July 2025 Activity Details - Friday meeting, and Sunday outing to Muntapa Tunnel & Palms National Park.

 CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 4 July 2025  

St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba. The speakers' presentations are followed by official business and supper. 

Two speakers:

Dingo on K'gari
Photo:  Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

1. Peter Jesser on 'Wild Dogs and Dingoes' (Peter has worked for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, and is a pest management consultant.)

2. Ann Alcock on 'Puffins to Penguins' (Ann, a professional freelance photographer, photojournalist, documentary photographer, and event photographer for newspapers and magazines, is not one to shy away from adventure.)

CLUB OUTING: Sunday 6 July 2025. Muntapa Tunnel and the Palms National Park, Cooyar

Meeting Time: 8.30am

Map of railway route
from Oakey to Cooyar

Where: Rotary Park on Campbell Street, Oakey (next to the Park House Motor Inn). This route closely follows the original Oakey-Cooyar railway line.

Description: This 287 metre single bore tunnel is unique in that it goes through the Great Dividing Range from the Murray-Darling river catchment to the Brisbane Valley catchment area. The tunnel has now been fenced to protect the roosting and breeding site of several thousand Bent-wing Bats.

Activities: Historical information signage, a picnic area and amenities, make this an interesting site to revisit. After morning-tea here we will travel through Cooyar north to the Palms National Park known as a roosting site for three different species of flying-fox - black, grey-headed and little red. (On last visit early June there were no flying-foxes present.)

Level of Fitness: easy to moderate

Facilities: Muntapa - BBQ, picnic tables, shelter & toilets; Palms - picnic tables, toilets in nearby Cooyar.

What to Bring: morning tea, lunch, water, chair, sun protection and wear closed shoes.

June Outing Report - Postmans Ridge and Helidon Spa, Sunday 08 June 2025. .

 Adapted from the TFNC July 2025 newsletter report of D. Pagel.

Withcott Waterlilies
Photo: M. Simmons

It was a clear winter’s day, and the temperature was much warmer below the Range when we met at our destination in Withcott. We strolled down a grassy slope past scattered Forest Red Gums Eucalyptus tereticornis where there was some evidence of koala activity in foliage and on bark, and past specimens of Soap Tree Alphitonia excelsa and Flat-stemmed Wattle Acacia complanata. The slope led to a large dam that was more like a picturesque billabong skirted by a path and fringed with Common Rush Juncus usitatus. On the water were a number of waterbirds, and patches of exotic Blue Water Lilies Nymphaea caerulea flowering on their tall stems. However, some flowers appeared larger, paler and to sit on the surface of the water. Surely, they were not the native Giant Water Lily Nymphaea gigantea, locally extinct, that years ago excited our Field Naturalists on outings to several locations on the Downs? (Yet to be confirmed.)

Rodent droppings
Photo: L. Moodie

We then moved on to an area of scrubby woodland  on poor thin soil at Postmans Ridge. Here the Gatton Sandstone that had not been so conspicuous at our first stop demonstrated how friable and easily eroded it can be. Our sandy road became impassable because of deeply eroded channels, probably the result of tunnelling where the clayey subsoil contains sodium salts that dissolve or ‘melt away’ on wetting. On one side of this road, we noted stands of Black She-oak Allocasuarina littoralis and termite activity both on trees and in a prominent mound that was capped with the dark droppings of an unidentified species of rat. Those who walked on the other side noted Geebung Persoonia sp., Cough Bush Cassinia laevis and Sweet Canthium Psydrax odorata subsp. buxifolium. Acacias included Flat-stemmed Wattle Acacia complanata and Blake’s Wattle Acacia Blakei subsp. diphylla.

Fungus Pisolithes sp. 
Photo: D. Pagel

 Emerging from the road surface itself was a fresh specimen of the Horse Dung Fungus Pisolithus sp. that had been spared by many of our vehicles’ tyres. Its white globe would finally become dark brown and crumble when mature to reveal its spore mass. This fungus has been known to emerge on roadsides through bitumen.

Our final destination was Helidon Spa where Nats enjoyed lunch at the water’s edge while admiring large numbers of Plumed Whistling Ducks and the image of Little Corellas in a eucalypt, vivid white against an intense blue sky. Warm thanks to Melanie for organizing this enjoyable excursion.

Little Corellas at Helidon Spa
Photo: M. Simmons

Species Lists

Birds: 

Withcott. Superb Fairy-wren, Magpie Lark, Willie Wagtail, Common Myna, House Sparrow.

Postmans Ridge.  Plumed Whistling Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Hardhead, Australasian Grebe, Crested Pigeon, Little Black Cormorant, White Faced Heron, Dusky Moorhen, Pale-headed Rosella, Noisy Minor, Grey Butcherbird, Magpie-lark, Welcome Swallow. 

Helidon Spa. Plumed Whistling Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Australasian Grebe, Dusky Moorhen, Straw-necked Ibis, Masked Lapwing, Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Willie Wagtail.

Butterflies: Small Green Banded Blue, Caper White, Common Grass Yellow, Wanderer (Monarch).

June 2025 Activity Details - Friday meeting, and Sunday outing to Helidon lowlands.

CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 6 June 2025  St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba 

Assoc. Professor

Tomatoes
Photo from Wikipedia: 
Creative Commons Attribution

John Dearnaley will speak on Australian Serendipita fungi and their interactions with native plants and crops

John Dearnaley is Associate Professor in Plant Microbe Interactions, School of Agriculture & Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland. 

His research interests include the taxonomy, ecology and economics of Australian fungi, in particular, those that are fungal symbionts of plants. 

He has published widely on this interesting group of fungi during his 30 year research career. 

Currently, he and his students are working on a range of projects centred on the taxonomy, ecology and bioactive properties of rainforest endophytes (fungi that live inside the tissues of plants.) Recent research has found that inoculating plants with Serendipita sp. increased the fresh weight of tomatoes and improved immunity against the powdery mildew pathogen in an alternative, eco-friendly and non-chemical approach. 

Other research includes the taxonomy and ecology of Australian Marasmiaceae (Pinwheel fungi), Australian mammals that eat fungi, fungal biomaterials (materials that are derived from or produced by fungi), and the symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant roots in agriculture.

CLUB OUTING: Sunday 8th June 2025. Helidon Lowlands

Paynter Rd waterlilies

Meeting Time: 8.30 am

Where: Withcott; the car park beside the Freedom Fuels Service Station 

Description: Normally we head for the hills at Helidon but this month we're never very far from Rocky Creek which meanders into Lockyer Creek west of Helidon.

Activities: We will be visiting a property in Paynter Road along a watercourse, then shrubby woodland on Ashlands Drive (look out for Painted Button-quail), and lastly Helidon Spa for waterbirds.

Level of Fitness: 

Ashlands Drive

There is easy vehicle access to all stops. Easy walking at all stops although walking along the watercourse and around the waterlilies is through a well-grassed paddock. 

What to Bring: 

Helidon Spa

Bring morning tea, lunch, chair and a friend.

  

  

May Outing Report - Hirstglen, Sunday 4 May 2025.

 Lovely weather, good company, beautiful property in an area we don't often visit.

One of the dams on Minglen
Photo: L. Beaton

 Adapted from the TFNC June 2025 newsletter reports of L. Moodie and D. Ford.

Natters in the Hirstglen Valley
Photo: L. Moodie

It was a cool and sunny Sunday morning when we arrived in convoy to the property in the Hirstglen Valley. Our host, Sandy, was generous and informative. After we’d emerged from our assorted vehicles, we gathered to listen to her describe the history of her grazing property and its special features. She has actively contributed to the conservation value of her land and waterways in the 30 years since she arrived.

Bushfires burnt the property in 1994 and again in 2014, which Sandy believes may have favoured the grasses rather than the weeds, though Lantana is now abundant in the wetter areas. Geologically, much of the property is based on cracking black basalt clays with outcrops of Gatton sandstone and pockets of chalk.

Over 200 species of plants have been recorded on the property, including the rare

Austral Toadflax Thesium australe
Photo: L. Moodie

and endangered Austral Toadflax (Thesium australe), a short-lived herb in the Santalaceae family, parasitic on the roots of other plants, particularly kangaroo grass. (for more information on Toadflax link: ).  Part of the hillside where this plant is known to occur has been fenced off to protect it from grazing livestock, and it is contributing to an ongoing study of the ecology of this plant. It has been observed that cattle like to browse on it whereas horses do not. The pasture on the property comprises a number of native grass species including Queensland Blue Grass (Dichanthium sericeum) and Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra), as well as introduced species such as Bissett Creeping Bluegrass (Bothriochloa insculpta), which Sandy believes outcompetes the native bluegrass if significant rains have fallen in early Autumn. A small mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos hopped away when we arrived to examine the Toadflax.

We are very appreciative of the time Sandy gave us, and her extremely informative talks.

Species Lists

White-banded Plane
Phaedyma shepherdi
Photo: M.Weaver

Birds: Brown Quail, Australasian Grebe, Crested Pigeon, Peaceful Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Tawny Frogmouth, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, White-faced Heron, Australian White Ibis, Masked Lapwing, Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet, Pale-headed Rosella, Pale-headed & Eastern Rosella hybrid, Pheasant Coucal, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Superb Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Striated Pardalote, Lewin's Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, Brown Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Little Friarbird, Grey-crowned Babbler, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Golden Whistler ♀, Rufous Whistler ♀&♂, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Golden-headed Cisticola, Welcome Swallow, Double-barred Finch. 

Marsupials: Eastern Grey Kangaroo. 

Butterflies: Scarlet Jezebel, Monarch, Lesser Wanderer, Meadow Argus, White-banded Plane. 

Bees: Native Bee, possibly a Blue-banded Bee.

May 2025 Activity Details - Friday meeting, and Sunday outing to Hirstglen area.

 CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 2 May 2025  St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba 

Leon Steinhardt
Photo:  Leon's Facebook page

Leon Steinhardt will speak to us on the 'Fossils of the Esk Formation, Brisbane Valley'.  

Leon’s talk will be based on the fossils he has collected personally. He is a retired high school teacher and Head of Department for Social Science. He always had an interest in the physical world around him and became interested in palaeontology when he was told of the very significant fossils in the Esk Formation, after he was transferred to Lowood State High School.

CLUB OUTING: Sunday 4 May 2025. Hirstglen

Meeting Time: 8.00am 

Where: The Lions Park on the corner of the New England Highway and Freyling Road, Hodgson Vale.

Description: This outing to the beautiful Hirstglen Valley in the upper reaches of the Condamine catchment area includes Mt. Hirstglen and one kilometre frontage along Back Creek. There is a variety of birdlife and water rats have been seen in the creek.

Activities: There is easy vehicle access to the property with 4WD vehicle pooling required for the drive to Mt. Hirstglen. It is easy walking around the house and along the creek. 

Level of Fitness: Suits all levels.

What to Bring: suitable clothing and footwear for walking in the bush, sunscreen, insect repellant, water, morning tea and lunch, chair, and the usual naturalist stuff of your choice; binoculars, camera, field guides, notebook, etc.

April Outing Report - Deongwar 6 April 2025

 Adapted from the TFNC May 2025 newsletter reports of C. Stephenson & D. Ford.

Skeletal remains
of the victims
Photo: K. Crompton

April 06 dawned cool and cloudy as we passed Toowoomba’s flourishing trees, lawns, parks and gardens bright with Autumn red, gold and yellow to Deongwar State Forest where huge fallen eucalypts were of great interest with their coverings of rotting leaf and bark litter, fungi, mosses and lichens. Further along the forest track, we entered our destination, a 40 acre Land for Wildlife property, purchased after the devastating 2019 fires.

This property of hoop pine dominated softwood scrub, bordered on three sides by predominantly eucalypt State Forest, was enveloped and destroyed by a huge fiery cloud. Tall, skeletal remains of the victims of the fire towered over the lush, green re-growth. Only two of the hoop pines remained, damaged, but alive. The steadfast work of the owners in clearing lantana, and planting hoop pine and other native seedlings is showing positive results. However, steep slopes and aggressive growth of invasive lantana will be an ongoing challenge.

Over 300mm of welcome rain in March has aided in the rapid regeneration of pioneering species, especially green wattle. (up to 6 metres high). The resilience of eucalypts is evident from the obvious coppicing from the base of burnt trees. Naturally regenerating hoop pine seedlings were seen as we meandered along the walking tracks close to the creek.

Of great interest was the spectacular array of abundant fungi

Chocolate Tube Slime
Stemonitis splendens
Photo: B. Dyke

- so varied in type, size, shape and colour…red, orange, yellow, purple, green, white, cream, brown, all working to decompose the many charred tree trunks and branches on the forest floor or still standing. A peaceful, camouflaged bird hide made by Scott, was a welcome resting spot to listen to the elusive birds in the surrounding bush, before descending, past several brush turkey mounds, and a pleasing mixture of naturally regenerating dry rainforest plants, to the gently flowing creek.

In the creek bed was a tiny waterfall, formed by a buttress root, all that remained of a large fig tree, that had been incinerated in the all-consuming fire. Many thanks to our hosts for their welcome, and willingness to share their property. Their provision of maps, species lists and marked, maintained tracks was most helpful and very much appreciated. We wish them success in their endeavours to reawaken this special place. 

Deongwar species list - 06 April 2025 (Collated by C. Stephenson)

Birds: Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (in vicinity of Hampton Information Centre), Rainbow Lorikeet, King Parrot, Welcome Swallow, Laughing Kookaburra, Eastern Yellow Robin, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Spectacled Monarch, Leaden Flycatcher, Rufous Fantail, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Eastern Whipbird, Superb Fairy-wren, Yellow-throated Scrub-wren, White-browed Scrub-wren, White-throated Gerygone, Brown Thornbill, White-throated Treecreeper, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Striated Pardalote, Silvereye, Red-browed Finch, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow.

Reptiles: Yellow-faced Whipsnake.

Insects: Grass Dart or skipper Ocybadistes sp., Australian Emperor, Yellow Migrant, Wandering Percher, Evening Brown, Blue Skimmer, Brown Ringlet, Hibiscus Harlequin Bug Tectocoris diophthalmus, Monarch Butterfly.

Toowoomba Field Naturalist members went on a NSW camp in March - Armidale & Myall Lakes National Park. The report will be posted later. Watch this space!

April Activity Details - Friday meeting and outing to Deongwar State Forest and surrounds.

Cattle Poison Sawfly
Lophyrotoma interrupta
Photo: Glenda Walter

CLUB MEETING: Friday, 4th  April, 7 pm - St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba.

‘Legged and Legless - fauna and flora in Central and Western Australia’ presented by Glenda Walter. 

On retirement to Toowoomba in 2009, David and Wendy Clark, at Bellthorpe, encouraged Glenda to photograph and list the hundreds of species of fungi found on their rainforest property. She then moved on to studying spiders, generally on trips with friends and members of TFNC around Toowoomba. The world of spiders rivalled the fungi in their variety of shapes, colours and habits. Insects came next. 

She photographs the specimens she finds, then posts them on the iNaturalist website where curators and others help with identifications. She has listed more than 7,500 observations, and is also a font of knowledge about the habits of these creatures. In 2023, Glenda was awarded the Entomological Society of Victoria’s ‘Le Souef Award’ for her significant contribution to amateur entomology.  

CLUB OUTING: Sunday 16th March 2025. Deongwar State Forest and surrounds

Greater Gliders have been recorded at Deongwar since the fires
Permission to use this image is under the GNU Free Documentation License,
owner benjamint444

Time: 8.30am

Where: Hampton on the corner of the New England Highway and the Hampton-Esk Road.

Description: After stopping briefly in Deongwar we will continue to a nearby ‘Land for Wildlife’ property which is historically hoop pine dominated dry vine forest, and it contains a number of local ecosystems. 

Activities: A chance to study regrowth after the 2019 bushfire.

Level of Fitness: There are well maintained easy walking tracks clearly marked on maps available at the property. There is also easy access for all vehicles.

What to Bring: suitable clothing and footwear for walking in the bush, sunscreen, insect repellant, water, morning tea and lunch, chair, and the usual naturalist stuff of your choice; binoculars, camera, field guides, notebook, etc.