Australian nature meets science and art. By Paula Peeters
This story starts and ends with a duck. It also includes volcanoes, subtropical rainforest, an idyllic lake and a team of dedicated scientists. But let’s begin with the duck. I met the duck in Germany, in 2008. The lovely … Continued
Forty-two years ago, Nonie Metzler’s property at Jones Hill (near Gympie) was a cleared paddock where cattle grazed. Since that time, the eucalypt grassy woodland that once graced the site before clearing has been making a steady comeback. Firstly, through … Continued
She didn’t need much. While I was busy with my own small worries, my own daily life, this last two years, she was just quietly getting on with her own. I didn’t know it, but she was less than a … Continued
Freshwater National Park smells burnt, but it looks lush green. I can hear the sleepy chortles of lorikeets, somewhere up in the bloodwoods. It’s late afternoon, on a hot January day. Maybe they’ve had too much sun, or too much … Continued
I was sitting on a nearly-deserted Bribie Island beach last week, with only sand, sea, and bushland all around. An osprey was hunting nearby, and a few terns drifted past. The tide was up, and we’d just been for a … Continued