In 1947 Vera emigrated to Australia, and after some time in Victoria moved north, settling in the Wide Bay district of Queensland, where she purchased a small property near Bundaberg.

Entranced by the beauty of the Endeavour River valley, in 1972, at the age of 60 Vera settled in Cooktown and began collecting and recording native plants of the region.

With Aboriginal friends from the local Guugu Yimithirr people, Vera made extensive trips locating species and recording information on their uses.

[1] Inspired by the early botanical work of Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander and Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook's voyage of discovery, she set out to paint the wonderful plants of the area.

[2] In 1990, Vera gave her wonderful collection of botanical illustrations to the people of Cooktown to enrich the public appreciation of the Endeavour River area.

Vera managed to obtain a grant of land over a lovely heathland area of about 93.5 hectares or 231 acres (0.93 km2), as a wildlife reserve, about 17 km southeast of Bundaberg.

Vera's wish was that the Nature's PowerHouse Interpretive Centre would educate both current and future generations about the wonders and the importance of the environment and the need to protect the few remaining pristine parts of the planet.