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The Tall Trees Drive winds its way along the south-eastern coast of Tasmania weaving and climbing through some of the most spectacular scenery in the state. The road may not be officially named and marked as such on the map – well at least as a major highway of note – but all the same it represents a must-see, and feel, tourist experience. Although the road has been promoted in the past as the Wielangta Forest Drive, it largely remains a hidden treasure and is known only to … [Read more...] about Scenic route reaches to new heights

MY late mother-in-law always said that when she returned to Australia from foreign travels she did not believe she was home until she heard the sweet flute-like notes of the magpie song. Jean Betts lived in Howrah where the sight of the magpies singing from the lampposts and telegraph wires cemented time and place. She’d even feed the magpies in her garden and stories of magpies dive-bombing passersby on the nearby Clarence Street would bring a smile to her face. In turn I … [Read more...] about Magpies the spirit of Australia

A DAY at the office for Amanda Edworthy involves dangling from pullies and ropes under the spreading canopies of white gums on Bruny Island. It also involves weighing and taking blood samples from one of the world’s rarest birds, the forty-spotted pardalote – all in the name of ensuring the survival of this little Tassie battler. In the parlance of the circus, I’ve dubbed Amanda the magnificent woman on the flying trapeze after being recruited briefly to aid her … [Read more...] about High-wire act to save forty-spots

At the start of winter when the first snows coat Mt Wellington I look for the hoary-headed grebes on the reservoirs at the Waterworks Reserve near my home. The small, graceful birds looking as fragile as snowflakes out there on the vast expanse of water are an apt symbol for the frost and snow-laced months. The thin white stripes on the grebe’s head reminded the first settlers and pioneers of the hoar frosts of the old country, severe winters they thought they had left … [Read more...] about Grebes bring a touch of winter

The haunting call of a boobook owl took me one summer’s night into that parallel universe that is the world of birds.  I have to confess I was a little worse for wear at the time after spending the early evening drinking with former colleagues from the Mercury. When I retired to bed early – leaving my family to watch a program on television – I had no idea that the evening would produce such a momentous event. Deep in blissful sleep, I was suddenly awoken by the … [Read more...] about Boobook springs a surprise