They are on the Australian coat of arms because they don't take a backward step and, true to form, this emu wasn't about to let a bit of floodwater spoil its day.
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Spotted near Nelson Bay Road at Williamtown on Thursday, Eric the emu - or Kevin depending on who you listen to - didn't look too perturbed by the fact that his paddock had been drenched with about 180mm of rain in the past few days.
"The paddock's usually got cattle in it and each day the kids and my husband and I try and spot the emu," Lauren Davidson said of her daily trip between Newcastle and Medowie.
"He's usually pretty elusive so to see him near the road was a bit different.
"We've got no idea if it's a male or female but we reckon he's a boy and we call him Eric, although there are some who think he's Kevin.
"There's a lot of bad news happening in the world at the moment so hopefully this photo lightens the day of a few people."