Recreating the Country
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    • Design to restore lost biodiversity >
      • Diversity >
        • Making a list of plants for revegetation
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      • Location - connections
      • Blueprint for Recreating the Counrty
    • Biodiversity and profit >
      • Designing for profit
    • Managing sustainable biorich landscapes
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    • Indigenous flora of the Geelong district >
      • Indigenous plants - what & why
      • Acacias, wattles of the Geelong Region
      • Acacias - the cafes of the bush
      • Allocasuarinas/drooping sheoaks, Black Sheoak & Callitris glaucophylla/cypress-pine
      • Bursaria spinosa, Sweet Bursaria
      • Eucalypts, The Sentinals
      • Exocarpos cupressiformis, Cherry Ballart
      • Moonah, Melaleuca lanceolata
      • Small riparian myrtles
      • Wedge-leaf/Giant Hop-bush, Dodonaea viscosa
      • Wild Plants of Inverleigh
      • Tree Violet - as tenacious as a terrier
    • Nurseryman's diary >
      • Regent Honeyeater - a good news story
      • Give me a home among the gum trees
      • Symbiotic fungi
      • The joys of seed collecting
      • Landcare, who cares?
      • The last Silver Banksia
      • Neds Corner
      • River Red Gums and the Tuscan monks
  • be Entertained
    • Stories for children >
      • Amie and the intoxicated kangaroos
      • The Little Green Caterpillar
      • B'emus'ed - a Christmas tale of bursairas and emus
    • Stories about the natural world >
      • Brushtail
      • Cormorant
      • Eastern Bettongs. 'Truffle junkies' or 'ecosystem engineers'
      • Richards Sweet Rewards
      • Coxy's Curse
      • How the River Red Gum came to be - A dreamtime story
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Nature and human health
Humans have evolved in a natural world and need contact with nature for their emotional
& physical wellbeing

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August 2019
Nature and human health

We are far more fully alive when we experience nature. This is when all our senses are working together
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A resilient and biodiverse 'wild Australia' is fundamental to our health and well being as humans
living on this remarkable southern continent.


Click here to read more
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October 2019
Putting NATURE back into the nature-strip. Part 1

City dwellers would benefit from beautiful nature strips planted with native plants. Its good for human health and would reduce the carbon footprint of Australian cities

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December 2019
Putting NATURE  back into the nature-strip.
Part 2
Individually designed nature-strips have the exciting potential of being colourful mosaics of personal expression. An organic form of street art that could define a street, a town and a municipality

Sustainable design
Designing landscapes by mimicking nature & adding income streams without decreasing biodiversity.

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​June 2024

'Recreating the Country' book launch on the Bellarine Peninsula
​
by guest blogger
​Christina Carter
Have you ever wondered what a pardalote, a Spotted-tailed Quoll, a Brown Snake or even a Red Fox really has to say…?
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April 2019​

Biodiversity & profit. Creative thinkers pushing the boundaries
​

Two inspiring enterprises;

1. Growing and harvesting commercial wattle seed for food and flavouring
2. Planting seed orchards for harvesting native seed for revegetation
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March 2019
Biodiverisity and profit

Building income streams into biodiversity. With so many of our wildlife drifting toward extinction, making some income from biodiversity will encourage landowers to transform landscapes and restore lost habitats?
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February 2019

Revegetation - mimicking nature
Mimicking nature is the key to recreating natural biodiverse sustainable landscapes. If we use nature as our guide, all the ingredients will be built in for wildlife to thrive.
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April 2020

Biodiversity & forestry
- it wasn't love at first site


The story of ImLal near Ballarat - a unique demonstration plantation that successfully combines biodiversity and forestry. 
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August 2020

Paddock Trees - part 1 Their beauty and their bounty

Old trees support wildlife in so many ways. This blog gives insights into how important it is to protect them
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​October 2020

Paddock Trees - part 2 Their economic benefits on farms

Two parts to this blog;
1. A modern Landcare fable
2. How protecting paddock trees benefits a farming enterprise
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November 2020

Paddock Trees - part 3 How to protect, regenerate and replant

Recommended strategies to encourage mature trees to regenerate and how to replant paddock trees on rural landscapes
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May 2024

Paddock trees support the island hoppers
Paddock trees are the ‘vegetation islands’ in open farmland that provide homes for many wildlife and sleepovers for migrating species.

Connecting with nature one plant at a time series
-
going wild in isolation

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May 2020

Chocolate Lily, Arthropodium structum

A small scented lily that’s perfect for rockeries and small patches in the home garden.
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May 2020

Berry Saltbush, Atriplex semibaccata
The small berries can be eaten fresh or made into jam if you have the inclination and the time
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May 2020
Acacias
The acacias of Australia add up to more than 1000 remarkable species. This blog discusses their ancient history and how they can be propagated today

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June 2020
Golden Wattle, A. pycnantha
Every Olympic athlete wares the green and gold because of the golden flower clusters and the glossy green 'leaves' adorning this humble small tree.

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June 2020
Gold-dust Wattle,                      A. acinaceae

This beautiful small shrub produces large bunches of wattle flowers in Spring

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July 2020
Black Wattle,
A. mearnsii


One of the fastest growing plants that I have had the pleasure of planting on farms is the Black Wattle.

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August 2020
Blackwood,
A. melanoxylon
A long lived wattle that makes an excellent paddock tree that provides both shelter and income
PictureMay 2021

Snow Gums,
Eucalyptus pauciflora

​
Guest blogger Helen Scott explores the remarkable Snow Gum in her photo essay
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March 2021
Drooping Sheoak, Allocasuarina verticillata
The Wathaurong call the Drooping Sheoak 'Ngarri' which means hair tree. This beautifully describes its most recognisable feature
PictureAugust 2021

Kangaroo Grass
Themeda triandra


​A native perennial grass that was found in 70% of Australia. It has edible seed and is a valuable crop returning $1000/ha.

PictureJanuary 2022

​Silver Wattle
A. dealbata
​

A fast-growing medium-sized tree that has many uses and is ideal for erosion control

PictureJune 2022
Ten small indigenous wattles for the home garden
​
​
Many of the shrub-sized wattles that are found in the Geelong region are rarely planted in gardens, yet they are a real asset in urban ecosystems.

Life under our feet?

Picture​July 2022
Microbes and plants
- intimacy in the dark
​
  
​
Microbes that benefit plants fall into five broad categories; the 'sexy' mycorrhizal fungi; the 'cocktail' of microbes that make up the microbiome of plants and the nitrogen converting rhizobium bacteria.

Propagating Australian native plants from seed

PictureOctober 21
The Myrtles - ​eucalypts, callistemons, melaleucas, leptospermums and more.      
​
Part 1 - collecting seed
How to collect seed safely. All you need to know based on the practical  insights of a nurseryman 

PictureNovember 21
The Myrtles - ​eucalypts, callistemons, melaleucas, leptospermums and more. 
Part 2 - from seed to plants 

​How to sow the seed and grow plants on for planting out in the garden or paddock

Wildflowers
Lots of beautiful images of wildfowers

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December 2018
Wildflowers at Christmas

Indigenous plants of the Geelong area flowering at Christmas.
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June 2018
Wildflowers of Abruzzo, Italy

This diverse grassland has been maintained by regular grazing for millennia. Since Roman times shepherds have grazed sheep on the mountain pastures of Abruzzo. 
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April 2017

Teesdale Grassy Woodland Reserve - interpreting wild Teesdale
The latest example of the art of interpreting nature is from the Friends of the Teesdale Grassy Woodland Reserve. They have incorporated fine art, beautiful graphics, thoughtful design and engaging story telling into a remarkable sign that can be appreciated at a glance or studied at length.

How can our Australian culture nurture nature?
How do we bring a love and respect for nature back into the Australian culture?

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June 2019
Cats and wildlife - an Australian dilemma

As lovers of cats it’s time Australians started taking responsibility for the peril we have released on our wildlife.
This blog provides answers to this dilemma

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February 2021
​
Connecting with nature
- a journey into mindfulness
If you stand quietly next to a big old tree you too can hear the symphony. This blog explores making a deeper connection with nature
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August 2018
Totems for Australians - what is your totem?
If a close encounter happens at one of life’s crossroads then it can play a part in an important decision and become a moment to look back on, to find strength and reassurance.
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July 2018
The re-wilding of Australian culture

Conservationists scratch their heads with dismay as they wonder why every Australian doesn’t see our native flora and fauna as precious.
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​March 2023
​​F​​rom the Dingo to the Tasmanian Devil.
​Why we should be rewilding carnivores
​
by guest blogger Professor 
Euan Ritchie 

Rewilding Dingoes and Tasmanian Devils in Australia could benefit many of our troubled ecosystems, by keeping herbivore numbers down, keeping feral cats and foxes fearful, and triggering a rebound in vegetation and small animal populations.
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​​​July 2024

Plant a tree in the middle of the MCG
​
​Standing at that window,
​I imagined a group of Landcarers walking onto the MCG and planting a River Red Gum at its centre
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October 2024

Reimagining urban landscapes that are nature positive
​
​Amidst the background noise of hectic human activity, is it possible to restore nature to urban environments?

Indigenous Australian culture

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July 2019
Indigenous standing stones - our nations stolen history


Guest blogger Gib Wettenhall
Artificially-wedged vertical shards of rock were once placed everywhere by the First Australians. They formed circles for ceremony, acted as signifiers for sacred places, stood attention in sculptural lines forming the shape of an ancestral being created in the Dreaming.

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September 2018
Reimagining and reinventing Australian Culture.
Guest blogger Gib Wettenhall

Australia’s landscapes are as much cultural as natural. People were everywhere, affecting everything, across the length and breadth of the continent over an unimaginable timescale
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February 2018
Managing grasslands & grassy woodlands.
Part 3 - The wisdom of indigenous elders - the use of fire


Anthropologist Rhys Jones proposed that fire had many uses to the First Australians and importantly it was used to alter the native vegetation.
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May 2017
Ancient Australian culture - the traditional skill of cool burning

"Keep the wind to your back and light patches of grass about 1 m apart".

This was the advice of Ngarigo elder from the Snowy Mountains, Uncle Rod Mason when he was preparing the group for the indigenous practice of cool burning

Indigenous Australian culture
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William Barak established the Coranderrk settlement in 1863
December 2016
2016 Landcare conference -2.
Indigenous Australians deserve much more from Landcare
Two experiences at the Landcare conference left me feeling very disappointed. The tragic story of Coranderrk aboriginal settlement and the treatment of an Indigenous leader at the conference
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February 2020
Cultural burning as an agent of renewal
by Gib Wettenhall

In this blog Gib describes a Traditional Owner cool burn and looks at its cultural importance through the eyes of indigenous leaders.

Gib argues that Australians could learn how to conduct cultural burns in a 'Fire Masters' course, taught and managed by indigenous experts.

Managing grasslands and grassy woodlands in temperate Australia. 
Saving our natural areas will take more than practical knowhow. These practical methods are discussed in the context of our social and cultural shortcomings

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March 2018
Part 4 - Grazing as an important management tool

Grazing is a natural process in the life of a grassland or grassy woodland. Before British settlement mobs of kangaroos randomly moved about their home range and grazed on the most succulent grasses and herbs creating a patchwork
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February 2018
Part 3 - The wisdom of indigenous elders - the use of fire

Anthropologist Rhys Jones proposed that fire had many uses to the First Australians and importantly it was used to alter the native vegetation.
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January 2018
Part 2 - Why we're losing the battle to save our natural areas.

How do we get the majority of  Australians to care about our native vegetation and the wildlife it supports? We need significant changes in our national attitude and our culture.
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December 2017
Part 1 - Why are we losing the battle to save our natural areas
We’re losing a lot more than the wildflowers. We’re losing our irreplaceable, rich and complex grassland ecology as well. We're also losing an integral part of our distinctive Australian heritage.

Restoring native grasslands. Our lost 'pantry lands.'

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​September 2022
Part 1 - Restoring Native Grasslands

Victoria's grasslands were 'Pantry Lands' and 'Medicinal Herb Lands' to the Traditional Owners. After 1835 the grasslands became overrun by large flocks of hard hoofed animals and fire became much hotter and destructive. Remnant grasslands of today are only a faded copy of the original.​  

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​November 2022
Part 2 - Restoring Native Grasslands

Native grasslands are being restored on farms and in large experimental plots and the results are very encouraging. Removing the exotic seed bank and lowering soil nutrient levels are key. Regenerative Agriculture is also bringing back long lost indigenous grassland species.

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​January 2023
Part 3 - Restoring Native Grasslands 
​
A low cost grassland restoration method is needed. One that can be scaled up or down to suit the purse and size of a property. This blog puts forward a list of 'grassland champions' that will go head to head with the weedy interlopers and proposes a new method of restoring grasslands.

Managing grasslands and grassy woodlands in temperate Australia

Grassland expert, John Delpratt looks at restoring native grasslands on roadsides - the philosophy and the practical aspects of how it is done

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September 2021

Native Grasslands,
Love them or lose them
This blog outlines easy ways to  find and ID native grasslands.
It also puts the case for protecting the grasslands that are left  
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October 2016
Trouble from the Veldt
This blog discusses how to manage: Panic Veldt Grass, Ehrharta erecta, Annual Veldt Grass, E. longiflora and Perennial Veldt Grass,
​E. calycina.
Each species of grass is very invasive, fast-growing, have done well in the extreme dry of the recent drought years and adapt well to wet years as long as the soil is well drained.
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May 2018

Kangaroo Grass communities on roadside reserves -
​part 2
by guest blogger
​John Delpratt

Exploring the value of restoration for conserving these critically endangered communities and how a small community in south-western Victoria is approaching this issue.
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April 2018

Kangaroo Grass communities on roadside reserves - part 1
by guest blogger
​John Delpratt

We now have the knowledge and tools to rapidly and massively expand the area of diverse native grassland.
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June 2023

​Seed production for native grassland restoration
​
by guest blogger
​John Delpratt
A reliable source of quality and genetically appropriate seed is an important first requirement for restoring native grasslands

The vegetation of the Barrabool Hills. Parts 1 - 4
These four blogs trace the origin of the Barrabool Hills from the formation of its sandstone over 100 million years ago to the arrival of the first Europeans in 1835

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November 2017
Part 4 - Drooping Sheoaks adorned the hills in 1835 - plant species
Drooping Sheoaks were the first tree that Surveyor John Helder Wedge recorded in his diary in 1835 as he crossed the Barrabool HIlls near Pollocksford.
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October 2017
Part 3 - Its original & natural condition in 1835 - plant density

The Wadawurrung name for the Barrabool Hills is barro:aabil which literally translated means ‘the place of the rounded hills’.
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September 2017
Part 2 - The arrival of Homo sapiens

Dr. Tim Flannery in his landmark book 'the Future Eaters' argues that when the first Australians arrived they found a continent dominated
by large grazing and browsing marsupials..

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July 2017
Part 1 - From ancient rainforests

The temperate humid climate of the Cretaceous Period produced a lush rainforest around frewhwater lakes. Their sediment formed the BH's sandstone . It was a time of reptiles and dinosaurs

Landcare matters

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November 2018
Small indigenous nurseries

Small family nurseries have played a critical role in restoring our rural landscapes. Many of them have recently closed cutting the supply of plants for Landcare projects
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December 2020
​Vegetation corridors, biolinks, vegetation highways - connecting the dots in the new decade
One of the biggest challenges facing Landcare this decade is connecting the vegetation dots and dashes. We have created islands of trees in open seas of cropping and grazing paddocks. Planting more paddock trees and connecting corridors will enable wildlife to continue to migrate as they have for millennia
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November 2016
2016 National Landcare Conference. 
1. Climate change predictions from climate scientist Dr Will Steffen; 2. Biochar as a method of locking up carbon in the soil and reducing methane emissions from cattle - Kathy Dawson; 3. Waterways good news from Dr. Siwan Lovett who spoke passionately on the ‘Rivers of Carbon, Rivers of Life’ program; 4. Buloke, Allocasuarina Luehmannii in trouble because of a drying climate - a conversation with Kevin Chaplin, CMA officer from Mildura.
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February 2024
​Two worlds colliding
The world of commerce has been colliding head-on with the world of conservation since Australia was first invaded 250 years ago.
The world of Traditional Owner land management practice has collided with the world of contemporary land management in our parks and reserves. They were poles apart until the Black Summer bushfires of 2019. Then everyone began remembering that wildfires were rare before the first fleet arrived in 1788.
Designing Bushfire safe landscapes in rural Australia
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January 2017
Managing native gardens for fire safety in rural Australia

What to plant, where to plant and how to maintain beautiful native gardens to make our homes safer during the fire season.
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February 2017
       Deciduous trees can provide crucial bushfire protection in rural areas

Deciduous trees act as a fire retardant and are often the reason why some houses survive a bushfire when neighbouring houses are burnt

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March 2017
Farm plantations can reduce bushfire risk


The potential benefits of farm plantations are maximised if a plantation is well positioned, well designed and well managed.

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January 2020
Bushfires 2020 - making families safe in their country homes
Partly the solution lies in fire safe design of rural houses and gardens, but the ultimate solution will be found through adopting Traditional Owner cool burning methods of managing the bush.
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Site content © Stephen Murphy, 20​24

  • Home
  • be Challenged
    • Design to restore lost biodiversity >
      • Diversity >
        • Making a list of plants for revegetation
      • Structure >
        • Ecology Snapshot - wildlife and their habitat
      • Species survival
      • Location - connections
      • Blueprint for Recreating the Counrty
    • Biodiversity and profit >
      • Designing for profit
    • Managing sustainable biorich landscapes
  • be Informed
    • Indigenous flora of the Geelong district >
      • Indigenous plants - what & why
      • Acacias, wattles of the Geelong Region
      • Acacias - the cafes of the bush
      • Allocasuarinas/drooping sheoaks, Black Sheoak & Callitris glaucophylla/cypress-pine
      • Bursaria spinosa, Sweet Bursaria
      • Eucalypts, The Sentinals
      • Exocarpos cupressiformis, Cherry Ballart
      • Moonah, Melaleuca lanceolata
      • Small riparian myrtles
      • Wedge-leaf/Giant Hop-bush, Dodonaea viscosa
      • Wild Plants of Inverleigh
      • Tree Violet - as tenacious as a terrier
    • Nurseryman's diary >
      • Regent Honeyeater - a good news story
      • Give me a home among the gum trees
      • Symbiotic fungi
      • The joys of seed collecting
      • Landcare, who cares?
      • The last Silver Banksia
      • Neds Corner
      • River Red Gums and the Tuscan monks
  • be Entertained
    • Stories for children >
      • Amie and the intoxicated kangaroos
      • The Little Green Caterpillar
      • B'emus'ed - a Christmas tale of bursairas and emus
    • Stories about the natural world >
      • Brushtail
      • Cormorant
      • Eastern Bettongs. 'Truffle junkies' or 'ecosystem engineers'
      • Richards Sweet Rewards
      • Coxy's Curse
      • How the River Red Gum came to be - A dreamtime story
  • RtC bookshop
  • Blog
    • Easy blog finder
  • Contact