Australia’s colonial history is full of legendary adventurers, explorers and bushrangers but the romance and aura of the nation’s remote regions didn’t end with WWII, as a host of men and women made their mark on the country and added to the great outback folklore in the process. Here are the stories of but a few of them:

Australia’s population is ageing continually and the numbers of elderly citizens with extra leisure time on their hands is growing accordingly. This band of mature fun-seekers have sought out travel as one of their premier pastimes. The retired getaways have even earned a branding name for themselves - the grey nomads.

I have found a growing band of people taking to the sky to see the great Australian outdoors from a totally different perspective. But already you’re asking: ‘How does this story relate to me? I don’t fly or own an aeroplane.’

Just 30 kilometres from Melbourne stands an imposing mansion and grounds that are a legacy of Victoria’s early sheep farming boom days. A time when the British migrant squattocracy was more top hat than farm boots and leisure days were made of up of horses for polo and racing, hunting, balls and music.

There are lots of ways to be an environmentalist and whether big or small there are a lot of ways to play your part for the environment. Sometimes helping the environment can sound intimidating but the great outdoors is closer than you think.

I have had driving lights (spotlights) on my 4x4 vehicles for many years, as the standard headlights can only be described as barely adequate at best. Anyone who has done much night driving outside of our major cities and towns will attest to the ever-present threat of ‘kangaroo strikes’.

Because of the huge amount of harm inflicted by feral pigs on crops, vegetation and the landscape across Australia, it makes them fair game for hunters. Indeed pig hunting or wild hog hunting is increasingly gaining popularity all over the world.

In real life, pigs can be looked on as endearing, pottering around in their comical manner. If a farmers’ market featuring livestock comes to town, the pigs, young and old, can be relied on to steal the show in the eyes of observers. But with the decent comes the deplorable. And taking the lead role as villains are the feral pigs of Australia.