August 2020

Koalas, head lice and the great green deception

30 August 2020 / 16 Comments

While we were in Narrandera for a few days before the COVID-19 lockdowns last March, we went on a lovely walk along Talbots Lake and the Town Common. It is within a river red gum forest (E. camaldulensis) near the Murrumbidgee River.

The area has a fascinating history. The attraction was an opportunity to see koalas in the trees as the Town Common (or Koala Reserve) is a renowned koala habitat area.… Read more

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Travelling full-time during a pandemic

30 August 2020 / 2 Comments

As most of you would know, we eventually started our dream to travel full-time around Australia on 12 February this year. We had planned this trip for many years and saved hard to fund it. We retired from our jobs and managed to sell our house in Dalby on the Darling Downs in Queensland.… Read more

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Australia’s Longest Wooden Tramway

30 August 2020 / Leave a Comment

Image: Wooden trestle bridge over Wey River looking north on the Emu Bay and Mount Bischoff tramway, 1878? (Source: Burnie Regional Museum)

Tasmania’s Emu Bay to Mount Bischoff horse-drawn wooden tramway – is it the longest wooden tramway ever built in Australia or indeed the British Empire?

Chapter 6 of my book ‘Fires, Farms and Forests’ goes into detail about the construction of a wooden tramway from Emu Bay to the western boundary of Surrey Hills that serviced the tin mines at Mount Bischoff.