It was a case of being dressed for all seasons as the weather fluctuated between cold winds, rain showers and weak sunshine with the group braving the elements to set out on exploring Harrison Track South within the Great Otway National Park. We were very grateful to Katrina and Scott, Park Rangers, who helped with 4WD vehicles to get our group to the start of the walk on Ridge View Track . We were pleased to welcome a few new faces to our group.
Dressed for all seasons
However after the first shower, the weather settled down and we were able to explore Harrison Track South in its entirety in pleasant conditions
Shining Peppermint Eucalyptus falciformis
The Shining Peppermint, a small eucalypt, greeted us as we started the walk with its creamy-white flowers highlighted by the dark green foliage of the tree.
Margaret shows some of the treasures on the sides of the track
There were so many treasures to find on the side of the track. Many orchids and small flowers hiding amongst the grasses such as the Tiny Caladenia, the Eastern Bronze Caladenia and the Southern Bearded Greenhood.
Identifying and recording the flowers
The Angair flower book and the orchid book were useful in alerting people to the various species. Ros was kept busy all day as she recorded the 125 species we identified
The heathlands were a blaze of colour with so many beautiful flowers to admire including:-
White and yellow flowers of Blunt Everlasting and yellow Bent Goodenias
Greyish-white flowers of Victorian Smoke-bush
The spectacular splash of purple of the Heath Milkwort
Bright orange of the Dwarf Bush-pea
And perhaps the highlight – the newly opened Flying Duck Orchid Alison found on the side of the track just displaying itself in all its unusual form and spectacular colour
Flying Duck Orchid saying “Look at me”
As we walked along Harrison Track South there were sweeping views across the Anglesea River valley – in a few weeks time it will be a mass of pleasantly scented, lemon-yellow bottle-brush flowers of the Scented Paper-bark.
Rod and Wendy admire the view of the river valley
We heard many bird calls as we walked along – Phil recorded 24 species with the Rufous Whistler being very vocal. It was great to see the Peregrine Falcons nesting once more on the Alcoa freehold structure.
There were interesting small creatures – a large shiny black ant was rather aggressive with both Phil and Chris feeling the force of its aggression.
Large shiny black ant defending its territory
And a large brown spider that was endeavouring to camouflage itself on the track
We all agreed it was a great walk and certainly much less litter along the way as Wendy collected cans and bottles, a roll of carpet , paper, cardboard, plastic and even a window-cleaning brush. They were all placed on the side of the track and later collected by our two great Rangers Katrina and Scott.
We should just leave our footprints and take away our memories – and we had plenty of those!
Wendy at work!
Report by Marg MacDonald
Photos by Kaye Traynor and Alison Watson
Here is a complete list of all the plants identified:
| BOTANICAL NAME | COMMON NAME |
| FERNS & FERN ALLIES | |
| Gleichenia microphylla | Scrambling Coral-fern |
| Lindsaea linearis | Screw Fern |
| Pterideum esculentum | Bracken |
| WATER PLANTS | |
| GRASSES | |
| Austrostipa sp. | Spear-grass |
| Tetrarrhena distichophylla | Hairy Rice-grass |
| RUSHES, SEDGES & ALLIES | |
| Empodisma minus | Spreading Rope-rush |
| Ghania filum | Chaffy Saw-sedge |
| Ghania radula | Thatch Saw-sedge |
| Ghania sieberiana | Red-fruit Saw-sedge |
| Hypolaena fastigiata | Tassel Rope-rush |
| Lepidosperma filiforme | Common Rapier-sedge |
| Lepidosperma laterale | Variable Sword-sedge |
| Schoenus breviculmis | Matted Bog-rush |
| LILIES, IRISES & GRASS-TREES | |
| Arthropodium strictum | Chocolate Lily |
| Burchardia umbellata | Milkmaids |
| Chamaescilla corymbosa | Blue Squill/Blue Stars |
| Dianella admixta | Black-anther Flax-lily |
| Laxmannia orientalis | Dwarf Wire-lily |
| Lomandra filiformis subsp. filiformis | Wattle Mat-rush |
| Lomandra longifolia subsp. longifolia | Spiny-headed Mat-rush |
| Lomandra multiflora | Many-flowered Mat-rush |
| Patersonia fragilis | Short Purple-flag |
| Patersonia occidentalis | Long Purple-flag |
| Thysanotus patersonii | Twining Fringe Lily |
| Xanthorrhoea australis | Austral Grass-tree |
| Xanthorrhoea minor subsp. lutea | Small Grass-tree |
| ORCHIDS | |
| Caladenia cardiochila | Heart or Thick-lip Spider |
| Caladenia carnea | Pink Fingers |
| Caladenia pusilla | Tiny Caladenia |
| Caladenia tentaculata | Mantis Orchid |
| Caladenia transitoria | Eastern Bronze Caladenia |
| Caladenia venusta | Large White Spider Orchid |
| Caleana major | Flying Duck Orchid |
| Calochilus robertsonii | Purple Beard Orchid |
| Diuris orientis | Donkey Orchid |
| Glossodia major | Waxlip Orchid |
| Leporella fimbriata | Fringed Hare (Leaves) |
| Pterostylis tasmanica | Southern Bearded Greenhood |
| Thelymitra antennifera | Rabbit Ears |
| Thelymitra ixioides | Spotted Sun Orchid |
| Thelymitra juncifolia | Rush-leaf Sun Orchid |
| Thelymitra rubra | Salmon Sun Orchid |
| DICOTYLEDONS | |
| Acacia myrtifolia | Myrtle Wattle |
| Acacia pycnantha | Golden Wattle |
| Acacia suaveolens | Sweet Wattle |
| Acacia verticillata subsp. verticillata | Prickly Moses |
| Acaena echinata | Sheep’s Burr |
| Acaena novae-zelandiae | Bidgee-widgee |
| Acrotriche serrulata | Honey-pots |
| Allittia uliginosa | Heath Daisy |
| Allocasuarina misera | Small Sheoak |
| Amperea xiphoclada var. xiphoclada | Broom Spurge |
| Amyema pendulasubsp.pendula | Drooping Mistletoe |
| Aotus ericoides | Common Aotus |
| Argentipallium obtusifolium | Blunt Everlasting |
| Astroloma humifusum | Cranberry Heath |
| Banksia marginata | Silver Banksia |
| Billardiera mutabilis | Common Apple-berry |
| Bursaria spinosa subsp. spinosa | Sweet Bursaria |
| Calytrix tetragona | Common Fringe-myrtle |
| Cassytha glabella forma dispar | Tangled Dodder-laurel |
| Cassytha melantha | Coarse Dodder-laurel |
| Cassytha pubescens | Downy Dodder-laurel |
| Comesperma ericinum | Heath Milkwort |
| Comesperma volubile | Love Creeper |
| Conospermum mitchellii | Victorian Smoke-bush |
| Coronidium scorpioides | Button Everlasting |
| Correa reflexa sp. | Common Correa |
| Craspedia variabilis | Variable Billy-buttons |
| Daviesia brevifolia | Leafless Bitter-pea |
| Dichondra repens | Kidney-weed |
| Dillwynia glaberrima | Smooth Parrot-pea |
| Dillwynnia sericea subsp. 1 (Sth Vic) | Showy Parrot-pea |
| Drosera aberrans | Scented Sundew |
| Drosera auriculata | Tall Sundew |
| Drosera glanduligera | Scarlet Sundew |
| Drosera macrantha | Climbing Sundew |
| Epacris impressa | Common Heath |
| Eucalyptus falciformis | Shining Peppermint |
| Eucalyptus obliqua | Messmate |
| Exocarpos cupressiformis | Cherry Ballart |
| Gonocarpus tetragynus | Common Raspwort |
| Goodenia geniculata | Bent Goodenia |
| Goodenia lanata | Trailing Goodenia |
| Goodenia ovata | Hop Goodenia |
| Hakea repullulans | Western Furze Hakea |
| Hakea ulicina | Furze/Gorse Hakea |
| Hibbertia fasciculata var. prostrata | Bundled Gunea-flower |
| Hibbertia riparia | Erect Guinea-flower |
| Hibbertia sericea | Silky Guinea-flower |
| Hydrocotyle callicarpa | Small Pennywort |
| Hydrocotyle hirta | Hairy Penywort |
| Isopogon ceratophyllus | Horny Cone-bush |
| Kennedia prostrata | Running Postman |
| Leptospermum continentale | Prickly Teatree |
| Leptospermum myrsinoides | Silky Teatree |
| Leptospermum scoparium | Manuka |
| Leucopogon australis | Spike Beard-heath |
| Leucopogon virgatus | Common Beard-heath |
| Lomatia ilicifolia | Holly Lomatia |
| Melaleuca squarrosa | Scented Paperbark |
| Olearia lirata | Snowy Daisy-bush |
| Opercularia varia | Variable Stinkweed |
| Persoonia juniperina | Prickly Geebung |
| Pimelea flava | Yellow Rice-flower |
| Pimelea humilis | Common Rice-flower |
| Pimelea linifolia subsp. linifolia | Slender Rice-flower |
| Pimelea octophylla | Woolly Rice-flower |
| Pimelea phylicoides | Heath Rice-flower |
| Plantago varia | Variable Plantain |
| Platylobium obtusangulum | Common Flat Pea |
| Poranthera microphylla | Small Poranthera |
| Pultenaea stricta | Rigid Bush-pea |
| Senecio glomeratus | Annual Fireweed |
| Senecio linearifolius | Fireweed Groundsel |
| Sphaerolobium minus | Leafless Globe-pea |
| Sprengelia incarnata | Pink Swamp-heath |
| Spyridium parvifolium | Dusty Miller |
| Stackhousia monogyna | Creamy Candles |
| Tetratheca ciliata | Pink-bells |
| Viola cleistogamoides | Hidden Violet |
| Viola hederaceae | Ivy-leafed Violet |
| Wahlenbergia gracilis | Sprawling Bluebell |
| Wahlenbergia multicaulis | Tadgell’s Bluebell |
| Xanthosia tasmanica | Tasmanian Xanthosia |