The Clematis. Spring 2009 Issue No 81. Quarterly Newsletter of thebairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc A C. BAIRNSDALE Victoria 3875

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1 POSTAGE PAID BAIRNSDALE Victoria 3875 The Clematis Spring 2009 Issue No Quarterly Newsletter of thebairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc A C 1

2 BAIRNSDALE & DIST FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB INC. A C List of Office Bearers for 2009 President: Pat McPherson Vice President: James Turner Secretary: Fran Bright ph. (03) ph. (03) ph. (03) Treasurer: Margaret Regan ph. (03) Correspondence to: The Secretary, P.O. Box 563, BAIRNSDALE 3875 Web Site: General meetings take place at: Noweyung Centre, 84 Goold Street Bairnsdale 3rd. Friday of the month at 7.30pm sharp. No meeting June, July, August Committee meetings take place: Thursday of the previous week before the 3rd. Friday of the month at members homes except June, July, August when held on field excursions if required.. Group Co-ordinators: Botanic Group: James Turner Ph. (03) Fauna Survey Group: Jenny Edwards Ph. (03) Bushwalking Group: Noel Williamson Ph. (03) Newsletter Editor: Pauline Stewart Ph. (03) Bengworden Rd. Bairnsdale All articles for Summer Clematis must be in by December 1st. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 1. To further the study of natural history in all its branches, promoted by periodical meetings, field excursions and other activities. 2. To observe and strengthen the laws for the preservation & protection of indigenous flora and fauna and habitat and important geological features. 3. To promote the formation and preservation of National and State Parks and Reserves. 2 with twelve head stampers, worked by a 6 metre diameter water-wheel. The first crushing came from the Duke of Edinburgh mine, and Mrs Oliver started the works by breaking a bottle across the machine, naming it the Enterprise. With the wheel was a water-race 1.5km long, 80cm deep, by one metre wide. After several months activity it lay silent, for the lack of water. This was to lead to the acquisition of a steam engine to keep the battery going. Deptford continued throughout the 1880s as the main gold-mining centre in the Bairnsdale area. The township proclaimed in 1888 quickly developed. Cohen and Selman opened a store in 1885, and Robert Bowden opened the Travellers Rest Hotel shortly after. A post-office was also reopened in 1885, and a private school run by a teacher named Flett, after several attempts to have a state school opened. Eventually state school number 3151 was opened in 1892 with Thomas Ray as teacher. The schoolroom was a slab and bark building lined with hessian which proved so unhealthy, particularly after a fire in November 1893, that a new building was constantly demanded but never provided. As the building was leased the owner was expected to keep it repaired but he never agreed to do so. Eventually in 1902, with falling numbers, the school was closed. Mining activities began to decrease by 1896 and there were only a handful of miners left by With the dawn of a new century Deptford was slowly becoming a ghost town. The post office closed In 1911 there were still 53 residents but by the end of WW 1 only a store and a few houses were left. By the mid- 1920s a report on the district commented that its only resident was a kangaroo. Deptford today is a quiet, picturesque picnic and camping area beside the Nicholson River. There are no buildings left standing but a short walk to the west and a squeeze through the undergrowth reveals relics of by-gone days in the form of steam engines and other mining equipment. A short walk to the east and the remains of a baker s oven can be seen and also a tunnel cut into the hillside to divert the river on a horseshoe bend. A lovely day out in the bush was had by those who enjoy walking. Ref: Path Among The Years, History of Shire of Bairnsdale by John Adams * 19

3 BUSH WALKING AT DEPTFORD - JULY by Pauline Stewart The destination of the Bush Walking Group for July was Deptford. It was a lovely cool, sunny day, just right for a brisk walk in this old gold mining area. After parking at the picnic area down near the ford on the Nicholson River we headed south east along the 3.7km historic bridle trail that lead to Stanton s Place. The track followed the Nicholson River and we were treated to some beautiful river scenes. There had been some rain the week before which made the bush look cool and fresh but unfortunately the year s rainfall so far is well below average so other than one very stunted Nodding Greenhood there was almost no plants in flower. We walked to the songs of Crescent Honeyeaters and the glorious mimicry of Lyrebirds. History of Deptford: Gold was discovered in a quartz reef (named the Trio reef) at the junction of the Nicholson River and Navigation Creek by William Walker in January Financiers became interested, and plans for a crushing plant followed. Other reefs discovered were the Nicholson reef which was prospected by J McCarthy and Co. forming the Nicholson Quartz Mining Prospecting Co. and sinking a 23 metre shaft, the most ambitious mining project yet on these fields. The Tubal Cain reef was operated by a company planning a tramway from their hillside mine to batteries in the river area, while the Nova Scotia reef was also opened up with shaft-diggings. The township of Deptford sprang quickly into being, centred on the hotel of James Madden of Crooked River, named the Little London Inn (suggesting the origin of the name Deptford, a dock-side suburb of London). With 200 men on the field in July 1867, Deptford had two stores, two butchers shops, a bakery and two substantial hotels. The Trio battery began operating in August 1867, and for a time crushed for other companies, with substantial success. The fortunes of the mines altered in 1870 with the Tubal Cain taking the lead. The Trio Co. became the Standard of Freedom but eventually ceased operation as a mining company and merely operated a battery. At that time there were also the Duke of Edinburgh, the Elizabeth, The Louisa, the Monarch of the Mountain, the High Level and the Why Not? claims. However lack of water in the dry summer led to the closing up of the mines and the fall-off of population. Just a few months before, Oliver and Co. had started the largest crushing plant yet seen in the district, a mill 18 RULES TO OBSERVE ON FIELD TRIPS: 1. Excursions are cancelled on days of TOTAL FIRE BAN. 2. Participants to keep a visual on the car in front and behind. 3. When making a turn, give signal, and stay at intersection until following car has also turned. 4. If separated from other cars, stop, and stay with your car. Other members will return to find you. SUBSCRIPTION FEES Family membership $30 Single membership $20 Mid-year fee (new members only) $10 Responsibility for the accuracy of information and opinions expressed in this newsletter rests with the author of the article. LIBRARY INFORMATION - Librarian - Dot Prout Phone: Books are generally borrowed for one month - however you can write on the sign-out sheet if you wish to have it longer. Should any library materials need maintenance, please make me aware of same. If you wish to recommend a book, this can be done by writing a short recommendation for the Clematis. This information could be from our library books or from other books that you believe our library could look at purchasing. CONTENTS Program September to December Bower in Suburbia 6 President s Report 7 Marlo 8-10 Stockdale Mitchell River National Park Bush Walk at Deptford

4 CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS and address s for meetings and field trips. Pat McPherson pmcphers@datafast.net.au Margaret Regan Pauline Stewart happycats@net-tech.com.au James Turner jameslynn@tvsched.com Noel Williamson nwilliamson7@hotmail.com DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY FOR BUSH WALKS Easy Flat, good firm track. Moderately easy Mostly flat, track in good to fair condition Moderate May be undulating, track in good to fair condition Mod. difficult May be some steep sections, track may be rough in places Difficult May have long steep sections, track may be non existent at times Walks vary in distance from 6 to 14 km. Contact the leader of the walk for a rating if it s not included in the program. Please take note of safety procedures in your Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY booklet. The Clematis is printed and supported by Dept. of Sustainability and Environment, Bairnsdale. Front Cover: Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) Photo by Andrew Bould FIELD TRIPS AND MEETINGS It is your responsibility to contact the co-ordinator of each field trip to notify them of your intention to participate. The co-ordinator can then notify you if the trip has to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Evening committee meetings may not be required. Please check before arriving. Nodding Greenhoods (Pterstylis nutans) Photo by Andrew Bould 4 17

5 Shrubby Velvet-bush (Lasiopetalum macrophyllum) where the underside of the leaves and the calyx on the flowers are rusty-hairy; Bootlace Bush (Pimelea axiflora) and River or Long-leaf Lomatia (Lomatia myricoides) whose leaves have coarse distant teeth and cream flowers are borne in large clusters and the seeds are in large woody follicles. Being a damper area we found a few fungi on rotting logs (being rotted by them!!). There was a milk chocolate toadstool with mustard gills and a pale stem with brown scales. A woody fungus was dark brown with a pale scalloped edge and pores below. There were layers showing each year s growth. Another Split Gill (Schizophyllum commune) was a cream semi-circle with a scalloped edge, side stalk, hairy cap and split or double-edged gills. It is always informative and delightful to carry a hand lens for viewing the finer detail of all organisms seen in the field! Amazing sights will be revealed! 5.1km along the Billy Goat Bend Road was a patch of deep pink Common Heath (Epacris impressa). We found a large number of pellets of still green chewed leaves. These were beneath chewed plants of Hop Bitterpea (Daviesia latifolia). This plant has quite large leaves for a pea, but the common name leads one to believe that their taste isn t terrific; presumably animals have different taste sensations to humans. What sort of animal may have done this? Possum, macropod? Maybe in this very dry environment and in drought, the leaves were chewed to obtain moisture and some nutrients. We saw another Lomatia, this time Holly Lomatia (Lomatia ilicifolia). Holly Lomatia (to 2m) is smaller than River Lomatia (to 5m), the leaves are shorter and much wider, but also toothed, so they look like those of the plant they are named for - Holly (Ilex). A small (under 30cm) hairy herbaceous perennial plant was Pomax (Pomax umbellata) which has whorls of lance-shaped leaves and flower heads forming terminal groups (umbels). Each head of 2-3 flowers has a common reddish persistent cup surrounding the flowers. We went to the Den of Nargun picnic area for afternoon tea and walked a little down the track to the Bluff Lookout from where you can look down into Woolshed Creek gully. The change from the dry open forest on the ridge tops of the steep gorge, to the dark green, dense rainforest down in the protected gully can be seen. Thank you James. PROGRAM SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER 2009 SEPTEMBER Thurs. 10th. Committee meeting 4.00pm at Noel Williamson s home. Frid. 18th. General meeting 7.30pm Speaker: Lesley Kool Dinosaur Dreaming Sun. 20th. Monthly excursion 9.00am Bridge Club, 9.45am Nowa Nowa to Mt Raymond. Sat. 26th. Metallic Sun Orchid count 9.00am Bridge Club Blond Bay. Sun. 27th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to West Weir Track. Contact: Noel Williamson OCTOBER Thurs. 8th. Committee meeting 4.00pm at Pat McPherson s home. 11,12,13,14th. Campout at Cann River. Frid. 16th. General meeting 7.30pm Speaker: Jim Reside Cambodia and the Avian Flu Sun. 18th. Monthly excursion 9.00am Bridge Club to Fernbank/Munro area, including Swallow Lagoon. Sun.25th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to Mt.Taylor/Bullummwaal Contact: Noel Williamson NOVEMBER Thurs. 12th. Planning/Committee meeting and a pizza dinner 4.00pm at Pat McPherson s home. Frid. 20th. General meeting 7.30pm Speaker: Geoff Mattingley Antarctica. Sun. 22nd. Monthly excursion 9.00am Bridge Club, 9.30 Red Knob to Gelantipy. Sun. 29th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to Old Man Hill. Contact: Noel Williamson * 16 5

6 DECEMBER 5,6,7th. Camp out. Omeo inc. day trip to Bogong High Plains. Thurs. 11th. Committee/Planning meeting 4.00pm followed by BBQ tea at Marg and Bill Regan s home. Frid. 18th. General meeting/agm and Christmas Breakup 7.30pm JANUARY 2010 Sat. 9th. Orchid survey at Marlo Plains BOWER IN SUBURBIA We ve all read the articles, and perhaps know from our own experience, that if you plant Australian native plants, you will attract wildlife to your garden. In suburban Bairnsdale, I have the great pleasure of having a Satin Bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, bower in the native garden I have created. I first noticed a piece of blue twine as I was driving out in my car, and made a mental note to clean up the rubbish I thought had blown in. When investigated the next day, not only was there blue twine, but other pieces of blue plastic, arranged around a lovely bower. A couple of days later, I drove in to my carport and when I turned the engine off, heard the unmistakeable buzzing of a male Satin Bowerbird. I stayed in the car and watched him hopping around with a piece of blue plastic in his beak. In the bushes above him were a number of either females or immature males. I have since noted, what I assume are immature males, bringing yellowed rose leaves to the bower, and on other inspections have seen flowers from Chef s Cap Correa Correa baeuerlenii artfully arranged around the area. So, I may not have fairies at the bottom of my garden, but I think I have something much better. I just hope my vegetables are safe! Wendy Parker King. The Mitchell is formed by the joining of the Dargo and Wonnangatta Rivers at Waterford just south of Dargo. Jen and Norm Wilkinson s property called The Junction fronts onto both rivers and the site where these two rivers form the Mitchell. The cliffs and gorges along this part of the Mitchell River are formed from 350 million year old layers of sandstone and mudstone. At the base of the Amphitheatre is rock scree, and the river is rocky with rapids much enjoyed by canoeists. Trees on the dry top of the cliffs were Red Ironbark (Eucalyptus tricarpa) with very dark deeply fissured bark and greyish-green leaves; and Silvertop Ash (E. sieberi) which has dark brown furrowed bark on the trunk, but sheds above to form smooth whitish branches. Along the river track leading south eventually to the Den of Nargun are some rare plants. One was Sticky Bertya (Bertya cunninghamii subsp. pubiramula). Bertya is a shrub with narrow leaves with recurved margins. The male and female flowers are produced on different plants - the plants are dioecious (two homes). The male flowers have a single ring of perianth parts and the many stamens are fused together to form a column. The females have a narrower perianth whorl and a single ovary with three bifurcating styles. Shiny Daisy-bush (Olearia tenuifolia) grows in NSW, but in Victoria it is confined to this dry forest on the rocky banks of the Mitchell River near Glenaladale. It is a bushy shrub with linear sticky leaves and flower heads with white ray florets (in Victoria) and yellow disc florets. Tall Baeckea (Babingtonia pluriflora) is found along streams and in damp gullies in open forests east from the Mitchell River and in coastal NSW. It is a tall shrub to 4m with opposite leaves and white flowers in umbels on long stalks. The Common Correa (Correa reflexa) here had green tubular flowers. There was also Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) and Tailed Rapiersedge (Lepidosperma urophorum). Again the vegetation had been chewed by deer. In the picnic area were Superb Fairy-wrens and a very cheeky Crescent Honeyeater serenaded us with a repertoire of four different calls. Down Mitchell Road to Cobbannah Creek where the water was reduced to just pools. Along the creek was Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) and Kanooka (Tristaniopsis laurina). Both these trees are in the family Myrtaceae whose members are all woody and have undivided leaves with oil glands which can be seen if the leaves are held up to the light. Apart from a few berry-bearing species such as Lilly-pilly (Syzygium smithii), all the fruits are woody capsules opening by valves at the top. Close by were the trees Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and Lilly-pilly. Shrubs were 6 15

7 MITCHELL RIVER NATIONAL PARK - 19 July 2009 by Margaret Regan From the Dargo Road in Iguana Creek we turned right onto Waller Road heading to Billy Goat Bend. We stopped about a kilometre in on the road just before Woolshed Creek Track. The Red Box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos) trees had been well pruned with small branches covered in buds fallen to the ground. Presumably these had been clipped by parrots trying to access the seeds in the capsules. Another overstorey tree was White Stringybark (E. globoidea). One eucalypt leaf had a number of large insect galls, each of which had opened up like a pomegranate to release the developed insect. A shrub was Long-flower or Prickly Beard-heath (Leucopogon juniperinus) which grows in rocky areas. There was Bushy Hedgehog Grass (Echinopogon caespitosus) and a Rock Fern (Cheilanthes sp.). All day we saw the tiny gilled fungus Omphalina umbellifera which is pale orange with a navel. Omphali is Greek for navel, and umbelli is Latin for umbrella. This fungus is a tiny umbrella with a navel in the top!! There were a few Nodding Greenhoods (Pterostylis nutans) and Trim Greenhoods (P. concinna). There were lots of macropod and wombat scats. We found a small rock shelter obviously used by one or more animals for resting. The road was on the top of a small ridge and we clambered down the rocky steep slope to examine the gully. It was dry, but the vegetation was indicative of a moister environment. There were some pale-trunked Manna Gums (E. viminalis). The creek was filled with Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia). The shrubs Hazel Pomaderris (Pomaderris aspera) and Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) had been damaged by deer. There was evidence of rubbing on the plants, hoof marks and deer scats. There were two species of Cassinia and a tiny plants of Common Maidenhair (Adiantum aethiopicum). We heard the monotonous call of a White-throated Treecreeper and also that of a Whiteeared Honeyeater. PRESIDENT S REPORT The Club s three month meeting recess ended when the September committee meeting was held at the new time of 4.00pm. We are trialing this time change until the end of the year. Exciting moves are afoot to photograph all orchids indigenous to East Gippsland with the intention of compiling a field guide. It is expected to take two to three years to gather these photographs because of drought conditions. The 2010 calendar was launched in September. It is a splendid production it really sparkles this year and again highlights the diversity and beauty of East Gippsland. Our thanks again go to Jennifer Wilkinson and Pauline Stewart for their expertise in bringing it to production and to the local photographers whose works are featured. The calendar is now on sale at the usual outlets at $12 and I commend it to all members and their friends. Pat McPherson President From here we drove to the Billy Goat Bend picnic area. A short walk took us to Lookout Point where we had a great view of the Mitchell River far below and the rugged cliff called the Amphitheatre. The Mitchell River is the only major wild river left in Victoria. All the others have been dammed and changed. The Mitchell River is part of a 260km system that flows from the Great Dividing Range to the Gippsland Lakes where the river has formed the world s second largest silt jetties at its mouth on Lake 14 7

8 MARLO - 17 May by Margaret Regan Our first stop was at the Marlo airport. It was fascinating to count the number of padlocks on the chain locking the entrance gate. There were seven, each belonging to a different authority with access to the airport. Overhead was Southern Mahogany (Eucalyptus botryoides) which has dark rough bark on the trunk and lower branches, and peeling gum bark on the upper branches. The leaves are thick and broad with wavy margins, and the buds and fruit are sessile on a flattened stalk. The cup-shaped fruits have usually 4 valves below the rim. The Gippsland Manna Gum (E. pryoriana) is a small Manna Gum with a coastal distribution on sandy heaths from the Bellarine Peninsula to Lake Tyers. It has rough bark over much of its trunk, and buds and fruits in 3s, and fruits with 3-4 protruding valves. The Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis) was in flower. It is a small shrub with bipinnate foliage and balls of flowers held in groups. We saw a reddish crust on the ground around some of the trees which was identified as Phoscheck, a fire retardant. The airport was used by planes during the recent bushfires and had to be protected. We were searching for a very rare orchid, the Prawn Greenhood (Pterostylis pedoglossa) in a dry swamp. We didn t find the orchid, but saw Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) with a pale yellow fresh cone; Scrub Sheoak (Allocasuarina paludosa), a shrub with striate branches and ovoid cones; Spear Grass-tree (Xanthorrhoea resinosa); Pink Swamp-heath (Sprengelia incarnata) which has stem-sheathing leaves and its petals are free or just united at the base unlike other Victorian heaths; Parson s Bands orchid (Eriochilus cucullatus) and Screw fern (Lindsaya linearis), a tiny fern which grows among grasses and sedges in this situation.. After lunch we crossed the Marlo to Cape Conran Rd to an old quarry area high up on the cliff above the backwater, which is the eastern end of French s Narrows, with a great view across to the sea. The wind was strong and the sea was loud. There were Black Swans on the Narrows. We saw white and mid-pink Common Heath (Epacris impressa) and Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) which is often seen in disturbed areas. A butterfly was Australian Painted Lady with white on its antennae. The larvae appear to feed exclusively on daisies, both native and introduced. About 2km west along the same road was a track again into the Narrows. saw the usually rare Hedgehog Grass (Echinopogon caespitosus), although it s not so rare here. This grass has a tuft of leaves at the base and a dense spike of flowers is borne at the end of a long finely bristly stalk. The only fern seen was a Rock fern (Cheilanthes sp.). Someone found a mud nest built on a branch up quite high. Maybe it was that of White-winged Choughs, which nest in a social group, or Magpie-larks. In the Stockdale area at last we travelled north on Stockdale Rd to Berrys Road and then North South Track, an area unknown to James. It was a woodland with scattered trees of White Stringybark and Red Box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), with virtually no shrubs and a ground layer of grasses, sedges and Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia). There were some thin-walled puffballs which were probably Lycoperdon scabrum. This puffball is covered with dark scales when young, but as the puffball expands; the scales fall off and the surface is smooth and shiny. There is a hole in the top of the puffball through which the spores are released, and it is almost impossible to resist puffing one to see the cloud of brown spores being released. There was also a pale orange gilled toadstool whose cap was about 5cm across with a darker button in the centre. The stalk and gills were the same colour and there was no annulus around the stalk. There was a brownish Dermocybe with a 3cm cap and a stalk which was scaly and darker brown at the bottom. Just down the road was a waterless creek with Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) and in one patch below Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata) we saw maybe 20 fruiting bodies of the Dark Vegetable Caterpillar (Cordyceps gunnii). One was dug up so everyone could see the outer skeleton of the caterpillar which had been parasitised by the fungus. The caterpillars are the larvae of the Moth genus Oxycanus which burrow down into the earth to feed. At some stage they ingest the spores of the fungus. The mycelial threads of the fungus grow through the larva excreting enzymes which break down the internal body of the larva. The nutrients are absorbed by the fungus. The fungus reproduces by sending up a stalk above the ground ending in a fruiting body which produces the next generation of spores. Everywhere again were the leaves of the Trim Greenhood. There were also some Waxlip Orchid (Glossodia major) leaves. An Emu feather was found; these feathers are very unusual as they are double-shafted and there are no barbs. These characteristics are shared with Ostriches and Cassowaries. A very interesting day. Thank you, James. 13 *

9 Froglet. A horizontal cobweb stretched between grass stalks and outlined with crystal drops of dew had a tiny silken burrow in one corner. No doubt the spider was waiting for some unsuspecting insect to blunder into the silken trap. Driving west along Sinclairs Road, Emus were seen. About 9km along the road near the Perry River on a side track we found a lovely plant of Golden Heath (Styphelia adscendens). It is very prostrate with large yellowgreen flowers. The flowers sit upright on the plant. They have a long tube of fused perianth parts while the free ends of the petals are covered with large hairs. The pollen sacs on the stamens were split open and the pollen grains were very large, being easily seem with a hand lens. We have seen this plant in another area of Providence Ponds, but the only other areas it is found in Victoria are in the Grampians and Howe range near Mallacoota. The soil here was very sandy and we found many leaves and some buds of Trim Greenhood (Pterostylis concinna). Two of the overstorey trees were White Stringybark, again in flower, and South Gippsland Peppermint (Eucalyptus willisii). A Grey Butcherbird was loudly carolling. At 15.7 km from Resides Lane we stopped by a large dam to birdwatch. Along the road we had passed by plantations of Blue Gum owned by the now bankrupt Great Southern Plantations, and wondered what would happen with the trees now. On and around the dam we identified Black Swan, Pelican, Chestnut Teal, Little Black Cormorant, Mountain Duck, Australasian Grebe, Wood Duck, White-faced Heron (at the top of a large dead tree),magpie, Welcome Swallow and Eastern Rosella. There were a number of horses in the paddock around the dam, and eventually we attracted the attention of one. After some hesitation it happily chomped up handfuls of grass handed to it from the other side of the fence (it s always greener!), and Helga and Peter s lunchtime carrots. On to Swallow Lagoon for lunch. After lunch we strolled about to see what was flowering. Again there were masses of Mosquito Orchid leaves and there were some in bloom as well. There were also hundreds of Greenhood leaves. We have seen swathes of Trims and Noddies on a previous visit here. They were so dense you had to be very careful where you placed your feet! Again there was Cranberry Heath. Also Scaly Buttons (Leptorhynchos squamatus) with a very pretty bright yellow flower. We Here we walked beneath Southern Mahogany, Saw Banksia (Banksia serrata) and Tree Broom-heath (Monotoca elliptica). Tree Broom-heath is a shrub to 5m with dark green pointed leaves and tiny white flowers in short clusters. There was deep pink Common Heath, Fireweed (Senecio minimus) and Prickly Currant-bush (Coprosma quadrifida) which is very prickly. There was also Soft Treefern (Dicksonia antarctica) and Redfruit Saw-sedge (Gahnia sieberiana). One plant of the New Zealand species of Mirror-bush (Coprosma repens) was removed. We found a bluestaining bolete with a khaki cap and yellow pores. This fleshy fungus is shaped like a mushroom but the gills are replaced by a pored surface. This time we could access the cliff face and discovered a bit of East Gippsland Coastal Warm Temperate Rainforest with Lilly-pilly (Syzygium smithii) and a small grove of Mutton-wood (Myrsine howittiana) with lichenencrusted trunks. Mutton-wood is a small tree with smooth leathery leaves with wavy edges. Its cream flowers are borne in clusters on the older branchlets and when fertilised form bluish fruits. A common component of wet shaded forest was Hazel Pomaderris (Pomaderris aspera). There was also Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia) and Coast Wattle (Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae). Near the water was Hard Water fern (Blechnum wattsii), then right near the water s edge Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) and the robust semi-aquatic perennial Common Reed (Phragmites communis). We then drove to the Yeerung River crossing to do the walk to the beach. It passes through many different vegetation types along the way. It changes from heath to forest to sedge swamp to dunes with teatree through to the beach. Just near the beginning of the walk were two plants of Largeleaf Hop-bush (Dodonaea triquetra). Each plant was a different sex with their flowers demonstrating this. The female flowers were clustered together; each had a small ovary with a very long style with stigma, and minute petals or sepals. The male flowers on the other bush had fewer flowers in the clusters; each flower had 7-9 large stamens and 4 perianth parts. The papery capsules formed after fertilisation of the female ovary have 3 narrow wings. Up in this heathy area was Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata), Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata), Pink Swamp-heath, and Superb Fairy Wrens. Further on getting into forest was Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) covered with blue berries, Saw Banksia; and Swamp Beard-heath (Leucopogon esquamatus), a small shrub with lanceolate leaves crowded on erect branches. Wattles were Myrtle Wattle 12 9

10 (Acacia myrtifolia) with thick broad phyllodes and large balls of flowers in racemes; and Sweet Wattle (Acacia suaveolens) which has long thin phyllodes and cream flowers. There was Scrub Sheoak (Allocasuarina paludosa); Small Grass-tree (Xanthorrhoea minor) whose trunk is almost all underground; a Pomaderris (Pomaderris sp.); Shrubby Velvet-bush (Lasiopetalum macrophyllum) whose leaves are rusty-hairy below; a Guinea-flower (Hibbertia sp.); Germander Raspwort (Gonocarpus teucrioides), a small herb with rough leaves; Wedding Bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius) which has white flowers and then hairy capsules; and Wiry Bauera or River Rose in Tasmania (Bauera rubioides), a scrambling shrub with trifoliate leaves and white or pink flowers. Bauera is named after the Austrian-born botanical illustrators, brothers Ferdinand and Franz Bauer. We dropped down into an extensive swamp with enormous Tall Saw-sedge (Gahnia clarkei) and Scrambling coral-fern (Gleichenia microphylla). Scrambling coral-fern forms large masses in moist areas. It has small pinnules with 3-5 large sporangia on their under surfaces. Then out of the swamp into forest with a lookout over the river close to the entrance. There was Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia), Scented Paperbark (Melaleuca squarrosa) and Soft Treefern (Dicksonia antarctica). Then across the sand dunes to the ocean. Birds identified were New Holland Honeyeater, and Red and Little Wattlebird. A lovely day, thank you James. * Banksia integrifolia Photo by John Drinkwater STOCKDALE - 21 June 2009 by Margaret Regan Our first stop for the day was in the Gippsland Plains Native Grassland Reserve which is fenced and runs along the Bairnsdale to Melbourne railway line. We were about 4km west along the Fernbank - Lindenow South Road from Lindenow South. We were searching for orchids in particular, but the whole area was so dry we didn t find any. We wondered how the poor old sheep were surviving in paddocks with virtually no grass. There were White Stringybarks (Eucalyptus globoidea) in full bloom, although the plant book states flowering is from December to March!! The climate is confusing everything. Black Sheoaks have been chain-sawed down to remove some competition from the rare orchids, and one stump had an attractive example of a wood-rotting fungus, the Scarlet Bracket Fungus (Pycnoporus coccineus). There were some birds around and we identified Musk Lorikeet enjoying the flowering White Stringybarks, White Cockatoo, Noisy Miner and Laughing Kookaburra. A deceased Snake-necked Turtle was found. Unfortunately it chose the wrong time to cross the railway lines!! Was there any water or a female on the other side? Further west along the railway line still in the reserve on Sinclairs Road about 2.2km west of Resides Lane we saw lovely specimens of Woolly Grevillea (Grevillea lanigera) and Common Correa (Correa reflexa). The Woolly Grevillea has leaves which are softly hairy below and sometimes hairy above, and the ovaries are also hairy. The flowers are variously red/ pink/cream. We had seen Common Correa on the previous excursion to Marlo, but these plants had smaller darker leaves and flowers, and many flowers. Again the White Stringybark was in flower and the ground was covered with May Gibbs cream tutus. Apparently some birds (presumably rosellas) had been pecking off the tutus while accessing the delicious nectar. The tutus are the rings of stamens which fall off together. Also in flower were Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) and Cranberry Heath (Astroloma humifusum) whose bright red tubular blooms seem to be present in all seasons. There were many exquisite tiny cream gilled fungi. Because the dews had been heavy, the mosses, liverworts and lichens were all well hydrated and looking stunning. There was a green upright branching lichen with holes through the stems and minute black reproductive structures at the tips of the branches. Birds were Magpie and Red Wattlebird, and Andrew recognised the call of the Common 10 11