Bats, Monitors, and a Rogue Wallaby

We had a strange couple of day with a few encounters with the local wildlife than even our neighbour hadn't experienced, or so he said.

4am Yesterday we were woken to a noise downstairs. I usually lie in bed pretending to be asleep and let Myles find out what noises are. He is curious by nature leading to trouble - once we heard gun shots in Sydney and Myles was determined to have a look; there was also once someone trying to break into our house - Myles wanted to open the door to see who it was...? Some how he lives to tell the tale.

Reason why doors shouldn't be left open - from NT Times

So Myles went downstair yesterday to find Lily, the biggest dog, inside. She sleeps on the balcony because she is really far too big to be inside. Myles hadn't closed the door properly and she had nosed the door open. I got up to see what all the commotion was about. After hearing how Lily got in I start nagging Myles about how "I had told him to make sure all the doors where closed because a snake could get inside". Whilst letting Fritz he was in a bit of a daze out. He then suddenly looked more alert and said "I think there is something in here with us. Maybe a mouse."

I told him to let Fritz back in and there wasn't a mouse in the house because he wouldn't have heard it. Then there was a little sound but I told him it must be an insect and to get back to bed. He walked up the stairs and promptly got hit in the face by a bat. We scrambled to open up a door and get the bat out of the house, ushering it into the downstairs bathroom. It was then released outside. Again we made our way upstairs and was attacked by another bat - same evac. procedures were used. We both stared at each and laughed about how good it was not to have vampire bats in Australia Where else would you get bats in the house? Myles went back to bed and I stayed awake until breakfast.

The Monitor - looks like a Lace Monitor

That day we were visited by a Monitor - I always thought a monitor was attached to a computer screen - wrong. It is a huge lizard that mainly eats meat - nice. They can bite you but only if you corner the thing. Myles grabbed the camera and snapped off a few shots before it ran, fast, away.

The dam at the front

Finally, today, while cutting the grass on a bank of the property near our dam I came across a Wallaby hiding in the long grass and under a tree. He/she had stayed very still until the bladed brush-cutter had invaded it's home. The poor thing ran in-front of me, making me jump, scream and pee myself. By running in-front of me it hit the blade, but still bounded on. Hopefully it just got a bruise, would hate to have killed the cute critter.