Lemon juice or vinegar is a much handier way of removing chewing gum from fabric than the eucalyptus oil that the author recommends.

ECONOMIST: Christmas tips

This kind of stone, he explains, is particularly good at conducting lightning and often sparks tremendous bush fires that feed on the flammable, oil-laden foliage of the eucalyptus trees and roar through the landscape every few years.

BBC: The perfect trip: New South Wales