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...

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...