What are your favourite animals?
There are so many animals I love that it’s hard to know where to begin. But when I think about it, my favourites aren’t just species—they’re moments. Each animal carries a memory of a place, a glimpse of beauty.
Dogs are the obvious starting point. They’re uncomplicated creatures—give them food, exercise, and company, and they are yours for life. Their joy is infectious. Their loyalty, uncomplicated. They make friendship look easy.
Then there are kangaroos, who just seem to belong to the landscape. One of my favourite memories is walking through the Warrumbungles, coming across whole fields of kangaroos stretched out in the grass. We kept our distance, giving them space and respect, content just to share the field with them for a while.
I’ve always loved lyrebirds. Meeting one in the alpine bush feels like stumbling upon royalty. There is something majestic about seeing them in the wild—their presence quiet but commanding, as if you’ve walked into the middle of a performance meant only for the trees.
Echidnas are another favourite. I once saw one while doing bush regeneration, a short distance from a six-lane road. Cars roared past, people rushed about their day, and there it was—calm, content, nose to the ground, going about its ancient business as if the busy world meant nothing.
And then there are koalas, perched high in the trees, looking half-asleep and harmless—until they’re not. When we lived on the Northern Rivers, it was surprisingly common to hear them growling, especially at sunset. Their calls carry through the gum trees—deep, guttural, surprisingly fierce. They may look cuddly, but they’ve got plenty of spirit. Those growls weren’t random either; they were part of the nightly conversation of the breeding season, males calling out for territory and attention.
Maybe that’s why I love these animals. Each one reminds me that the world is more alive and surprising than it first appears. Whether it’s a kangaroo on an open plain, a lyrebird on a mountain trail, or an echidna beside a highway, the best encounters arrive quietly. All you have to do is notice.
The Afterword 
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