Impressions of Townsville

On my morning run/walk, poinciana flowers were drenched flames strewn across dark pavement, and a black lab romped through pools of water adjacent to the path, enjoying the residue of last night’s d...

Stingers, Crocs, Tree Ants, and Mozzies

At 5:30 a.m., while I sat on the toilet, a 15-centimetre-long pale green gecko clung to a vertical wall beyond the open door of the loo. The soft-skinned reptile’s toes were splayed wide, its tail a...

Paluma Rainforest, North Queensland

By 9:15 a.m., Vilis and I were on our way to the highland village of Paluma and its rainforest 65 kilometres north of Townsville and 22 kilometres inland. Highway A1, the Bruce Highway, carried us nor...

Townsville’s Queens Gardens and Geckos

In steady rain, Vilis and I drove to Townsville’s Queens Gardens in early morning, the peak of Castle Hill shrouded in cloud above us. Entering the gardens at Gregory Street, we passed a coconut...