From the Coat of Arms to Sundown

Why are the Kangaroo and Emu on the Australian Coat of Arms and not other Australian animals?

The Red Kangaroo and Emu that support the shield are the unofficial animal emblems Australia. The reasons they are picked rather than other Australian animals is:

• that they are native to Australia, and are found only in Australia (except in zoos, wildlife parks etc in other countries)


• neither animal can walk backwards, and because of this they have come to represent progress and an unwillingness to back down.

The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912. The current version differs from the original as it has a spray of wattle behind it and the shield shows symbols of each state of Australia.

The term ‘coat of arms’ refers to the 11th to 15th century custom of displaying the arms on a tunic or coat worn over armour.

If dawn is the coldest part of the night why isn’t sundown the hottest part of the day?

The hottest part of the day is around 2 hours after noon because the heat doesn’t come directly from the sun but from the rock and soil re-radiating the heat. This means when the sun is at its peak at noon it still takes a couple of hours for us to feel its full strength. As the sun starts to go down again after noon, the heat from the sun diminishes so by the time it is sunset the earth has started to cool down due to less heat coming from the sun.