Hi RodDeb, yes, the last three photos are Iridomyrmex purpureus, but the first two are Camponotus aeneopilosus (about the same size but black with golden fuzz on the gaster, which looks a orangy-coloured in the photos). Can you turn this into two seperate observations? Cheers, Jon
No worries. And, by the way, the second photo here shows typical territorial display between two different meat ant colonies. The way the ants are standing up really high on their legs and holding themselves in a stiff posture is part of their ritualised fighting display where they assert ownership of a territory without having to actually fight each other. There is nice information on this at the following link. Cheers, Jon https://antwiki.org/wiki/Ritualised_fighting_in_Iridomyrmex_purpureus