Veronika Wild

  Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay Yes, we should definitely celebrate Wombats, another of Australia’s endearing marsupials and a near relative of the Koala. In fact, I know of very few people who don’t fall in love with them at first sight – except perhaps farmers who dislike their fences being demolished or home owners who don’t like their foundations undermined. They are round and furry,   about a metre long when fully grown and built like a small tanks. With their  cute bear -like faces and purposeful gait, they are found in many parts of Tasmania – you are sure to meet one or two at Cradle Mountain. They are also found in Victoria, in bushland along the East Coast of Australia and occasionally in pockets of grassland in Western Australia, South Australia and outback New South Wales.   They come in three flavours – The Northern hairy -nosed, the Southern hairy -nosed and the bare -nosed....

  -Image generated by Copilot Damaging Winds Five Australian East Coast states have had  severe wind warnings  for the last few days. In Tasmania , some gusts have exceeded 100 km per hour.  Trees have been brought  down,  so have powerlines and roads have been closed. Two people have died, 1300 hundred homes have lost power and some have lost roofs.  These haven't been  cyclones or tornadoes,  because they lack the central spiral, but that doesn't mean they aren't destructive. Below is  the Beaufort Scale  which tells us how severe winds are and whether we need to take any special precautions.  I did secure my outdoor umbrella and furniture, but I realised I had forgotten the wheelie bins when I heard them thumpity, thumping their way down the driveway. I also forgot to move my little potted mandarin, but it could have been so much worse.  There are upper levels to the Beaufort Scale too and while we defini...