Townsville: A Birding Paradise

After a week of birding, Townsville’s avian diversity still overwhelms me. My 1997 copy of The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, written by Graham Pizzy and illustrated by Frank Knight, lis...

Dingo Control, Birding at JCU, and Wallace’s Line

In mid-morning, Vilis and I met Chris Johnson in the biology building at James Cook University. Chris introduced Vilis to his office and showed us a map of Australia speckled with black dots. The dots...

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...