It is now common to encounter deer sign on our evening walks though when we moved here a quarter century ago it was exceeding rare: you could search all day for sign and yet be in doubt. Now FOUR species of deer inhabit the forests behind us: red, sambar, fallow and hog deer. During WW1 […]
On Sunday I noticed one of these (a Grey Butcher Bird) killing one of these (an Indian Spotted Dove) as I emerged from my shift at the Yinnar General Store. The former are fearsome predators of small birds and other critters, often impaling their carcasses on branches, etc in order to devour them later, but
Facsimile CoverWhen I was a lad I thrilled to the works of Ion Idriess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_Idriess (and Nevil Shute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute ‘A Town Like Alice’, ‘On the Beach’, etc) I still wonder at his retelling of the Kidman story (‘The Cattle King’) I confess I have not read the wonderful book reviewed so capably here: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2011/09/ion-idriess-and-the-desert-column/ regarding
(VICTOR FRANK) LAWRENCE JONES (25/04/2015 – 28/07/1963). My beloved dad would have been 100 years old today (having been born on the first Anzac Day), if he had not been stolen from us just days before my fourteenth birthday (brain cancer) fifty two years ago. Tomorrow I will be able for the first time to
Everywhere just behind where we live at Jeeralang Junction there are endless miles of forestry tracks. Some are very beautiful making anything you might find on those famous hikes in Tasmania fade into insignificance. For us, it is only a matter of a few minutes’ drive to be somewhere we can let the dogs run
Yesterday afternoon on the Wirilda Track. We spent a couple of hours or so walking downstream (& back) along the Tyers River from the W3 Track. I should have taken more photos. Forgot my camera, and forgot that my phone has a camera. Wirilda is a well-made and pleasant track with many lovely views of
A ‘correspondent’ writes: I returned from yesterday’s foray with these two. This afternoon my daughter was alarmed at what she saw as injuries to my right arm, what to me were just scratches, or badges of pride. Swinging my machete, the blasted ‘lawyer’ or ‘wait a while’ vine (so named ‘cause it won’t let go!) cut
A reader writes: ‘Spent another seven hours yesterday pushing ever closer to this ‘lost’ treasure. From the top fall, the prostrate scrub was unbelievably thick for the next kilometre or so. I was wondering whether I should give up. I guess I spent three hours hacking my way through it, then after about another kilometre
It would be nice to see a lot more of these (and the same goes for eg riverbanks). I am sick to death of people being allowed to blot out the landscape with their monstrous tasteless, flashy holiday homes, condos, restaurants etc. I am all for banning of all permanent buildings, towns, cities, villages along
River Crossings: This is one of the most fraught parts of hiking. I have seen so many people come to grief doing this (and have had to arrange emergency air rescue for a number who foolishly injured themselves). For example, many folks will spend lots of time trying to find a log to cross on.
