An echidna in the desert grew angry that he only received scraps of food while caring for the children. He uprooted the giant tree that provided shade for all the animals. As he carried the tree away, the animals realized they would die in the hot sun without shade. They threw weapons at the echidna to make him stop, injuring his feet and covering him in spears. The tree fell and its branches stuck in the ground, providing new small trees. The echidna died from his injuries and was buried amongst rocks. To this day, echidnas have spears on their backs and shuffle with bent feet, hunting for ants in the rocks, as the story of how the desert landscape

2. Away out in the middle of the desert, there
once grew a huge tree.
It was so big, that it shaded the whole land
from the scorching sun.

3. All the animals lived in the shade of this tree.
Each day they would hunt for food, while old
echidna stayed behind. He looked after the
children.

4. Each time, when the animals returned with the
food, they would give the children the tastiest
bits – but poor old Echidna got only the scraps.

5. This made Echidna very angry! He grabbed
hold of that giant shade tree and shook it. He
pulled it. And, with a might tug, tore it right
out of the ground – roots and all.

6. He put the tree on his back and stomped off.
Soon, the animals realized that their shade was
moving and that they would die of thirst in the
hot sun.

7. They chased after Echidna, and begged him to
stop. They begged him to put the tree back.

8. But he just marched on in anger. The animals
threw a boomerang. Surely that would stop
him!

9. But it didn’t. It hit him on the feet and broke
his toes

10. But he still shuffled on!
At last , the animals hurled their spears.

11. Echidna howled in pain. Soon, he was
completely covered with spears.

12. The giant tree crashed to the ground. It rolled
over and over across the plain – and its huge
branches broke off and stuck into the ground.

13. Poor echidna lay dying. Soon the animals
began to feel sorry for him. Cockatoo flew up
and asked, “Where would you like to be
buried?”

14. In an antbed? In a clump of spinifex grass? In
between some rocks? Echidna chose the rocks.
When he died, the animals buried him there
and covered him up. Only the spears were
sticking out.

15. To this day, echidnas have spears on their
backs. They still shuffle about on little bent and
broken feet, as they hunt for ants amongst the
rocks.

16. The animals, too, still live in the desert. They
hunt in the shade of the small trees that grew
from the branches of that one giant tree.

17. And they will never die of thirst, because water
filled up the hole left by the shade tree- and
made a huge lake called Nongra.

18. 4/3F Visual Arts Team
Chief Artist – Jessica Kim
Supported by:
• Nirusan
• Eva
• Nancy
• Jiazhen