After having returned to Anglesea from the tip of Cape York, only 36 hours previously, going from just over 10 degrees south of the equator to 38 degrees south, from a warm 28 degrees to a chilly 10 degrees, I wasn’t looking forward to the Fungi walk at Lake Elizabeth on Saturday 20th of July, but the day turned out fine and sunny and the fungi did their best to put on a good show, in the dank, wooded valley that the lake occupies.
Twenty one of the Friends enjoyed the walk around the Lake. Our number included the Crowcroft, Cook and Grabham families, who collectively made up half the participants. We also welcomed Mathieu Vaupres, a recently-joined member who was very interested in which of the fungi might be edible. Katie Rau, a Duke of Edinburgh activist, also joined us for another outing.
The group quickly became two groups, a fast one and a slow one, as Oliver Grabham, aged 8, and in the ‘slow’ group decided that he wasn’t about to let any fungus escape his eagle eye and so inspected every possible example of what ‘might’ be one.
Oliver fungi finding expert
Katie photographing coral fungus
The fungi chart was useful
Below are some kind of bracket fungus, a jelly fungus (probably Tremella fuciformis), and also golden curtain crust (probably Stereum ostrea), but I’m not a mycologist and I’ll leave identification to someone more expert than I am. These are just a small sample of those we observed.
Bracket fungus
Jelly fungus
Golden Curtain Crust
Kim Attard was a serious observer. If I am asked to lead this activity next year, I’ll ask her to be my resident expert.
Kim shares her knowledge
Even for those of us less keen on fungus spotting there was plenty to see.
At the lake lookout
Big old Blackwood
Katie and Janet enjoying the walk through the rainforest
The weather was perfect and the Lake looked beautiful.
Mathieu chats with Ellen and Debra while waiting for slow group to catch up
Lake Elizabeth framed with vegetation
Report by Patrick Flanagan