Remembering our shared past: a ride through the jungle on an Army Duck

The amphibious Army Duck gave a group of tourists a ride through the jungle at Kuranda in Australia's tropical Northern Territory. We bumped along a rutted track, looking at basket ferns, blueberry ginger, and some of the many poisonous plants that grow in the world's oldest rainforest. The vehicle became a boat and we travelled through muddy brown waters before emerging onto a rough track.

Like many other human inventions that we use daily and with less awareness of their history, this vehicle was devised for use in war.