The KaiKai Book

Research from The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s Evolutionary Ecology team combines cultural and scientific knowledge to reveal plant stories from the past. Genetic studies of Castanospermum australe (the black bean) discovered that its unexpected distribution pattern in NSW is the result of humans deliberately dispersing this tree to new places.

Soldiers patroling Australia's remote north west coast survive by eating bush tucker from the land, including turtle eggs and insects. The surveillance unit, known as NORFORCE, monitors the country's borders to prevent foreign fishing vessels, drug traders and boats of asylum seekers from docking on Australia's shores. The taskforce patrols 1.8 million square kms, the largest of any military unit in the world, and can be stationed there for months. Report by Sarah Johnston.

Badger Bates, a Baarkindji man from Western NSW, explains how traditional Aboriginal people found water in an arid environment, such as following animals to water or identifying signs left by other people. He also demonstrates a traditional technique for reducing wastage while transporting water in a coolamon.