| Having lived all around this beautiful country, I have | | | | quiet or gentle about their lovemaking. What a racket |
| been blessed to see much of the wildlife at close | | | | they make. |
| range. | | | | This house also had a surplus of lizards and snakes. |
| Some people are not at home with animals, especially | | | | After being there for over a year and suspecting |
| wildlife, but I think that this is mostly out of | | | | there was a snake in a little alcove near the door, I |
| unfamiliarity and fear. When you are around it a lot, | | | | came to finally meet this creature one morning as I |
| you tend to value the exposure. | | | | was heading off to work. Down she slid onto the |
| As a child, the main types of wildlife I was exposed | | | | veranda and was huge, majestically so. We came to |
| to, in their natural environment, were brown and | | | | see her often after that. |
| black snakes, and kangaroos. The snakes I kept a | | | | One of my favourite swimming spots is a river about |
| wide berth from, both being venomous. I loved the | | | | half an hour from Tamworth. This place has literally |
| roos, watching them in the paddocks, despite them | | | | saved me a couple of times, during the darkest |
| being cursed by the farmers for eating all the crops. | | | | periods of my life. The platypus is a shy and gentle |
| Living on a tropical island in North Queensland for a | | | | river swimmer but because I was often out there |
| couple of years left me regularly exposed to green | | | | alone, making no noise if sitting by the bank writing, I |
| tree snakes and pythons, neither of which are life | | | | managed to watch them a couple of times at close |
| threatening. The tree snakes wound their way up | | | | range. I felt very special for such a gift. |
| through the forest trees at all sorts of angles. I | | | | Sadly a lot of people only see wildlife in zoos or as |
| always found them graceful. The pythons were | | | | road kill, where kangaroos, wallabies or wombats |
| enormous. Walking island tracks with friends late at | | | | have ventured onto the roads and been hit by a car. |
| night, it was not unusual to have to wait for a | | | | Wombats don't stand a chance really, as they slowly |
| python to finish crossing the road in front of us, and | | | | waddle across. My uncle once had a wombat. He |
| not being able to see either end. I grew to love | | | | found her as a babe and brought her up. She was |
| them, though it still always breaks my heart to see | | | | called Wendy the wombat. As an adult Wendy took |
| them confined as pets. | | | | herself off to live in the nearby bush. But returned a |
| Nearby on the mainland, a friend and I were chased | | | | few years later to say hello with her whole family, |
| one day by a huge goanna as we unknowingly | | | | then toddled off back to the bush. What a beautiful |
| ventured too close to her home. A good reminder | | | | thing. |
| that we all share this Earth. | | | | This morning while driving up to the nearby village, I |
| In the Northern Territory, there was no swimming in | | | | was saddened to see a dead wallaby beside the road |
| the McArthur River near Borroloola due to crocs. We | | | | and the body of her babe that had been thrown |
| saw quite a few. It is wild country up there. One of | | | | from its pouch, while still an embryo really, no fur yet |
| my jobs at a nearby resort, which was really more | | | | covering its little body. |
| like a bush camp, and a rough one at that, was to | | | | I do see a lot of live wallabies here too though |
| remove the green tree frogs from the cistern of the | | | | thankfully. They are sweet little animals. |
| toilets every day. After doing this once and seeing | | | | Last week while on the phone being interviewed for |
| them all back the next day, I realised what a futile | | | | a vegan magazine, I watched a red-belly black snake |
| effort it was, so left them in peace. They just hung | | | | slither past me, only a couple of metres away. They |
| on with their webbed feet if the water was flushed | | | | are quite gentle, the red-bellies, though still not to be |
| down into the loo. | | | | trifled with due to their venom. |
| Driving through the Territory down to Perth, there | | | | Possums are about here too, as they are in many |
| were emus, camels and dingoes along the way too. | | | | places. I have written more about possums in my |
| And watching flocks of cockatoos flying freely is | | | | article 'Furry Friends'. I love the cheeky things. |
| always a heart-lifting thing. | | | | Green frogs leave their droppings on my veranda |
| Perth brought its sunsets over the Indian Ocean and | | | | some nights and as I write this, two baby ones are |
| with that, dolphins galore. Whales were also plentiful | | | | on the window here. |
| during the right season. It was understandably | | | | Lizards hang out in the sun on the rickety bridge over |
| beautiful. | | | | the creek and hide underneath whenever we drive |
| While living up in the Gold Coast hinterlands, there | | | | over it. |
| were kookaburras landing on our veranda each day, | | | | One of the most powerful documentaries I have |
| as well as peacocks roaming freely in the bush down | | | | ever seen is called Earthlings and is available online. It |
| the back. | | | | is incredibly confronting as it looks at man's |
| Backing onto Cooper Park in Sydney's Eastern | | | | dependence on the animal world for food, clothing, |
| Suburbs, my delights were the golden orb spiders, | | | | research and entertainment. Yet despite the tragic |
| with webs so strong you could lift them to go under, | | | | reality of what you will view, it is also a beautiful film |
| and the lizards. I love watching lizards. | | | | in its own way in that it reminds us all of the beauty |
| One of the most prolific homes for wildlife though | | | | of animals and of their right to live on the Earth too. I |
| was in the bush in Northern NSW. Here we had a bat | | | | highly recommend this documentary to anyone. |
| come in for a while then left. Koalas were so | | | | We share the Earth with all of these creatures. It is |
| abundant that you could walk out the back door and | | | | their home too. Wildlife is not to be feared, but |
| search up in the trees, with a good chance of seeing | | | | respected. |
| one, or standing on the front veranda and taking a | | | | When I look out the window here at a wallaby on |
| photo of one not far away. Not all Aussies get such | | | | the driveway, frogs on the window and lizards down |
| close contact with them in their natural environment. | | | | on the bridge, I am in great company. |
| Yet while it was quite beautiful and romantic to be | | | | Yes, I am blessed. We all are. |
| able to have koalas living so nearby, there is nothing | | | | |