Down Under Day 17: Featured Author Pelaam, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day and Contest Info

Welcome, Pelaam!

It’s Day 17 of our Down Under Author Showcase, and our featured writer today is Pelaam.  Pelaam is an author of paranormal, magical and supernatural tales of love and romance.  Check out all their stories, books and bio on Pelaam’s Down Under Author page that follows shortly.

Pelaam marks the midway point in our Down Under Author Showcase.  Have you missed a day?  Go back and double check that you have made the acquaintance of each and every one of these marvelous authors!  And don’t forget to enter Bottom Drawer Publications contest on our Down Under Author Showcase page on the menu!

Now onto our Down Under Facts of the Day!  As our author is from New Zealand, that country goes first today!

New Zealand Facts of the Day:

1. The longest place name in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill in Hawkes Bay,  New Zealand.   That’s Cape Kidnappers to the right in Hawkes Bay.

and

2.  New Zealand has more Scottish pipe bands per capita than any other country in the world.

Australia Fact of the Day!

1. The first photos from the 1969 moon landing were beamed to the rest of the world from Honeysuckle Tracking Station, near Canberra.   This story was told in the wonderful Australian movie, The Dish.   Catch it on demand or DVD.

2. There were over one million feral camels in outback Australia, until the government launched the $19m Feral Camel Management Program, which aims to keep the pest problem under control.
Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia.

Australian feral camels, are feral populations of two species of camel; *Guess what day it is…it’s Hump Day”) mostly dromedaries(Camelus dromedarius) but also some bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus). Imported into Australia from Arabia, India and Afghanistan^[1] during the 19th century for transport and construction during the colonisation of the central and western parts of Australia, many were released into the wild after motorised transport replaced the camels’ role in the early 20th, forming a fast-growing feral population.