,920
What's happening now is the biggest
change in the history of Australia,
726
00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:31,720
and it's happening
right before our eyes.
727
00:57:31,720 --> 00:57:36,840
Of course, eventually, all of this
will be utterly transformed.
728
00:57:36,840 --> 00:57:39,560
For a geologist,
it makes it just so exciting
729
00:57:39,560 --> 00:57:43,960
because this is one of the most
dynamic places on the planet.
730
00:57:49,000 --> 00:57:52,480
And it's all down to the slow and
steady movement of the one continent
731
00:57:52,480 --> 00:57:56,560
that's always been considered
quiet and stable.
732
00:57:56,560 --> 00:58:01,040
For so long, Australia was thought
of as dry, unchanging, isolated,
733
00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:03,880
but its story
is so very different from that.
734
00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:06,640
In the past,
it was twinned with Antarctica.
735
00:58:06,640 --> 00:58:09,440
And its future's in the making
as it merges with Asia
736
00:58:09,440 --> 00:58:13,600
to become this tropical land
of forest and mountains.
737
00:58:13,600 --> 00:58:18,080
That's why, for me, Australia is the
most surprising continent of all.
738
00:58:41,040 --> 00:58:44,040
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