Cape Barren Geese in Point Cook.

INTRO: We’ve been in Australia for over two years now and we’re still blown away by the sheer variety and uniqueness of the wild animals and birds that we come across whenever we venture outdoors. It is simply magical. Allow me to share some of them with you, captured by our very own camera lens. As you can tell, they do love to pose.

#4 The Cape Barren Goose

I know what you're thinking. 'Erm, they're just geese dude', and you would be partially right. Because these aren't just any old geese, these are Cape Barren Geese, one of the world's rarest Geese, and now, newly arrived neighbours of ours. We spotted them a few blocks away last week, then yesterday they had moved onto the Wetlands at the end of our street, where I was delighted to find them again today.

In the 1950's their numbers were so low, that biologists feared they were close to extinction. The good news is that their numbers are now rising healthily and there's thought to be around fifteen thousand across Southern Australia. Make that fifteen thousand and two.

And that could be more, as they could well be nesting. It seems that these Geese establish their territory in Autumn (which it now is in Australia), prepare a nest site, then defend it noisily and aggressively. I can definitely bear witness to that. After ten minutes of happy snapping, the larger male had clearly had enough and chased me off. At nearly a metre tall and a metre wide with its wings flapping, and with a grunt louder than a pigs, I didn't hang around.

Point Cook: living in a 'Sick Suburb'.

Point Cook is the place we call home. It's a relatively new suburb of Melbourne, approximately twenty five kilometres south west of the City, traditionally the home of the Royal Australian Air Force and set in thousands of acres of open farmland. That's all changed in the last three years, as it's become Australia's fastest growing suburb, fuelled by thousands of immigrants chasing work in the World's Most Livable City, or those simply trying to get out of the choking inner suburbs. It all sounded perfect. There were wide open spaces, large plots of affordable housing and easy freeway access to the city. But Australia's fastest growing and most marketed suburb is now being labelled the country's sickest. Where did it all go wrong?

Bike Rides: Day 2 Sorrento to Point Nepean

Tuesday 20th March

Sorrento Pier.

Dear God. The mad lady kept on swearing, roughly on the hour, EVERY hour with only a brief respite coming around four in the morning when I finally got some uninterrupted sleep. Prior to that, I had even resorted to swearing right back at her through the door of our connecting bathroom. Yes I know, it wasn't clever or mature, but it was becoming a bit of a vicious circle.

All was forgotten soon enough though, as today had two wonderful things going for it, namely more glorious sunshine and also as a bonus, just an easy thirty kilometres to cover on the bike. After a quick stop off by Sorrento Pier, the destination was Point Nepean National Park, the most southern point of The Rip, the notoriously dangerous entry channel to Port Phillip Bay, and a Park that has been used as a Quarantine station, a Military Fort and a even a refugee camp as recently as 1999. If that wasn't fascinating enough, it also covers a gorgeous stretch of the coast right on the tip of the peninsula, with stunning views all around. So with bike to hand, some historical points of interest and surrounded by the sea on all sides, day two should be a cracker. 

The Possum in Mornington Peninsula

INTRO: We’ve been in Australia for over two years now and we’re still blown away by the sheer variety and uniqueness of the wild animals and birds that we come across whenever we venture outdoors. It is simply magical. Allow me to share some of them with you, captured by our very own camera lens. As you can tell, they do love to pose.

#3 The Common Ring Tail Possum

The phrase 'Hello Possums' may well make you come over in a cold sweat at the mere thought of the dreadful Dame Edna Everage TV show from the eighties, but here's hoping that this rather cute photo will reassure you that a Possum is in fact one of Australia's most common marsupials. As their name implies they are found in plentiful supply in Eastern Australia, but less common is actually getting a photo of one during daylight hours. I was delighted to come across this beauty earlier this week in Point Nepean National Park just before midday. 

You normally only spot the nocturnal Possum high in the trees and strictly after hours, and only then by shining a torch that reflects in their eyes. That is exactly what I had seen and done the night before at the hostel, but I did learn a few things about them along the way. Firstly they live in nests, constructed much the same as a large bird's nest. Secondly, they make a rather spooky growling noise, which I can best describe as a cross between an angry cat and a bear. Lastly, having witnessed one in action, they are absolutely phenomenal tree hoppers which they need to be since they are arboreal (that's tree dwelling species to you and me.)

As you can see they're too cute to be labelled common, but fully deserve their ringtail moniker. They don't impact humans in any way, but are occasionally considered pests when they take shortcuts clattering across suburban roofs!

Bike Rides: Day 1 Bittern to Sorrento

Monday 19th March 2012


With a little time on my hands, I had decided to make the most of it, and head off on my bike for a few days adventure - three days, three bays, five trains, three maps, and one hundred and fifty kilometers cycling worth of adventure to be precise. Real Boy's own stuff.


The first leg involved taking the train to a small village called Bittern, sixty five kilometres south east of Melbourne, on the rarely visited Western Port Bay. This was actually three different trains, including one for the train spotters - the last remaining suburban diesel route in Australia. Cool. The journey lasted around two and a quarter hours, ran like clockwork, and all for the princely sum of five bucks, which is pretty amazing value.

Cockatoo's in Lorne.

INTRO: We’ve been in Australia for over two years now and we’re still blown away by the sheer variety and uniqueness of the wild animals and birds that we come across whenever we venture outdoors. It is simply magical. Allow me to share some of them with you, captured by our very own camera lens. As you can tell, they do love to pose.

#2 The Cockatoo

Or as I should say, the Suplhur Crested Cockatoo, to give it its fuller and more splendid title. The beauty of Australia's bird life is the abundance of Parrots in the wild. For us Poms, the only chance we had to see them were in aviaries in the Zoos. Not so down under, where if trees are present in reasonable numbers, you will find at least one variety of Parrot. The Cockatoo is about the most common, the largest and without doubt the loudest.  You normally hear the raucous crows of "airrik, arrrk, ahrk, aierrkh, aieiriek" long before you see them. If you live close to a forest or wooded area in suburban Eastern Victoria, you really wont be needing an alarm clock. If the Kookaburra doesn't wake you, the Cockatoo certainly will.

Books: Bike Rides Around Melbourne (Julia Blunden)

Possibly the best Christmas present ever. And I mean that. If I added the book's subtitle, maybe it will help explain... 'exploring Melbourne by bike and train.' There are forty bike rides in here which all start and stop at a train station. So absolutely no need for the car, and just as important, there's no need to back pedal along the same route, which I detest. They are either circular or start and stop at different stations.

Each ride is at least 30km, and they probably average around 40km which also means you don't have to be super fit to complete them, just determined. Good old Julia has provided fantastic maps, and detailed descriptions and just as importantly where you can stop for food and drink, or where you can bail out if you get too tired.

This book wouldn't be as enjoyable or possible but for the following two reasons. Firstly, Melbourne is rather flat. Secondly, the bike path network is first class. We've done around five of the rides so far and each one has been fab.

The Birdman of MOOMBA

There are so many public holidays and festivals over a long Melbournian summer, it's a challenge to keep up with them all. I literally free wheeled into this one, as it cut through the Yarra River bike trail where I was headed for a day's cycling. As it turned out, I had stumbled across the curiously named and widely energetic MOOMBA festival. It wasn't a hard decision to join them for an hour or so, what with the glorious late summer sun, and two very eye catching events kicking off a little further up stream....

The Swamp Wallaby in Point Fairy.

INTRO: We’ve been in Australia for over two years now and we’re still blown away by the sheer variety and uniqueness of the wild animals and birds that we come across whenever we venture outdoors. It is simply magical. Allow me to share some of them with you, captured by our very own camera lens. As you can tell, they do love to pose.

#1 The Swamp Wallaby.

The Wallaby differs in a number of ways to the kangaroo. It's smaller and darker in colour and unlike its bigger cousin, it prefers to live a predominantly solitary lifestyle. They are found only in Eastern Australia, and luckily for us are quite common in South Western Victoria. Whereas kangaroos prefer open scrub and countryside, you'll typically find Wallabies in the hills and forested areas.

We were only a few yards away watching him nibble his lunch without a care in the world. How cute are those hands? We snapped this back in 2010 on Griffith Island in Port Fairy, about three hours west of Point Cook where we live. We can also find them much closer to home in the national parks of You Yangs and Brisbane Ranges (where we saw one just the other day), and both are within an hour's drive of central Melbourne.

Credit to Alison for this amazing photo. She thinks it doesn't look real, I think it looks incredible.