Hello Keypals,

Thank you the last letter you sent us.

We have some information about the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was established in 1975, and is the largest marine protected area in the world.

The area of the Marine Park is approximately 384 700 square kilometres.

It is over 2 000 kilometres in length, running from just north of Bundaberg, Queensland to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula.

The Marine Park contains some 2,900 reef which include 760 fringing reefs, and 300 coral cays, including:
* 213 non - vegetated cays
* 43 vegetated cays
* 44 low wooded islands.
There are also 618 continental islands, which were once part of the mainland.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest system of corals and associated plants and animals in the world, and is home to approximately:
* 1500 species of fish
* 400 species of corals
* 4 000 species of molluscs
* 500 species of seaweed
* 215 species of birds
* 16 species of seasnakes
* 6 species of turtles that breed in the area, and
* the largest populations of dugong in the world.

Statistics concerning tourism and fishing have been difficult to estimate during the past few years of rapid expansion in both industries. However, it is generally accepted that tourism generated by the Great Barrier Reef contributes is excess of 1 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy.

The commercial fishing industry, with approximately 3 700 commercial fishers and 1 400 vessels operating along the Great Barrier Reef, has a direct annual economic value of between $150 million and $200 million.

Waiting for your reply,

Your penpals Kylee, Josh and Rebecca
Andergrove State School
Mackay, Queensland
Australia

Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1998 11:55:05 +1000

Dear Friends

Whale watching is an important income for the economy of Hervey Bay.

A fleet of passenger launches travel out 2 hours into the bay to see humpback whales returning from calving on the Great Barrier Reef to the Antarctic Ocean.

The humpbacks spend some time in Hervey Bay giving people from the local area and tourists from Japan, Taiwan, Germany and England to watch them from the boats.

The whales breach or leap out of the water to 6 metres or slap the water with their tails.

Miss Amelia Davis, Miss Sophie Barrera
Pialba State school
Hervey Bay, Queensland
Australia

To our Bombay penpals.

About half the class have seen the following animals in the bush where they live in rural areas around Hervey Bay or have visited National Parcks, including the Platerpus. The most popular is the Koala. We have many snakes like the Death Adder, Taipan and the Brown Snake. Some of the birds in our local area are the Emu, Kookaburra and the Indian Myha.

Miss Monica Talor
Pialba State school
Hervey Bay, Queensland
Australia

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Dear Mrs Bharti Shah and class,

I am going to tell you more about possums, gliders and kangaroos.

A possum is very small when it is born. It moves around in it's mothers pouch until it is old enough to leave her.

Gliders have a piece of skin which allows them to glide from tree to tree. A glider also has to carry its young around in it pouch.

The kangaroo hops around using his long tail and very big feet. The biggest of all the kangaroo family is the red kangaroo which stands about six feet tall.

Like both the possum and the glider the kangaroo has a pouch. Only female mammals have a pouch.

From Tim (3J boy)
Clairgate Public School
New South Wales, Australia

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Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 13:51:25 +1000

Hello again! Thank you for your latest e-mail and picture.

We have many strange and wonderful native animals in Australia. Today we will tell you about one of the animals on Australia's Coat of Arms- the kangaroo.

The kangaroo has a long muscular tail and hindlimbs which are considerably larger than their forelimbs.They move on four legs when moving slowly by having their front paws and tail on the ground to support the body while both rear legs are swung forward. The tail is also used for balance when upright on their rear legs. Their feet have a greatly enlarged fourth toe which has a strong nail.

All species of kangaroos are herbivorous, that is, they only eat plant and thus have teeth which are specially adapted for this purpose.

The life span for kangaroos and wallabies is between 15 to 20 years. The kangaroo can travel up to speeds of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour. The kangaroo can leap a long way in one bound.

Most kangaroos prefer a habitat of open woodlands, grasslands and rocky environments.

Meagan, Cayla, Jayde and Brad
Andergrove State School
Mackay, Queensland
Australia