Two Goomburra Plants

 (Article and photos by Diane Pagel)

The Goomburra camp provided several examples of plant species thriving in limited areas inaccessible to grazing animals. In a small mostly dry gully off Dalrymple Creek I came across a large colony of Bulbine bulbosa (the wild onion or native leek) that cattle could not reach, growing above, and descending from, a basalt cliff and slopes. There were hundreds of plants showing bright yellow and perfumed star-like flowers opening on racemes one or two at a time. The display was striking. Bulbine bulbosa (left) grows from corms and has succulent leaves, densely tufted. It can be a successful garden plant. 

Well to the west, along Goomburra Road, I rediscovered a healthy colony of the vulnerable Rhaponticum australe (right), the native thistle, recovering strongly from drought along the verge and into the neighbouring dry paddock, not grazed for years. Buds and pink flowers were starting to show. The landowner had been unaware of the plant's significance but offered to monitor it.

A Satin Bowerbird checks out human activity

 (Article and photo by Diana Ball)

On our Wednesday morning walk [at the October TFNC Camp] we came across a Satin Bowerbird’s ‘courtship stage’. It was not the first we had observed during our visit to Goomburra, but it was the most spectacular, adorned with an amazing number of blue treasures washed clean by the rain. There were well over fifty blue plastic bottle tops, a number of straws and scraps and a stubby holder! Items that were not of the ‘best’ blue were relegated to the outer limits of the display.

While we were admiring and photographing the bower, its owner flew into a nearby tree and was clearly displeased at the attention being given to his construction by intruders. We hurried away and I watched from a reasonable distance as he flew down and spent several minutes inspecting the inside of his bower and then checking none of his display was out of place. Apparently satisfied he flew onto a branch which happened to be just above my hiking poles. I was obliged to wait a few more minutes before he flew off and I could retrieve them

Report on TFNC Camp at Main Range National Park- Goomburra section 26-29 October

 (Report by Linda Mangubhai)

Despite the weather forecast, 13 members of the Club decided to risk the rain and storms for our annual ‘camp’ at Goomburra State forest, part of the Main Range NP. It is a place the Club has visited many times, but the organisers (Tricia Allen and Sandy Eastoe) decided that an extended stay would be worthwhile, and I am sure that the attendees can now confirm that idea. We occupied the Gordon Retreat Homestead, and the nearby caravan park and group gatherings were held around the large veranda table at the Homestead. This table proved most useful for the taco dinner (shopped, prepared, chopped up and cooked by Sandy, Tricia and Julie and their team) and for flora and fauna discussions. 

We were fortunate to have Mike and Elizabeth Russell and ‘Mangroves to Mountains’ to confirm the plants seen and to have Lesley Beaton to complete the bird list every evening.

Organised walks occurred in the mornings as the weather usually deteriorated after lunch, allowing for short siestas and then a short afternoon walk. Walks in the grounds or around the camp site increased the bird list considerably. Crimson rosellas posed for photographs and flowering callistemons provided a haven for common brown butterflies. We undertook three main walks.

On the track opposite the Sylvester Lookout the red apple (Acmena ingens) was in fruit. Fortunately, the fruit was on the ground as the canopy of this tree was out of sight. A fine specimen of a pencil cedar (Polyscias murrayi) was seen, and native violets were flowering on the side of the track. Bird calls were heard, and these generated some discussion.

Our walk along the northern track was a little longer and needed some rock-hopping over the creeks. As usual, groups travelled in different directions and some were lucky enough to find a (sleepy) carpet python. A Wonga Pigeon stayed on the ground long enough for all of us to take photographs. It is very rare for us to find bush food that we are game to eat but we could not resist the native raspberries.

Our last longer walk was on the Black Cockatoo Track. Alas, no Cockatoos were sighted but a Cunningham’s skink was sunning itself on a log we needed for our morning tea. A ‘rubbish collector’ was out in the form of a Satin Bowerbird. He had collected lots of plastic caps from water bottles, odd scraps of plastic, an AAA battery and even a blue stubby holder. A pity we could not take all that rubbish out of the bush, but he had a lady to woo...

Camps are part flora and fauna searches and part social. The early risers went in search of plants and birds; Diane Pagel’s walks found the native clematis (Clematis aristata) and Bulbine bulbosa (commonly known as Bulbine lily). Sadly, Diane also found a specimen of Dog rose (also called Briar rose) which is another garden escapee. The veranda table was our focal point. The tacos dinner was a first for some and we enjoyed telling stories around the table of incidents in our travelling life. It was good to be joined by the Gundrys and Michael Rooke for a day and for Jean to share her stories from their younger days. Ben and Michael were the envy of us all as they saw the Albert’s lyrebird - but neither had a camera!

The lesson is, do not let the Meteorological office put you off a TFNC camp. Wet or dry, there is still some fun to be had. Thanks again to Tricia and Sandy for all their hard work

Cunningham's Skink (Photo by Diane Ball)

Wonga Pidgeon (Photo: Linda Mangubhai)

Plant List, Main Range, Goomburra section (Report by Mike and Elizabeth Russell)

October 26 – Top of the Range

We drove to the top and then walked a short way into sub-tropical rainforest. This is a complicated forest of several layers with many vines climbing for the light. Of special interest were several Bunya Pines (Araucaria bidwillii) some fully grown and quite large. It was speculated that these might have been planted by Aborigines because they are further south than the natural southern limit around Gympie. This could well be so but these are probably less than 200 years old so fruit might have been brought there from European settlements. Beside one of these Bunya Pines, exposed by a gap in the canopy, was a fine example of a Pencil Cedar (Polyscias murrayi) cousin of the smaller Celerywood. Pencil Cedars are a bit restricted in their range but there were more nearby.

October 27 – Banks of Dalrymple Creek

This is a typical riparian open forest growing in stony basalt alluvial soil. The beautiful white boles of Flooded and Sydney Blue Gums (Eucalyptus grandis, E. saligna) glistened in the morning sun towering to 40 metres.  With these were other half-barked gums such as Queensland Blue Gum (E. tereticornis, probably subsp. basaltica) and Cabbage Gum (E. amplifolia subsp. sessiliflora). The tall gum with vertical strands of blue and green bark is likely Broad-leaved White Mahogany (E. carnea). Also present was the Pink Bloodwood (Corymbia intermedia) with matt brown bark, Smudgee (Angophora woodsiana) with lighter rougher bark, and Forest She-oak (Allocasuarina torulosa) with fissured bark and dark cone-like fruit harbouring seed which is the special food of Glossy Black Cockatoos. There were also a few, mostly young, Hoop Pines (Araucaria cunninghamii) children of the big ones in the forests above.

There were two main understorey trees; the light green, feathery foliaged Green Wattle (Acacia irrorata), Toowoomba’s Wattle, and a white stemmed myrtaceous shrub coming out in flower which we’ve identified as Scrub Ironwood (Gossia acmenoides) except for one feature which disagrees with the Red Book! There were also a few of the delicate, pendulous, pine-leaved hemiparasite Native Cherry (Exocarpus cupressiformis).

Vines were frequent. The native grapes were well represented by Cissus antarctica, C. hypoglauca with a leaf divided into five segments, and the deeply divided leaf of Cayratia clematidea. Actively climbing up trees was the dark-leaved Monkey Rope Vine (Parsonsia straminea) with long green pods. There were mats on the ground of the dark green-leaved Snake Vine (Stephania japonica). Gum Vine (Aphanopetalum resinosum) was in full blossom showering down flowers with four creamy-white sepals. There were also some big thickets of Cockspur Thorn (Maclura cochinsinensis) with their vicious recurved thorns.

Ferns included patches of Rasp Fern (Doodia aspera), some Bracken (Pteridium esculentum), and the beautiful Maidenhair Ferns, Giant Maidenhair (Adiantum formosum) with black stems and the delicate Common Maiden-hair (A. atroviride). The ground was mostly covered with herbs and grasses. Flowering herbs included Geranium homeanum, delicate blue-flowered Wahlenbergia queenslandica, yellow-flowered Oxalis chnoodes and Veronica plebeia.  There were tall clumps of Lomandra hystrix in flower. Few grasses were yet in flower but Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) and clumps of Poa labillarderi were flowering. Osplismenus undulatifolius and Paspalum dilatatum were seen.

Last and not least two orchids, Box Orchid (Dendrobium aemulum) and King Orchid (D. speciosum), were seen on the same tree.

October 28 – Dalrymple Creek Circuit

Further up the creek is surrounded by a riparian rainforest. There were, of course, many plant species but outstanding was Cuttsia (C. viburnum) with big flat plates (corymbs) of blossom glowing white against dark green leaves. There were many ferns some of which were:

Coin-spot Tree Fern      Short-footed Screw Fern Rough Maidenhair Common Maidenhair Sickle Fern Bird’s Nest Fern           Gristle Fern

Cyathea cooperi Lindsaea brachypoda Adiantum hispidulum var. hispidulum Adiantum atroviride Pellaea nana Asplenium australasicum Blechnum cartilagineum

Prickly Rasp Fern Climbing Fishbone Fern Tender Brake Bracken Soft Bracken Robber Fern

Doodia aspera Arthropteris tenella Pteris tremula Pteridium esculentum Calochlaena dubia Pyrrosia confluens