One thing that has become clear to me on this journey is that we have some amazing things here on Norfolk Island – species that are rare and perhaps even endangered. Some species that are endemic to this island, and some that may even be new to science...
We swing off our distancing tack and head for Mud Islands, over water less than one metre deep. It’s strange to feel all at sea, but know you could jump overboard and still stand with your head above water...
Once there was a time when more of us knew the language of wild places, when we could hear the songs of the wind, the language of birds, when we could follow the braille of tiny marsupials wending their paths, when our vision was wider, when we were immersed within the great conversation of the wild...
With the sun gently embracing us, my daughter and I head out for a minibeast adventure in the suburbs. We walk to our local park. There are no traditional plastic or metal playgrounds here; rather, it has natural vegetation, open grassy areas, large boulders to clamber on and lots of bugs...
Victoria’s box-ironbark forests are magic. Whatever time of year you visit, their beauty is evident. The rugged, gnarled trunks of the ironbarks stand black as if they’ve clung to their night-time colour scheme despite the breaking of day...
To me, the walk, and especially the seat, is a magical place, peaceful and full of life, with a wonderful view of hills and valleys, becoming paler in the distance...
I can see now why appreciating and protecting rainforests is so necessary. If Victorian rainforests aren’t valued as they are now, intact and beautiful and full of life, then they’re even more vulnerable to the wide range of threats that currently exist, such as overexploitation and climate change...
The positive impact Landcare groups have on the environment is well known (and can be easily measured by things like total number of trees planted). But Landcare’s contribution to a community’s social fabric has remarkably less awareness...
No matter how any day or night transpires, the simple act of patience, slowing to observe the tiny details of nature’s wonders, helps to put you at ease. It took an accidental encounter with a spider for me to truly appreciate that...
