Bush Mates, the book ...
Michael Smith has lived on the Tomaree Peninsula for 16 years. For most of that time he kept notes on the coming and goings of the resident birds, animals and plants. His observations are now published in a book titled Bush Mates.
There are 134 pages, most of which are devoted to a week-by-week diary of natural events (116kb). There are complete lists of our local frogs, snakes, birds (91kb) and animals. For the astronomer there is a monthly guide to the stars as well as plans for making a sundial, astrolabe, planisphere (412kb) and a device for telling the time from the southern cross (37kb).
There is information on local geology, plant communities and weather patterns.
The bush tucker chapter has sections on natural dyes, bush teas, fragrant foliages and lists uses for 183 local plants as food or medicine. This is the second edition and contains 514 sketches. It is available from Nelson Bay bookshops and the Visitor Centre. You can have a copy posted to you (in Australia) by sending $18 to Judith Bonzol 18 Tallean Road Nelson Bay 2315 (phone 02 49841347).
All the links on this page are samples (PDF) which you can download.