Kur-ring-gai Chase

I spent several hours yesterday walking in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park just north of Sydney. (The name is actually redundant: a chase is "a tract of unenclosed land used as a game preserve." The founders of the chase didn't want to call it a park, as that, in their 1890s view of things, suggested a fenced in area.)
It was hot, in the 90s, dry, I didn't have enough water, and my hip started hurting before I got out of bed. I went off-trail at one point in chase of a brown furry animal the size of a small dog, through thick bush in an area home to death adders and brown snakes, both of which can kill you quickly. It was all around glorious, and I found some spectacular spots in a park I will be walking regularly.

As soon as I got off the bus I saw a strange little bird, a youngun, intent on digging a little pit, and completely unafraid of me. I don't know what it is, perhaps a young bush turkey:



I saw a fat goanna, at least three feet long—look how long that tail is—which made the heat and the hurt totally worthwhile:

Here's a good head shot:

And one of my famously shaky videos, at the end of which you can see a bit of the goanna shuffle:



After stumbling down the hill to try and get a shot of the mysterious creature, a reddish, chocolate brown thing with thick fur, I came upon McCarrs Creek, where I caught a tiny crab:



Back on McCarrs Creek road I waited for a bus, and saw a dead animal. I think it was a swamp wallaby. You can see the long feet, and tail, and the little arms:

Poor critter. That's probably what I saw in the bush. Hopefully next time I'll have a good photo of a live one.