Newsletter 2, August 2024

Crater Lakes National Park

Bonadios is close to the Crater Lakes National Park which encompasses Lakes Barrine and Eacham and also the Curtain Fig Tree. The walking tracks around these lakes are home to a number of tropical plants and birds. On this visit I was lucky to briefly spot the musky ratkangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) – but alas not long enough for a decent photo.

The vegetation is regarded as a Complex Mesophyll, vine forest. It has a high representation of plant species from the families Myrtaceae and Lauraceae. In simple terms it is a rainforest with a shady canopy of dense trees, misty dampness and humidity, vines, epiphytes, mosses, liverworts, and a moist layer of leaf litter. Of particular interest are the bumpy satinash and yellow mahogany, which are cauliflorous trees, meaning they bear flowers and fruit directly from the trunk.

       Epicharis parasiticum yellow mahogany

                                                                                                           Haplopteris elongata tape fern 

                              Microporus affinis

        Coenogonium implexum Pixie-hair Lichen

 

 

Mt Hypipamee National Park

Also on the Atherton Tableland and home to Dinner Falls and the Mt Hypipamee Crater, which is a volcanic pipe 61 metres in diameter and 85 metres deep. It is a high altitude rainforest and temperatures can go as low as -10 degrees Celsius in winter. The headwaters of the Barron River form at Dinner Falls. The cauliflorous trees are also found here, namely the bumpy satinash. Also keep a look out for numerous fungi and mosses that grow in the moist forests.

                                                                                Zehneria cunninghamii slender cucumber 

 

         Thuidium delicatulum delicate fern moss

                                                                                              Drynaria rigidula basket fern

Mt Lewis National Park

Located near Julatten, this park rises 1200 metres and is one of the best places to find the elusive Blue-faced Parrot-Finch. Unfortunately this bird has eluded us to date. We were unable to access the park this visit due to the bridge being out of commission as a result of flooding. However, previous visits have enabled us to observe a number of floral species. There is a great variety of ferns in the area but I particularly like the pouched coral fern and was impressed with the staghorn that was growing beside the path

        Gleichenia dicarpa  pouched coral fern    

 

  

           Paphia meiniana misty bells

             Oberonia complanata  king of the fairies

          Leucobryum aduncum yellow flowered

Girringun National Park 

Located near Ingham, it is home of the Wallaman Falls,  the tallest permanent waterfall in Australia where Stony Creek (a tributary of the Herbert River) makes a sheer drop of 268m. At times, the mist created by the falls hitting the bottom is so extreme that the falls are unable to be seen. The drive to the falls is very scenic, passing through large areas of cane fields as well as the open eucalypt forest and dense rainforests of the park.

              Schelhammera multiflora 

            Pimelea linifolia subsp linifolia   

                     Platostoma longicorne

                    Hygrocype miniata

Blackdown Tableland National Park

The Blackdown Tableland lies in Central Queensland near the town of Dingo, 180km west of Rockhampton and 110km east of Emerald. It is a sandstone plateau rising 900 metres, with stunning views. The vegetation is mostly heathlands and dry eucalypt forests with moist pockets of ferns, mosses and orchids. There are a couple of species of bottlebrush and palm, that are endemic to the area and not found anywhere else.  

Another great spot in this area is the Sapphire Wetlands (14 hectares) which provide 3.6km of gravel cycling and walking tracks. This freshwater wetlands is home to a range of flora and fauna.

   Melaleuca pearsonii Blackdown bottlebrush

                  Beyeria viscosa pinkwood

         Drosera burmanni tropical sundew

                               Phallus-murulinus

           Livistona fulva Blackdown Fan Palm

 

Cania Gorge National Park

Cania Gorge is in the North Burnett Region near the town of Monto. It falls within a large natural region known as the Brigalow Belt. More than 150 different types of plant communities are found in this region, including brigalow forest, eucalypt woodland, cypress pine woodland, dry rainforest and grassland. Whiptail wallabies graze in mobs of up to fifty during the day or night, particularly in the dam surrounds. There are numerous walking tracks where you will encounter local wildlife. We spotted a number of red-bellied black snakes on our treks. Many of the local wildflowers can be spotted along these tracks. The silver elkhorn can be found on the fern tree pool track. These plants are able to grow on cliff faces as their fronds are covered in fine, silky hairs that help prevent moisture loss. The centres of the plants have spongy leaf nests that form a type of moisture-retaining peat.

       Aneilema acuminatum hairy jacket 

      Pseuderanthemum variabile pastel flower

          Platycerium veitchii, silver elkhorn

        Pterocaulon redolens pineapple daisy

                 Cania Gorge escarpment

If you are out there making a mile, happy and safe travels. We are also now on Facebook and Instagram. Always happy to talk about flowers you may have seen, trying to identify or are on the look out for. Looking forward to hearing from you or maybe even encountering you out there as we look around Australia. Don’t forget you can email us at thenomadsbotanist@outlook.com