I wondered what was wrong with this picture of the site that commemorates the baptism of Jesus – look closely and you will see that the trees are distinctly unbiblical..this could almost be any river in Australia. Those are eucalytus. Much of coastal swamp and plain was regenerated in the late part of the 19th century by planting gums in the swampy bits. They grew fast and sucked up all the water, turning the swamps into dry land – sort of similar to Moses turning the seafloor into dry land. Now doesn’t that make every Aussie feel all warm and fuzzy, that the Holy Land is now clothed in towering gums – but I did see wattlles in full bloom too, as it was spring.
It would make a great Dreamtime story – fortunately there are no crocs in the river, and very few malarial mosquitos either!
