We’re getting a little bit of rain in Gippsland today, with cold blustery south-west squalls sweeping across. Seemed like a good day to work on a talk on wetlands I have to deliver in a week’s time. With that well under way I took a break to pick up some pieces of bark for the fire, and when I turned over one large piece, huntsman spiders scuttled everywhere. This one didn’t scuttle though, she, I think it’s a she with an abdomen full of eggs, just sat quietly watching me with her many eyes. With the next squall approaching I gently covered her up and dashed inside to get the camera and got a few pictures ahead of the rain. Click the first picture to enlarge, I think the second is big enough. 
What a beautiful girl! Spiders have such … er … interesting faces.
I wonder if her mate told her she was beautiful before she ate him!
Duncan
Mum (Shirl) insisted I have a look at your blog tonight (which I do reasonably regularly just to see your latest adventures and admire the photography).
In July of last year I would not have been so brave as to sit before a picture of a huntsman on a computer screen. I do not exaggerate. Ridiculous but true. In August last year I went to Tooronga Zoo and spent a day in their ‘fearless’ program to cure my phobia. At the end of a day I captured and held huntsmen in my bare hands and I held a chillian rose spider (tarantula). It was a life changing experience.
Thankfully, I can now look at your blog and appreciate the huntsman without going into a cold sweat. Great pics. The close up is incredible.
Hi Cinta, I thought of you when I did this blog, having been aware of your successful phobia conquering via S & D and your blog, good on you.
Hi Duncan,
Seeing the huntsman brought back memories of our downstairs shower in the laundry at the back of our garage at Palm Beach, NSW. The idea was to shower there after a trip to the beach, but I used it regularly since there was only a bath upstairs. Several times I would pull back the curtain to find a huntsman on the wall and would have to race up and get Mum to come down and get rid of it. I was scared stiff of them
Your photos are amazing. Yikes..what an ugly mug close up!
Kerri, I think think fear of spiders is probably built in to all of us and can take quite a bit of determination to overcome. The old huntsman is an inoffensive creature though, I just pick them up to put them outside but my wife can’t stand them! This female’s husband wouldn’t be able to get away with a thing with all those eyes watching him.
Jeepers, creepers . . .
An apt comment Sissy!