MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Gloria]

Australian antechinus?

[Stanley]

Sorry Gloria but no. (But you're on the right continent.), much bigger than one of them.

[Wendyf]

Is it a bandicoot?

[Big Kev]

Is it a Quokka?

[Stanley]

No Wendy, Kev has it but I want to know what is peculiar about it's domicile...... That's badly worded, where does it live and what's notable about it.

[Stanley]

Nobody appears to want to tell me about the Quokka's home.....

[Big Kev]

I had to look it up, Wikipedia says

The quokka's range is a small area of southwestern Australia. They inhabit some smaller islands off the coast of Western Australia, particularly Rottnest Island just off Perth and Bald Island near Albany. Isolated, scattered populations also exist in forest and coastal heath between Perth and Albany. A small colony inhabits a protected area of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, where they co-exist with the critically endangered Gilbert's potoroo.

[Stanley]

Well done Kev. That's more than I knew, I was told they were confined to Rottnest Island which is where I saw them. They are very tame, you can go right up to them in the wild.
Next object?

[Cathy]

Tourists often lay on the ground, waiting for the Quokka to come to them , then take a selfie.
Quokka’s often look like they are smiling. Very cute.

[Stanley]

There was a fashion at one time for students to go to Rottnest and use Quokkas as footballs but I think that might have died out. I hope so!



What is it?

[Stanley]

No takers?

[Stanley]

You've seen it before. David's favourite.....

[Tripps]

Aah - the penny drops - must be a 'knurler' of some sort?

[Stanley]

Correct! A home-made knurling tool.
Next one?

[Stanley]

What are these?

[Wendyf]

Fulling machines?

[Stanley]

Yes Wendy, fulling stocks at Helmshore. I thought they had a chance but you lot are getting educated now!

[Stanley]

What's happening here?

[Tizer]

Confirming the power of a vacuum? Or is it an advert for medieval superglue?

[Big Kev]

I'm with Tizer on that. The Magdeburg experiment?

[Stanley]

Correct.... Otto von Guericke, German scientist of Magdeburg who invented the air pump and demonstrated the power of a vacuum.



What's happening here and where?

[Gloria]

The Magdeburg one was a good one.

[Stanley]

Good! How about this one Gloria?

[Tizer]

Does it involve a Scottish island?

[Stanley]

It sounds as though you have cracked it Peter. Yes.....