I popped over to the local surf lifesaving club for coffee, as one does here.
morning coffee at the surf club
Author: Hashi
Gold Coast
Gold Coast was the last place I lived in Australia. Man, it’s changed a lot in 25 years. But the beach is still nice 😊
iconic wildlife
Enjoying the rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) in the palm trees at dawn.
This guy was on the kitchen floor this morning, barely alive. I thought it was a leaf and picked it up, then noticed a leg waving weakly. I put it outside and it must have recovered somewhat because when I came back with my sketchbook, it was gone.
Only a few more days in Aus, so it may be my last honking big spider for a while.
lemon tree very pretty
I sketched a kookaburra in the guest book at our lodgings, but forgot to photograph it before we checked out this morning. But here’s a lemon tree instead.
We’re done with north and central Queensland; our last few days in Australia will be spent in southern Queensland.
at my doorstep
While sketching these orchids at the foot of the front patio this morning, a butcher bird and kookaburra came down to feed on grubs and lizards.
halconia immanis
This big beauty is high on the bathroom wall in our current lodgings, quietly minding her own business.
Lisa Vankula-Donovan (on Instagram as @wannabe_entomologist) is my hunstman-whispering hero. I don’t know how she gets them to walk calmly over her; they usually scoot rapidly away when approached.
sunken
The old fibreglass boat on Maggie and Merv’s dam tells the tale of recent storms.
rocksberg swimming hole
This week’s theme seems to be swimming holes.
tropical beauties
I think this Golden Orb Weaver is Trichonephila plumipes, sometimes called a Tiger Spider. Its web glows yellow, and the legs are a light orange colour, black at the joints. Big spiders are so impressive! This type is not confined to the tropics, so I hope to see more when travel to the sub-tropics.
There are some 750 different types of pandanus; I have no idea which one I was sketching! I love their aerial prop roots.
cape tribulation
Another day, another idyllic swimming hole 😊 September is a great month to visit the tropics. Not too hot, not too wet, not too many mosquitos. No tribulation at all, in fact.
hashiworks 