In an article last month I wrote:
The other day while strolling around some Sydney suburbs I came across
a couple of bunya nuts on the footpath. Well, I guess they were bunya
nuts: larger than a human head, with a pineapple texture, and something

As luck would have it, there was a short story on bunya nuts on the
Ch. 10 afternoon program 'Totally Wild'. The bunya tree is thought to
originate back in the time of the dinosaurs and has characteristic
leaves: hard with razor sharp edges. The tree can grow 4 or 5 cones,
and each takes 3 years to develop to maturity. Each contains up to
100 nuts which in their shell appear to me something like Brazil nuts
in their shell, but of a lighter colour.

Many thanks to those who replied. Next year in late January I'll be
prepared for a feast!

The macadamia bounty this year has been disappointing--a consequence
of the drought. The kernels, few in number and small and spongy, were
nevertheless still edible.
--
John Savage (newsgroup email invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)