Goobang National Park; an important remnant of the SW Sopes of NSW

The Central Western Slopes of NSW are part of the great grassy woodlands that once stretched from northern NSW  to southern Victoria and into South Australia. They grew on fertile deep soils which soon attracted farmers and graziers and now very little of the original woodland is left. On the rocky hills and ridges that dotted them grew a different vegetation, the open forests dominated by different trees. These were more likely to escape widescale clearing but were still heavily logged for building, fence-posts and firewood; not much of them were actively protected in formal reserves. 

In the extensive plains of the Central Western Slopes - the transition from the near-coastal ranges to the great western plains which extend to the Indian Ocean - there are just four national parks, Weddin Mountains (8300ha), Nangar (9200ha), Conimbla (8500ha) and Goobang, which is by far the largest of them with 42,000ha. Each of them comprises a mountain range, with some fringing woodland (especially Weddin Mountains and Goobang) surrounded by mostly cleared plains.

Looking west from Caloma Lookout in the northern section of the park. 
The woodland fringing the range ends right on the park boundary.

Goobang NP in the Hervey and Curumbenya Ranges, east of the busy Newell Highway
 between Parkes (bottom left of the map) and Dubbo (further north along the Newell). 
Ideally a reserve will have the minimum ratio of boundary to area (ie a circle or square)
 but we must be grateful for what was available in 1995 when the park was gazetted. 
Map courtesy of NSW NPWS.

And here's a view from the west looking across to the range. Again the island nature of the park is evident. The remnant paddock trees are all that is left of the original woodlands, that were teemingly diverse. That is the sad story of most of those woodlands.

We stayed at Greenbah campground which has only four campsites; as with all NSW (and I think now all Australian) park campgrounds, booking is essential but as with many inland parks there is only a modest booking fee to pay. You can't book a specific site, so are relying on other people not turning up without booking. However it's not a busy campground, especially during the week. The Wanda Wandong campground in the north is larger and apparently caters more to family groups, especially from Dubbo; we've not stayed there. Greenbah though was a delight, quiet except for the birds, which were abundant. At one stage I sat in my chair in our camp and counted at least 15 species in about 30 minutes.

The activity was mostly in the grassy open forest beyond our trailer; behind the camera is a large
open grassy area with tables and fireplaces (below). 

Looking across the open area towards our camp (back right).

And from now on this will mostly be a photo essay.   

In the range (where most of the road access is) the open forests typically comprise
Scribbly Gums E. rossii, White Box E. albens, Red Stringybark E. macrorhynca and some
other eucalypts, including ironbarks, plus areas of callitris pine.

Old Scribbly Gums along the Burrabadine walking track. There are relatively few 
such older trees after more than a century of local felling.

Ironbarks (both Mugga Ironbark E. sideroxylon and Red Ironbark E. fibrosa are present).

A small sheoak Allocasuarina diminuta, growing on a gravelly ridge near 
to Caloma Lookout and forming a distinct heathy vegetation type.

A small inland cycad Macrozamia secunda, which I think is the only cycad to grow
in the Central West. I used to think of cycads as being near-coastal plants
and was surprised to find it out here, but I now know that it's fairly common
in these drier forests. 

Peak flowering seems to be in September, but doubtless extends at least into early October too. Here is a Goobang bouquet for you, starting with some of the many superb wattles. 

Mudgee Wattle Acacia spectabilis, one of my favourites.

Hakea Wattle Acacia hakeoides; the name is perplexing as hakea foliage, like that of the
wattles, comes in a very wide array of forms.

A spectacular mass flowering of Western Silver Wattle A. decora.

Deane's Wattle A. deanei, which is found on the western slopes from central Queensland to Victoria.

Sandstone Boronia B. glabra, always a welcome genus to see! Family Rutaceae.

Pink Phebalium P. nottii, a truly striking plant and one which perplexed me mightily at the
time. It was only when I got home that I was able to identify it; in my ignorance I'd
always thought that all phebaliums are cream or yellow. Same family as boronia.

I think that this prostanthera is P. howelliae, but would be happy to be corrected. 
In the mint family, Lamiaceae.

Slender Westringia W. eremicola at Caloma Lookout. Also Lamiaceae.

Common Fringe-Myrtle Calytrix tetragona; a common and widespread species but always welcome.

 

Hill Teatree, formerly Leptospermum trivalve but apparently now known as
Gaudium divaricatum. A common shrub in Goobang and coming into flower
a week or so ago. Plus a bonus wasp coming in for a nectar hit.

One of the bush-peas Pultenaea cinerascens, limited to the western slopes and
here at close to its southern limit.

A hop bush Dodonaea heteromorpha; we're looking, not at the flowers which are 
wind-pollinated and inconspicuous, but at the colourful papery winged fruit.
This species is restricted to the Central and Northern Western Slopes.

 

Seven Dwarfs Grevillea Grevillea floribunda, one of my favourite grevilleas and not
just for its whimsical name. It is found in remnant forest throughout the western slopes

Hop Goodenia G. ovata, common and widespread and the only shrubby goodenia in the region.

Silky Purple-flag Patersonia sericea, with a pollinating hoverfly casting a
shadow on the petal.

Pale Sundew Drosera auriculata, which grows in nutrient-leached wet areas and
supplements its nutrient requirements by attracting insects (including many ants)
with a sugary solution in the leaves. The long sticky fibres close over, trapping the victim,
and the sweet lure now begins its other job of dissolving the body.
The flower is held high above the leaves - it doesn't want to eat its own pollinator
(at least not until it's done its job).

The sticky fibres at different stages of closing over. The black blobs in the lowest
and furthest right leaf are trapped insects.

Western Donkey Orchid Diuris goonooenis, a very handsome inland donkey orchid
of the slopes and ranges.

Pink Fingers Orchid Caladenia carnea, probably the commonest and most familiar of
south-eastern Australian orchids. But that doesn't mean we should ignore it!

Grasstree Xanthorrhoea glauca with a full magnificent flowering spike. 
This species is widespread, mostly west of the ranges. For close-ups of
the flowers, see the next two photos of pollinators.

It seems a logical segue to go from that photo to some pollinating insects.

Hoverflies, Family Syrphidae, on the grassree spike, which comprises thousands of 
tiny flowers; grasstrees are in the broad and informal lily group of families.

Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi on the grasstree spike. 
(Also, inevitably, another hoverfly - they really are ubiquitous around flowers.)

Red-necked Wallaby Notamacropus rufogriseus in the campground. A common 
and widespread wallaby but I always enjoy them.

Shingleback Lizard (though I still think of them as Sleepy Lizards from my 
South Australian childhood) Tiliqua rugosa. One of our largest skinks and full
of surprises eg they mate for life! A bit more about them in an old post here. 

Male Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus, a common species that is often more
readily heard than seen. But sometimes you get lucky.

Pair of Galahs Eolophus roseicapilla. If I were inclined to anthropomorphism I might
suggest this looks like a domestic disagreement that has reached a stalemate.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita dazzlingly catching the early morning sun.

Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys on its exquisite spiderweb-bound nest very close to our camp.

OK, that's four very common and familiar birds; now for one that definitely isn't.

This little glory was the highlight of our camp. On consecutive days he flew in and 
foraged quietly on the ground for grass seeds, fluttering up briefly when I pushed
my luck in trying to get a bit closer to him. He's a Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella,
surely (and of course subjectively) one of Australia's most delightful birds and tiny,
not much bigger than a Budgerigar. When the English colonists began exploring the new
Sydney colony this was one of the commonest parrots they found, in the open woodlands.
Such woodlands are scarce now, but the 'Turqs' are scattered from south-east Queensland
to Victoria, though mostly in NSW

Well I hope I've managed to convince you to put Goobang on your 'to do' list, especially if you're in my part of the world. You won't be sorry. Thanks for reading.

***I'M GOING TO BE AWAY FOR A WHILE, ON AND OFF, BUT MY 
TIME BACK IN CANBERRA IN BETWEEN TRIPS WON'T BE ENOUGH TO ALLOW ME
TO PREPARE ANOTHER POST.
I'LL BE BACK THOUGH, HOPEFULLY WITH SOME NEW MATERIAL! ***

 NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER

I love to receive your comments and I will notify you personally by email when a new posting appears, if you'd like me to. This will mean one email every three weeks at the current rate of posting. I promise never to use the list for any other purpose and will never share it. Should you wish to be added to it, just send me an email at calochilus51@internode.on.net. You can ask to be removed from the list at any time,or you could simply mark an email as Spam, so you won't see future ones.
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High Living #2: plants above the treeline

In my last post we went soaring well above where most of us spend much time, way up in the mountains where the conditions are too harsh for trees to survive - ie above the treeline. Today I want to introduce a selection of the plants that survive up there; some exclusively, others have broader habitat ranges. If you missed part one you may want to catch up before reading this, to get some background on the ecology and the places where these plants and animals live. On the other hand if you just want to browse the pictures here and enjoy some plant life you may not have met, that of course is fine too! It's mostly just a photo essay.

Silver Snow Daisies Celmisia sp. and Mountain Celery Aciphylla glacialis brighten the alpine
meadows in summer in Kosciuszko NP, in the NSW Australian Alps.

All these photos were taken in Australia and South America (and, just, in North America). I've only once been above the treeline in Africa and while I have strong memories of that day high in Lesotho (including a magnificent Lammergeier sailing overhead), that was well before my digital photography days. And the closest I've got in Asia was the lower slopes of mighty Kinabalu. 

Let's start with some plants. 

Mataguanaco ('guanaco bush') Anarthrophyllum desideratum, Torres del Paine NP,
Chilean Patagonia. This spectacular spiny cushion bush pea thrives in the often frozen,
always windy treeless expanses of Patagonia. 

The next half dozen photos were also taken on the exposed Patagonian Steppes slopes of Torres del Paine NP; I've been there five times, not because I love the experience of cold, often wet, winds (I don't) but because it's an extraordinary landscape, and supports some appropriately extraordinary life.

A more 'conventional' pea, Paramela Adesmia boronioides, a tough aromatic low shrub
which grows on the edge of the open plains at the foot of the mountains.

Mariposa del Campo ('butterfly of the field') Alstroemeria patagonica, in the mostly 
South American lily family Alstroemeriaceae. This is a tiny plant, with flowers on 
5cm stems to keep their head down out of the wind.

Darwin's Slipper (but in Spanish Zapatito de la Virgen, 'our lady's slipper')
Calceolaria uniflora, family Calceolariaceae. This is another very low-growing
herb of the harshly exposed Patagonian meadows and mountainsides.
Astonishingly it is pollinated by the Least Seedsnipe, one of a small family 
of four shore waders which have become vegetarians in Patagonia
and the high Andes. Apparently the white 'lip' of the flower contains sugars which 
the seedsnipe appreciate; in pecking the flower they transfer pollen from on flower 
to another. Rather than make you wait for the animals section (by when you may have 
forgotten about it) I'll introduce this surprising mountain bird now.

 

Least Seedsnipe Thinocorus rumicivorus near Coyaique, northern Patagonia

Estrallita ('little star') Perezia recurvata, a daisy. It grows on rocky ground
in the Patagonian Steppe.

And finally, to my surprise at the time, there are orchids in this harsh wind-blasted steppe land; here are a couple which delighted me.

Porcelain Orchid Chlorea magellanica. There is nothing small and 'keeping head down' 
about this beauty, which is found as far south as icy Tierra del Fuego. It can spend 
8 months of the year under snow but when the snow melts its flowering spike
can grow to 50cm tall. 

Yellow Gavilea Gavilea lutea can also grow tall, to 60cm. While probably
most often found in Nothofagus forests, it also grows in wet areas
in the absence of trees.

Far to the north of Patagonia in the Andes of southern Peru near Chivay at 3600masl, conditions are much drier and many alpine plants must grow on the rock faces.

Air plants Tillandsia sp. growing on a road cutting. They are bromeliads which take
most of their nutrients from the air; bromeliads are probably better known as
abundant epiphytes in tropical cloud forests (though the most famous bromeliad
is doubtless the pineapple!).

Puya Puya sp., another genus of bromeliads, growing on the top of
the same high altitude road cutting.

Cactuses growing, perhaps unexpectedly, at the top of Colca Canyon, also
near Chivay at about 3600masl, above the trees.

Again in the southern Peruvian Andes a very different and moister habitat, perched on the brink of the Amazon basin above the cloud forest at 3800masl at Acjanaco Pass on the Manu road, has of course very different plants. 

Gentians Halenia sp. and hardy grasses in the mist at Acjanaco Pass.

And to balance the unexpectedness (to me at least) of yellow gentians, here's
a more familiarly coloured one - I'm thinking Gentiana sedifolia? - in El Cajas NP
in the southern Andes of Ecuador, at some 4000masl.

And finally, from further north again, in North America in fact, some ancient, non-flowering plants from the páramo of central Costa Rica at about 3400masl.

Lycopods, or club mosses, a Class of now small plants which appeared more than 400 million years ago,
long before the rise of the flowering plants, and which dominated forests for a long time.

But we'll finish this part with some Australian alpine plants, mostly from Kosciuszko NP. After an introductory 'wildflower meadow' photo, there are 11 photos of plants from 11 different families. All were growing above the treeline in Kosciuszko NP except where I've specified otherwise.

  December on the Main Range of Kosciuszko NP, with the flowering just 
getting underway; the flower spikes are mostly of Candle Heath Richea continentis.

A close-up of the Candle Heath, a striking plant which lives in boggy situations in 
the alps of NSW and Victoria.

The snow country is perhaps not where we expect to find ferns, but nature can
 enable life in almost any environment. Alpine Water Fern Blechnum (now 
usually known as Austroblechnum) penna-marina is extremely hardy and even 
lives on the sub-Antarctic islands, as well as New Zealand and South America. 
It likes a sheltered position, often among rocks, and spends part of the year under snow.

Bidgee Widgee Aceana novae-zelandiae is far from an alpine specialist - it can be found
at sea level - but it is also very much at home above the trees. It's in the rose family, and
the head of tiny white flowers later forms a bundle of sticky burrs. They evolved to
transfer seed on fur and feathers, but many high country walkers have discovered
that socks suit them equally well. 

Mountain Celery Aciphylla glacialis is indeed in the celery family (Apiaceae). It is found
almost entirely above the treeline and is recovering well from the ravages of
historical alpine cattle grazing.

 

Ribbony Grass Chionochloa frigida grows only in the Kosciuszko alpine zone;
it too has recovered well since the removal of stock grazing. (Actually I'm having slight
doubts about my identification here, from a long time ago. Any comments welcome.)

Tasmanian Mountain Gentian Chionogentias diemensis, Ben Lomond NP,
north-eastern Tasmania. The gentian family is associated with mountains
on every continent (except Antarctica of course). This species is 
limited to alpine and subalpine areas in Tasmania.

Silver Ewartia Ewartia nubigena, Main Range Kosciuszko NP. A small-flowered but
extensive mat-like daisy bush that only grows in exposed alpine herbfields, where
it can colonise bare areas of soil and rock..

Royal Bluebell Wahlenbergia gloriosa in the Snow Gums in Namadgi National Park
in the Australian Capital Territory. It does however extend above the treeline, and
as the ACT's official wildflower emblem (despite my reservations as to its 
appropriateness!) I thought I should give it a guernsey. 

Alpine Mint Bush Prostanthera cuneata, Kosciuszko NP. This lovely member of the true
mint family grows above the treeline (and just below it), often among granite boulders,
in the NSW and Victorian alps.

Alpine Rice-flower Pimelea alpina is another prostrate shrub when growing above
the treeline. It has a similar distribution to the Alpine Mint Bush. The hundred or so
species in Australia and New Zealand are otherwise all found at lower altitudes
and most are erect shrubs.

Alpine Orites Orites lancifolia belongs to a generally unfamiliar genus in a generally very
familiar family, Proteaceae (ie banksias, grevilleas, waratahs etc). This one is found high
in mountains from the ACT to the Victorian alps and grows erectly even above the treeline. 
The only other Australian species is a rainforest tree! 
(There are also four species in Tasmania and two in South America.) 

And that I think is probably enough for one posting! I wonder sometimes if my longer postings aren't a bit off-putting, but I'm unlikely to get feedback from people who don't want to read that much, so I'm only speculating. 

It's not the time to be going to admire the flowers in the high country in the Southern Hemisphere, but perhaps you can bear this in mind for the coming summer. It's made me think we should plan another expedition to Kosciuszko, probably before or after the school holidays. Meantime, thanks for accompanying me on this particular wildflower walk; I've enjoyed it, hope you have too.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 13 AUGUST

I love to receive your comments and I will notify you personally by email when a new posting appears, if you'd like me to. This will mean one email every three weeks at the current rate of posting. I promise never to use the list for any other purpose and will never share it. Should you wish to be added to it, just send me an email at calochilus51@internode.on.net. You can ask to be removed from the list at any time,or you could simply mark an email as Spam, so you won't see future ones.
If you do leave a comment - and I love it when you do - please remember to click the
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so you'll know when I reply - and I always do!