This is a beautiful track now spoilt by deep trail bike ruts. The best way is to walk clockwise so you aren’t bothered by the ruts immediately. We walked as far as possible on Monday 11th July for the monthly Nature Walk.
Start of the walk – all photos courtesy of Ellinor Campbell
The heath Epacris impressa is brilliant, very common and with flowers of various colours from white to dark pink. This will last for months.
Hmm, what is that plant?
We were pleased to see one orchid, a Banded Greenhood Pterostylis pedunculata.
Photographing a Banded Greenhood
We spent some time discussing the Eucalypts along the track. The predominant tree is the Messmate Eucalyptus obliqua. A bit further on we found some Scent-bark Gums Eucalyptus aromaphloia – medium sized trees having rough, friable bark with a faint pleasant smell.
Investigating the bark of a Scent-bark gum
Next was a group of Anglesea Grey-gums Eucalyptus litoralis. This is also medium sized but with a spreading canopy. The bark is grey, peeling, with grey trunks after the bark has gone .The adult leaves are long – 18-35cms.
Look an Anglesea Grey Gum!
See the flattened stalk
The final gum was further along the walk after we turned north. This is the small 15m Shining Peppermint or Eucalyptus falciformis. This was previously named Eucalyptus willisii or Jacky Gum.
Which gum is it?
It’s a Shining peppermint
At the corner we found a Leafless Bitter-pea, Daviesia brevifolia, starting to come into bloom. The flowers are dark pink and pea-shaped.
The other highlight was the fungi. There were many of the common Golden Curtain Crust Stereum ostrea. These look like bright orange leaves and grow on rotten wood.
Golden Curtain Crust fungi
Also common were the Ruby bonnets Mycena viscidocruenta. These are ruby-coloured 20 mm fungi on stalks.
Ruby bonnets
The highlight was the White Punk Laetiporus portentosus – a flat, dingy-white fungus with pores, growing on the trunk of a living Eucalypt.
White Punk
Bill McKellar