Julie Thorndyke loves to spend each summer at a quiet beach-side town north of Sydney. It is an area rich in native wildlife. Although most Australian animals are nocturnal and elusive during the daylight hours, sometimes Julie and her family will encounter a hungry goanna on the bush track behind the house, spot a koala high up in a gum tree, or meet a dingo in the sand dunes. One memorable morning, a python caught a pigeon on their roof and swallowed it whole for breakfast!