Mount Glorious

Left: A cold Carpet Python hugs the rock for warmth.


Andrew answered the call: turned out, the airport authorities wouldn't let him park in front of the terminal, making him circle about. I was very happy to see him!

We drove across the semi-tropical northern suburbs of Brisbane towards the D'Aguilar Mountains, and his home on the crest, at Mt. Glorious. I take great pride in my navigational ability, but I was confused. I thought we were driving south, but it was west: the trouble was, as in all places in the Southern Hemisphere, the sun was in the northern sky, off to the right. There had been recent rains, so the city had greened up from its wintertime dowdy brown (both Brisbane and Sacramento have rains from November - April, but that's winter in Sacramento, but summer here).

The drive was scary - everyone drives on the left here - and it was especially frightening on the mountain curves, where it appeared as if accidents were always imminent.

Beautiful, beautiful mountain home, in the open, deciduous Australian forest! We checked out the rain barrels when we arrived. Everyone here collects rain on the roof, stores it big barrels, and filters it for household use - there is no water service in the mountains, or, for that matter, in the farming areas either (groundwater apparently being unreliable). The roof water is good enough to drink, but many prefer to buy drinking water for actual drinking. He also has a gray water system, taking wash water for sprinkling over landscaping. There is also a septic system for toilet water. This tripartite system is very common in Australia, is subsidized by the government, and is absolutely vital, given the droughts that Australia is frequently subject too.

The wildlife here is amazing! We watched two of Andrew's favorite kookaburras tending their nest just outside the back deck. This area is one of the homelands for a variety of parrot species. The parrots haven't been coming close, but they make such a racket in the tree tops, squawking and muttering to themselves, that the forest sounds like a pet store. I've seen Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and Crimson Rosellas not far away, and seen Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos and Galahs from the distance. The Bell Miners, called Bellbirds, can be heard with their distinctive bell sound in many places. Australian Magpies and Pied Currawongs are common everywhere.

We took a small drive to the village of Mt. Glorious, and bought honey and trinkets. We took a walk down a mountain trail. On the way back, we saw a snake hiding under a rock, but it wasn't clear where it's head was. I decided to touch it, to see if there was a reaction. Andrew stepped back: "It looks like a python - non-poisonous, but no guarantees!" I touched the snake, and felt its skin quiver, but there was no other reaction - the weather was really too cold for snakes, and their reflexes were greatly-dulled.