A Summer Party in Koalaland — Lee Barwood

Back in the Long-Ago, a gentle period long after the Dreamtime yet before the modern world, there was a place known as Koalaland. It was a peaceful place, Koalaland, tucked away between the Outback and the Never-Never, safe and quiet, as befits a region in which the sleepy koala drowses and wakes occasionally to feast on gum leaves and remember the grand old days. One wonderful summer day, however, everyone was excited. A baby koala--a joey--had come out of his mother's pouch for the first time, and everyone was in the mood for a celebration to mark the occasion. In these vintage photos, shot in the Long-Ago, when eucalyptus trees were tall and plentiful and koalas drowsed in their heights, you can join in the fun as the koalas and their friends, other animal residents of the Australian bush, come to the party. Colorful page backdrops, designed by Joanne Ehrich to evoke the feel of a summer picnic, set off with a splash these images of native Australian animals from days gone by.