Birds like Tasmania. Firstly it’s an island, which birds like in general because they can flaunt their ability to come and go as they please to those dumb landlocked mammals. Secondly we’ve got a lush, sexy, biosphere with grassy moorlands, coastal heaths, temperate rainforests and eucalyptus bush, all in one conveniently compact package.

With Summer on the way, it’s time to plan your next adventure in the great outdoors. It pays to remember that while nature may be healing to the soul, it is capable of being dangerous to the body. To totally freak you out, let’s have a good look at five of the most dangerous predators you may encounter in Tasmania this summer.

Although stretching your gut to make room for that last slice of pizza could technically be construed as an exercise, it’s unfortunately not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m talking about the impact of physical exercise on your gut health.

Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Gyre, aka the Great Pacific garbage patch? These days, chances are you have. You may have also watched YouTube videos of turtles with plastic straws up their noses, or albatross carcasses laden with plastic.

When you think about Antarctica, what things come to mind? Probably penguins and icebergs, perhaps even international collaboration and research stations, but I’m guessing corals wouldn’t even make the long list, let alone the short one.

The fires that swept through remote (and not-so-remote) areas of the Tasmanian bush earlier this year were estimated to have burned close to 200,000 hectares, about twice as much area as was burned in the last major fires, in 2016.

Tall stalks tower above you, rising over 30 metres from the ground. Light filters through the canopy, softly illuminating a diverse and complex understory. The leaves sway gently, providing cover for a huge variety of species. You sense movement from the corner of your eye, and suddenly come face to face with a giant cuttlefish!

The tiny chick gives a violent heave and a stream of water, bile, and surprisingly large chunks of plastic comes spewing out of its gaping beak. I feel a twinge of revulsion mixed with deep concern…not too dissimilar from what I felt nursing my own child through bouts of gastro.

You might remember last month, in response to all the talk of Harry and Meghan borrowing Elton John’s private jet a few too many times, we unpacked the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) established in Australia as a successor to the controversial carbon tax.

Fires, climate change, water shortages, wildlife apocalypse…I don’t know about you, but from where I sit, things are feeling pretty bleak right now.

My 5-year-old son Maxwell recently declared that his favourite animals are “the dangerous ones, because apex predators help keep the ecosystem healthy.” While his definition lacks nuance, fundamentally he is correct.