greenery

On 10th December 1859, Sir George Bowen, newly-appointed as the first Governor of Queensland, stood on the first-floor balcony of Adelaide House looking out over the crowded lawn sweeping down to the Brisbane River. The excitement on that day was the reading of the proclamation creating the colony of Queensland. Adelaide House was the first Government House of Queensland, a temporary residence for the Governor until the completion of the Government House in George Street in 1862. Today, Adelaide House is The Deanery of St John’s Cathedral. The sweeping lawn is long gone, but the significant heritage site of the first-floor balcony of Adelaide House is still there. It is, however, in need of a great deal of work to restore it to a stable and safe condition, to ensure its continued place in our history. Source: www.stjohnscathedral.com.au/deanery-appeal/

The St John’s Cathedral precinct lends an old-world charm to its modern surroundings. It includes the Cathedral, The Deanery (1853), Webber House (1904), Church House (1909), and St Martin’s House (1922). The Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist was designed in 1886-1904 by noted English architect, John Loughborough Pearson, in neo-Gothic style. Source: brisbaneopenhouse.com.au/building/st-johns-cathedral/

A nature lover's paradise, Dunk Island covers an area of 1,000 hectares, three-quarters of which is a National Park. Just four kilometers off the coast of Mission Beach, this hidden gem offers a unique landscape of tropical rainforest, rocky shores, hilly terrain, and secluded beaches. It won’t take you long to see why the Indigenous people call this tropical island Coonanglebah, “the island of peace and plenty”. The best way to take in the full beauty of Dunk Island is along the three-hour Island Circuit trail. Starting at your beach-side accommodation, hike up to the Mount Kootaloo summit (the top of the island) for panoramic views over the Family Islands. Continue on through Palm Valley and walk along Coconut Beach before putting your feet up back at the campsite for a well-deserved rest. Source: www.queensland.com/nz/en/places-to-see/experiences/island...

Keeping and breeding kangaroos is definitely not for everyone. Kangaroos need plenty of room to run and graze. Roos are not house pets, they don’t ride in cars, walk on leashes or do tricks. They are shy and easily stressed in strange situations. Bottle-reared joeys become very tame. Having tame animals is beneficial from a number of perspectives. They are more enjoyable as a hobby farm pet and if you need to handle them for any reason it’s a lot easier and less stressful for all concerned. Roo mums don’t get overly stressed when a joey is taken away. In the wild, they often “toss” their joey if they are being pursued by a predator. This allows the female to escape and live to breed another day. And due to their ability to replace a baby very quickly this only makes sense from a survival perspective. They are not inclined to grieve and search for their young like some animals. Most female roos go right back to grazing after a joey is taken. If they do look around, they don’t do it for very long. A newly “pulled” joey is taken into the house and placed in a warmed soft cloth pouch. For the next few hours someone sits quietly and holds the joey in their lap. Very quickly, the joey becomes curious about what’s going on and starts to peak out and look around. A joey in the house when it is little is delightful. This is only a temporary situation. While the joey is on a purely liquid diet, it will be very easy to keep in the house. Most of joeys will not soil their pouch. They prefer to wait until they are taken to the washroom. Obviously, this needs to be done every few hours during the day to avoid accidents and it should certainly be done before they are let to run around and exercise. To “potty” a roo, we hold it over the toilet and gently rub the cloacal area at the base of the tail. The roo will promptly do its business in the toilet. We then let the baby exercise for a while under close supervision. The joey might go on a “roo run” around the house for a while and then find the next best place to a pouch to take a nap. A roo in the house will get into everything. Once it starts eating solid food, potty training goes right down the tubes too. At this stage, we can’t wait to get it out of the house. NOT a house pet. Source: kangaroocreekfarm.com/keeping-and-breeding-kangaroos/