Rob Hurst

Well, I'm very lucky, actually, because in Sydney, we live down near the harbour.

It's a little secret spot.

And there's bush pretty much straight outside the door.

And so I do this kind of fast walk slash stumble, you know, through the bush.

And there are wallabies in there and there are water dragons.

And over the years, because I've been there for a long time, about 30 years, in the same spot, which is, I know, unusual for musicians, you know, where...

fairly peripatetic normally, but I'm very happy there.

And I've been intrigued by these powerful owls because they're, I don't know if you've seen them up close, Sarah.

No, what do they look like?

Well, they're enormous.

The adults are kind of brown and white flecked.

And I think it's the daughter.

It must be the daughter.

It looks like a kind of panda in reverse, like a creamy-coloured with black eyes.

Sometimes I see all three together.

They're not there all the time, but they roost high up in one of the angophora trees, you know, the apple gums, and they usually have a small creature that they're in the process of eviscerating, usually a brushtail possum or other birds end up there.

Yeah, yeah.

I always get the feeling, you know, walking through the bush that I kind of look at them and they look down unblinkingly.

But I don't stay too long because I don't want to, I've heard stories from some of the other residents that, you know, they can attack.

And if they did attack, I mean, I think they'd tear your spleen out.