(This post supplements Chapter 12 of Connect with Nature). I was delighted to discover that not far from my suburban home there is a healthy colony of koalas, the cuddly marsupials that are among Australia’s most photogenic but endangered animals. The image of a mother koala and her young was taken by the renowned nature […]

(This post can be read in conjunction with Chapter 5 of Connect with Nature) Most people in Australia would recognise Rosie Batty. In recent years, she has become an admired and influential public figure. She was named Australian of the Year in 2015 in recognition of her efforts to raise awareness of the extent, ubiquity […]

(This post contains material that compliments chapters 6 and 12 of ‘Connect with Nature’.) Chances are that you are concerned, even alarmed, about climate change and the deteriorating state of the natural environment. Surveys consistently report that most people are worried about the future of Earth’s climate and ecosystems. Indeed, researchers are finding that this […]

(This post supplements material in Chapter 7 of ‘Connect with Nature’) It is an experience that left a lasting impression on me. My wife, Margaret, and I had walked up to the rounded peak of the volcanic remnant we knew then as Mt Dromedary. At 800 metres above sea-level, the mountain overlooks part of the […]

Here’s me on what is becoming an annual pilgrimage to savour the flowering New South Wales waratahs (Telopea speciosissima) in Bottle Forest, part of the Royal National Park near Sydney. I was in the company of family and dozens of others on much the same mission. This pocket of waratahs attracts hundreds, probably thousands, of visitors […]

(This post supplements material in Chapter 8 of ‘Connect with Nature’.) Michael Portillo is probably best known for his TV documentaries on railway journeys, but Australia’s SBS network is currently screening a series recording a walking trip he did in Devon and Cornwall.  In contrast to his upbeat railway documentaries, this series is more personal, […]

(This post supplements chapters 6 and 12 of Connect with Nature) Australia’s latest State of the Environment Report was released recently. The message of the report is as clear as it is alarming. The already calamitous environmental degradation in Australia is continuing. The loss of biodiversity, ecosystems and species is happening worldwide, but Australia is among […]

(This post supplements material in Chapter 10 of Connect with Nature by drawing attention particularly to the health and well-being impacts of nature sounds). A particular delight for me in my bush camping days way to be woken in the early morning by a ‘dawn chorus’. The Australian bush is home to many birds and […]

(This post supplements material in Chapter 5 of Connect with Nature)  The recent report of yet another mass shooting in a school in the USA brought to mind the experience of Kyle Jeter, a science teacher at a high school in Florida, USA. In 2016, Kyle succeeded in having newly available space in the school […]

(This post supplements material in Chapter 7 of ‘Connect with Nature’). This image is from the record of an intriguing project undertaken by Wendy Moore, a polymer clay artist of international standing. What you are looking at is a dead eucalyptus leaf gathered by Wendy on one her bushland walks, a card matching a colour […]