QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

There and here …

In the course of collecting a massive quantity of images for this book from many sources, there emerged an opportunity for a little ‘compare and contrast’ – a visual underscoring, in a way, of some of the key differences and similarities between Germany and Queensland. These counterpoints can be found throughout the book, notably in the opening and closing pages, and are served as an amuse-bouche – a ‘visual kleine Vorspeise ’ – their dual purpose being to amuse the editor and prompt you the reader to contemplate the journey on which we now embark.

harris / shutterstock.com j schelkle / shutterstock.com

sherianne talon / shutterstock.com ultimathule / shutterstock.com

Northern Germany in the icy grip of mid-winter is a far cry from even the frostiest of mornings on the Darling Downs or in the rocky uplands of the Granite Belt. More typical are the dry grassy slopes of the scrub-cleared ridges in the Bunya Mountains near Murgon, about 270km northwest of Brisbame. Conversely, the farmland of Baden-Württemberg, glowing gold with raps (rape-seed) crops above, appears at first glance lushly similar to the fertile plains of the Lockyer Valley (right) although the latter’s dense natural covering of vine-tangled and reptile-infested scrub was not quite so inviting.

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