Plenty of action outside my front door – kangaroos scarpering round, a green bird sitting on the balcony rail, scrub turkeys scrubbing around. Did the walk round Chambers but didn't see much wildlife – heard many noises, saw shadows escaping, it’s dark quite dark but has a deserted feel to it, like being on the film set of Jurassic Park.

Lake Barrine is a rainwater lake in an extinct volcano. In the clear water you can see fallen trees. You only notice later what you didn't photograph and I didn't photograph the lake ... sigh. There's quite a bit of wildlife around, from the Kauri pines near the visitor centre to the birdlife like cormorants and coots.

There's a good boat ride round the lake with a naturalist showing you stuff. Necessary as I wouldn't spot it on my own. At one spot he noticed an amethyst python in the rushes and it took me minutes to see it even knowing which direction to look in. This python is blue and white striped. Lake Barrine has a runoff, trees fallen in, scrub turkeys mound building (they lay eggs then leave chicks to it) on lakefront so pointless as it falls in.

Mad dash to Malanda where Ernie Raymond (native elder) took three of us through the forest – dock nettle relationship repeated for stinging plant which grows first in clearing keeping wildlife out. Natives used milk ash branches to poison fish so they floated to the surface – other leaves to wrap.