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After the uncertainty as to whether this annual celebration could take place due to the coronavirus restrictions and regulations, it was an excited group of Friends of Eastern Otways and Angair members that gathered at 10.00am at the Moggs Creek Picnic Ground ready to share the experience of walking the Moggs Creek Circuit Trail.

As we started the walk we had a clear view of a male Gang-gang Cockatoo that was not at all perturbed by our presence.

ganggang1He was too intent on feeding on the seeds of the Acacia beside the track

There was plenty of water in the creek and gullies and there were many calls and sightings of over 20 bird species. A White-throated Treecreeper climbing up the trunk of a eucalypt and a magnificent Spotted Pardalote perched at eye level were exciting viewings.

We had made the decision to see if we could find the plants that we had listed on previous walks through the Gully and Chris offered to record our findings.

recordingplants2Angie helps Chris add one more plant to the list

We were just one week too late to see the beautiful Tall Cinnamon Bells orchid in flower, but nevertheless we were able to see just how strong this particular orchid is ,and how well it had flowered this year.

sueadmiresorchid3Sue admires the two remaining flowers on the top of the flower stem

The walk along the creek track was just so beautiful with mosses, algae, groundcovers, ferns, bushes and shrubs all growing together.

shadesofgreen4All shades of green blend together in the Australian environment

The Victorian Christmas Bush Prostanthera lasianthos was in full bloom both on the sides of the track and in the gullies.

christmasbush5It certainly is a beautiful species with its attractive green foliage and unusual shaped white flowers

janetandchristmasbush6Janet admires one of the Christmas Bushes on the side of the track

Another white summer flower is the Derwenr Speedwell now known as Veronica derwentiana subsp. derwentiana.

sueandwendydertwentspeedwell7Sue and Wendy found this specimen with its sprays of white flowers just on the side of the track

raspfern8The Rasp Fern was most attractive displaying its beautiful colours of red, orange and varying shades of green

cutleafdaisy9The delicate Cut-leaf Daisy was flowering in profusion with carpets of blue flowers standing out as we walked along

Back at the Picnic Ground and our numbers had doubled as another 22 members came to join in the celebration, bringing our total to 42. There were no tables of attractive salads or smells of a barbecue wafting through the air as coronavirus restrictions and regulations meant no sharing of food.

People were soon spread out amongst the Ironbarks and other eucalypts.

lunchtime10Lunchtime in the great environment of the Great Otway National Park

People had brought along their own picnic lunch and soon were enjoying their food even if not being able to share. It was still pleasant to relax in this great environment and share experiences with others.

picniclunchtime11Peter and Christine enjoying their lunch together

Patrick said some thank-you’s on behalf of The Friends, Wendy did likewise for Angair and Matt responded on behalf of Parks Victoria.

patfriends12Patrick

wendyangair13Wendy

mattparks14Matt

Angair took the opportunity to present Honorary Life Membershio to Ellinor Campbell in recognition of her services to Angair over a long period and in a number of ways.

wendyellinor15Wendy presents Ellinor with her Life Membership Certificate

Another year of conservation activities had come to an end and people were looking forward to a break to recharge and start again in 2021 when hopefully things may be back to normal.

Margaret MacDonald