But we will

The first thought that came to mind in response to the outcome of the Australian national elections on Threatened Species Day, 7 September 2013:

“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.” – Ansel Adams

The Volcano Diaries (Part 1)

My First Glimpses of Bulusan and Mayon

Mt Bulusan (right) and Mt Mayon (far right) in the late afternoon light

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a minor obsession with volcanoes. I guess it all started with the eruption of Mt St. Helens in 1980, which regularly made the evening news.

The crabs of Biri

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Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge National Park

A few hours up river from the small town of Basey, on Samar, are the Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Natural Park. I recently took a trip there with some friends. It’s a lovely day trip and a great way to see something of the rural Philippines and get a glimpse of what the forests that once covered much of the country would once had looked like.

A new friend

A praying mantis adopted me while waiting for a minivan, and couldn’t be persuaded to leave! S/he kept climbing up my arm and into my hair, to the horror of everyone else around me, who thought I should kill it. Cue a long conversation about me being a conservationist and how praying mantids are “aggressive feminists”. Eventually I relocated her to a bush across the road.

Protected: Brown-out at the beach

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Storm clouds

Driving into work this morning, I noticed these incredible storm clouds building up offshore, and took a little detour down to the Cairns Esplanade to take some photographs.

Escaping to Orpheus

Between Christmas and New Year I was lucky enough to get down to Orpheus Island, in the Palm Island group, to visit a friend who works at the JCU Research Station there. I’d planned to go down the year before but the roads were flooded after a cyclone on Christmas morning 2010 so I wasn’t able to get down.

Orpheus Island is a beautiful place. As well as the research station, there is a resort and public jetty, and it’s also possible to get a permit to camp in the national park.

Sunday strolls at the beach

After a week of rain, what a joy it was to see the sun again today! The perfect opportunity for a walk on the beach. The only challenge being… which beach to choose?! This morning I headed to Palm Cove with a friend for a walk and brunch – who can resist French toast with bacon and maple syrup on a Sunday morning? Not me, that’s for sure!

The sound of silence

I woke up around 4am this morning in a bit of a panic. It was eerily quiet. I couldn’t hear anything. You’re probably wondering what’s weird about that? It’s kind of hard to explain what it’s like when you wake up to absolute silence when you’ve heard rain hammering down so hard on your roof for 48 hours that you’ve been struggling to hear yourself think! Never mind cats and dogs, when it rains in the tropics, it sounds more like elephants!

The thing about living in a place surrounded by World Heritage rainforest… it tends to rain a lot. That’s why they call it The Wet Tropics!