Factsheets: Weebill
Weebills are Australia's smallest birds. They measure just 8cm - 9cm, with northern Australian birds smaller than those in the south do. Their common name comes from the short, stubby, pale beak. The eye is pale cream, and there is a pale line ... [... more]
Australian Museum |
Agave americana
If you want bold, architectural plants in your garden, Peter Valder thinks that it's hard to go past agaves. This fascinating group of perennial succulents occurs naturally in southern USA and Mexico. There are over 300 species, and many have ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Family Enchytraeidae
Potworms (or 'white worms') are small, white, segmented worms, related to earthworms [link to Earthworms Fact Sheet]. They belong to the Family Enchytraeidae in the Order Oligochaeta. All oligochaete worms have small bristles (setae) in bundles ... [... more]
Australian Museum |
Safety glass
A cheap yet efficient alternative to replacing glass windows and doors with safety glass. By law, glass in the home must comply with current Australian Standard Guidelines. Ordinary annealed glass installed before the introduction of standards is ... [... more]
NineMSN OurHouse |
What's On - November
Warragul & District Garden Club's Flower show will be held in the Anglican Church Hall, Princes Way, Drouin. On Friday it's open from 1pm to 5pm and on Saturday, 10am to 4pm; phone (03) 5626 8434 The Ballarat Bonsai Society is staging a Bonsai ... [... more]
Burke's Backyard |
Factsheets: Silvereye
The Silvereye is a small (9.5cm - 12cm) bird with a conspicuous ring of white feathers around the eye, and belongs to a group of birds collectively known as white-eyes. The Silvereye shows interesting plumage variations across its range. The grey ... [... more]
Australian Museum |
Factsheets - Dugong
The Dugong is a large, up to 3m, grey brown bulbous animal with a flattened fluked tail, like that of a whale, no dorsal fin, paddle like flippers and distinctive head shape. The broad flat muzzle and mouth are angled down to enable ease of ... [... more]
Australian Museum |
Springside Porcelain
Christine Bailey is a cake decorator by trade. While she still pipes and bakes, these days it's porcelain, not sponge cakes, she's popping in the oven. Fifteen years ago Christine Bailey enrolled herself in pottery classes. She loved making ... [... more]
NineMSN OurHouse |
Burnt House Post-Mortem
Fire can devastate your family home, but here's a chance to learn from someone else's experience. Take a look at the home of the Martin family, who were forced to renovate following a fire. The fire began in the master bedroom, possibly as the ... [... more]
NineMSN OurHouse |
Geelong furniture
Unusual materials and quality craftsmanship result in this wacky furniture. When Shirl visited these two men back in 1994, they'd just begun their own furniture company, turning recycled fence palings into unusual pieces of furniture. Well, ... [... more]
NineMSN OurHouse |
Jack Miles - Inventor
Meet this inventive Australian who refuses to take life easy. After retiring from the RAAF in 1977, Jack Miles, who doesn't believe in the lazy life, has spent his time inventing things from his home in Toowoomba, Queensland. He has just returned ... [... more]
NineMSN OurHouse |
Three-way balcony makeover
Three landscape designers show different ways of turning a confined outdoor space into a little oasis. Nearly one and a half million Australians choose to live in apartments. This way of living has advantages though one of the down sides is the ... [... more]
NineMSN OurHouse |
