Red-bellied Black Snakes

The ambience of Townsville at 6:10 a.m. struck me as being muted – the muted “doodle-doos” of peaceful doves tucked against the receding night, the muted air still and thick with humidity, the m...

Billabong Sanctuary, Townsville

At 8 a.m., Vilis and I presented ourselves at the entrance to Billabong Sanctuary, which subtitles itself an ‘Australian Wildlife Experience’ and is located 11 kilometres south of Townsville on th...

Australian Skinks

When I left the house at 6 a.m., I spotted honeyeaters congregated on overhead wires, silent, awaiting the sun. And today, like yesterday, we did have sun, the sky mostly clear, the air still and warm...

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...