Careers
Julie Murphy
Writer, biological consultant, zoologist and former zookeeper
I have been interested in writing for as long as I can remember, but getting around to doing something about it took me quite a while. Before that, I was concentrating on getting qualifications for more conventional (i.e. “slightly less risky”) careers in zoology and zookeeping. In my private life I was accompanying my partner on overseas backpacking trips every few years (as often as we could afford), visiting parts of Africa, Asia, South America and later Europe. We always travelled independently (i.e. not with tour groups) for long periods (usually 3 or 4 months), which allowed us to spend as much time as we liked in each place.
When I was a Zookeeper, I wrote...
"In my zoology studies at the University of Melbourne I specialised in Animal Behaviour. This helps me enormously to recognise early signs of stress or illness in the animals, and to ensure that their training is progressing well."
"Studying at Melbourne also gave me strong time management skills. As my job is busy and varied, and a sick animal might mean I have to reschedule my day to care for it, these skills are vital. I also give presentations to visitors to the Sanctuary. Working with both the animals and with the Sanctuary's visitors makes my day quite varied."
"It's great working with animals - watching their behaviour is fascinating, and helping to breed endangered species is really interesting and worthwhile. I take care of animals in the Education section of Healesville Sanctuary where school groups attend classes featuring live animals."
"My job includes feeding and maintaining the health of the animals under my care, making sure their enclosures are clean, designing new enclosures and training the animals to accept handling by the teachers.
Nowadays...
My published work ranges from serious scientific papers to creative writing for children. I started with the research papers, branched out to non-fiction magazine articles for adults and children, and finally ventured further afield to children’s rhymes and picture story books. Along the way there were odds and ends such as a piece for an encyclopedia about zoos and an instructional manual to teach children how to breed stick insects!
My aspirations for the future?
To continue to write for children...and have more of it published! Current works-in-progress include animal-related non-fiction articles for primary school children, several picture story books, non-fiction books for children and a fantasy novel for young adults.
Published work
For samples of my writing (stories, e-books, articles and more), visit my page at Authors' Den.
Children’s picture story books
- Who is it? Australian animals of the night (2006). Children’s picture story e-book.
Writer’s Exchange E-publishing (http://www.readerseden.com).
Illustrated by Richard van Hoesel.
ISBN 1 920972 36 6 - (in production) Gum Leaves and Chocolate Cake. Wacky Rhymes About Australia’s Native Animals. Children’s picture e-book.
Writer’s Exchange E-publishing.
Illustrated by Maureen Kirsch
Children's educational
- (in production) Nutrition Across a Lifetime. A senior primary school text in the “Health and Understanding” series.
Blake Education, NSW, Australia - Husbandry Manual, Thorny Stick Insect, Ctenomorphodes briareus (2002).
Healesville Sanctuary Discovery and Learning, Victoria, Australia. A Science in Schools Partnership Programme.
Children's articles
- "A New View of the Zoo" (2006) Zoo News, 26 (3): 9.
Friends of the Zoos Ltd. Parkville, Victoria, Australia. - "How fast is fast?" (2006) Explore magazine 3: 16.
Pearson Education, Melbourne, Australia. - "Science with Stick" (2002) Pets ‘n’ People magazine 26: 100. In: my own “Wild Watch” column.
Milton, Queensland, Australia. - "Not Always a Dog’s Life" (2001) Pets ‘n’ People magazine (formerly Pets, Vets ‘n’ People) 22: 70-71.
Milton, Queensland, Australia. - "Problem Barking in Dogs" (2001) Pets, Vets ‘n’ People magazine 20: 72-74.
Milton, Queensland, Australia. - "Guide Dogs: How Do They Do It?" (2001) Pets, Vets ‘n’ People magazine 18: 40-42.
Milton, Queensland, Australia.
Children’s verse
- "Ralph the Stick Insect" (2003). In: Information Pack (Curriculum and Husbandry Manual) for the Thorny Stick Insect, Ctenomorphodes briareus, 2nd ed.
Healesville Sanctuary Discovery and Learning, Victoria, Australia. - "A Platypus’ Predicament" (2002). In: An Australian Treasury of Popular Verse.
ABC Books, Sydney, N.S.W.
Articles for adults
- "A New View of the Zoo" (2006) Zoo News, 26 (3): 9.
Friends of the Zoos Ltd. Parkville, Victoria, Australia. - "The Zen of Backpacking". (2000) International WellBeing 82 (Dec): 10-14.
- "On trees and trauma". (1997) Zoo News 17(4): 13-14.
Friends of the Zoos Ltd. Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Miscellaneous
- "Healesville Sanctuary" (2001) In: Encyclopedia of the World’s Zoos Vol. 2: 540-546.
Fitzroy Dearborn, Chicago, IL, USA. - "Playgrounds are fun, butt..." (2005). Letter to the editor. The Melbourne Times, northern edition. Feb. 6.
- "Wild Pets" (2001). Letter to the editor. Nature Australia. Autumn.
Australian Museum, Sydney.
Technical publications
- MURPHY, J.A, PHILLIPS, B.T. & MACREADIE, B (2003) “Husbandry and Breeding of the Eastern Pygmy-possum, Cercartetus nanus at Healesville Sanctuary.” International Zoo Yearbook 38: 173-178. London, U.K.
- MURPHY, J.A. (1999) “Night life in the Small Mammal Breeding Pens at Healesville Sanctuary” (poster abstract). In: Proceedings of 1999 ASZK/ARAZPA Conference, Alice Springs.
- MURPHY, J.A. & PHILLIPS, B.T. (1999) “We breed the Eastern Pygmy-possum”. ARAZPA News 44(Nov): 15.
- MURPHY, J.A., (1998) “Defining categories of temperament in potential guide dogs for the blind”. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 58: 163-178.
- MURPHY, J.A. (1998) “Interactions between arboreal and terrestrial marsupials sharing enclosures at Healesville Sanctuary”. Thylacinus 22(2): 26-29.
- MURPHY, J.A. (1995) “Assessment of the temperament of potential guide dogs”. Anthrozoos, 8: 224-228.
- HUNTER, S. & MURPHY, J. (1995) “When are the best times to see the animals in the Nocturnal House at Healesville Sanctuary?”. Proceedings of the ARAZPA/Australasian Society of Zookeepers Conference, pp. 220-223. Perth, W.A.
- MURPHY, J.A. (1993) “Behaviour of eastern barred bandicoots, Perameles gunnii (Marsupialia: Peramelidae), breeding in captivity. Australian Mammalogy, 16(1): 91-94.
- MURPHY, J.A. & SERENA, M. (1993) “Results of radiotracking eastern barred bandicoots, Perameles gunnii (Marsupialia: Peramelidae) at Gellibrand Hill Park, Victoria”. Australian Mammalogy 16(1): 51-54.
- MURPHY, J.A. (1991) “The assessment of temperament in potential guide dogs for the blind - an ethological study”. Masters Thesis: University of Melbourne, Victoria.
- MURPHY, J.A. (1988) “The effect of alternative mating opportunities on parental care behaviour in the monogamous cichlid Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum”. Honours Thesis: University of Melbourne, Victoria.