June Outing Details - Rabbit Fence & Queen Mary Falls, 20 June 2026

Admiring the magnificent trees
along the Rabbit Fence

Time: 8:30 am

Where: Rabbit Fence on Spring Creek (The Head) Rd.

Directions: About 40 minutes from Boonah. 

From Boonah head south and get onto Carney’s Creek Road and then get onto The Head Road, signposted as the 'The Falls Drive' and 'Queen Mary Falls' (about 29kms from Boonah). Go right to the top, past Teviot Falls, and over the gap and down into the Condamine River valley. Wilson’s Peak will be on your left. The Rabbit Fence meets the road about 5kms past the Falls. There are places to park here.

Activities: We will take a short stroll along the rabbit fence to check out the giant Brush Box trees, and maybe hear Lyrebirds calling. This is an area of big trees, so wherever you look will be fascinating. There is lots to see just walking along the road. Then we check out some groves of eucalypt trees further down the valley – Manna Gums and New England Blackbutt. Stop off at Carr’s Lookout for a lookout. And then down to Queen Mary Falls for a short walk to see the falls and then lunch. It is winter but there will still be lots of birds.

Level of Fitness: Easy if you stay on the tracks. To cross into NSW you have to climb a gate but there's plenty to see on the Queensland side of the fence.

Facilities: Toilets at Boonah and Queen Mary Falls (and Killarney). Picnic tables at Queen Mary Falls.

What to Bring: Morning tea and lunch. Chairs, water and other stuff. It could be cold. 

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $2 per person participant fee. 

April Outing Report - Shed Day, 18 April 2026

 Adapted from the FFNC newsletter article of P & T Shields.

Dr Christina Zdenek addressing the members

The afternoon commenced with quiz on bird identification but with a twist – only parts of each bird were visible for people to use for identification. A great deal of amusement and comments were made.

Dr Christina Zdenek followed with an extremely interesting talk on how certain kinds of rat poisons are killing our owls (and eagles, quolls, and pets) and what Birdlife Australia is doing to try and stop that.

The second-generation rodenticides are

banned from public sale in many countries (e.g. USA, Canada, EU and Malaysia) but not in Australia. Birdlife Australia believes that widespread public use of long-lasting second- generation rodenticides is killing wildlife on a major scale and is focused on preparing submissions to the Federal regulator as well as campaigning secondary targets such as retailers.

Following a break for afternoon tea, one of our members, B Jahnke, presented a thought-provoking talk on “Educating the public”. He compared the syllabus for secondary education in biology in the 1980s with the current Queensland syllabus, highlighting the major differences and wondering aloud whether current students are obtaining the fundamental knowledge and principles to study biology (i.e. understand our living world).

His talk stimulated much discussion and gave us all some thoughts to consider into the future.

Nothing better than a convivial chat
around a fire.

As dusk came some of us convened to the “waterway” to enjoy an evening meal and bonfire.

February Outing Report - West Gap Creek, Cunningham’s Gap 21 Feb 2026

Adapted from the FFNC newsletter report by M. See. (Photos by Club members)

Natters along the track
at West Gap Creek

Eleven enthusiastic natters gathered on a beautiful mild February morning at West Gap Creek car park.
The grassy glade of the picnic area shaded by tall eucalypts, yielded a host of birds right off, both seen and heard including the musk lorikeet and the white-throated honeyeater. Crossing the creek with its helpful bolted flat rocks, we headed off in groups on a ramble along the Box Forest track which rises gently and follows the creek and finishes 2.5km later at the Crest carpark where the majestic hoop pines are found. 

We only ventured part of that distance although 90 minutes passed quickly, as there was so much to see, discuss, photograph and wonder over, especially the huge brush box trees around us as we got further up the track and the diversity of flora all around us.

Although most of the group wandered back when morning tea was calling them, a few intrepid types continued for a short distance and were rewarded when an Albert’s lyrebird strode across the track in front of them. It seemed unperturbed by their presence as it proceeded to scratch in the leaf litter about 10m from the track while they attempted in vain to capture its photo.

We then all gathered for a most welcome morning tea in the large picnic shelter which accommodated us all nicely and compared notes before heading down into the creek area to examine the aquatic life. We were pleased to find a school of mountain galaxias, in the clear, deep pools a small fish that thrives in locations such as this where introduced fish are absent. We also delighted in spotting the strikingly huge tadpoles of the barred frogs (either Fleay’s barred frog or the great barred frog) camouflaged well against the rocks and taking an occasional trip to the surface for air.

Flora (discussed or taken note of on the day, not a comprehensive list) 

Introduced species = *
Groundcovers, Low Shrubs, Epiphytes and Vines: wombat berry Eustrephus latifolius, flax lily Dianella sp., lomandra Lomandra longifolia, cunjevoi Alocasia brisbanensis, bird’s nest fern Asplenium australasicum, rough maidenhair fern Adiantum hispidulum, giant maidenhair fern Adiantum formosum, prickly rasp fern Blechnum neohollandicum, bracken fern Pteridium esculentum, gristle fern Blechnum cartilagineum, dwarf sickle fern Pallaea nana, tender brake Pteris tremula, Pyrrosia sp., elkhorn fern Platycerium bifurcatum, pollia Pollia crispata, pencil orchid Dockrillia sp., native grape Apocissus antarctica, giant water vine Apocissus hypoglauca, native yam Dioscorea transversa, settler’s flax
Gymnostachys anceps, stinging nettle Urtica incisa, barbwire vine Smilax australis, snake vine Stephania japonica, bower of beauty Pandorea jasminoides, tall sedge, Carex appressa, scurvy weed Commelina cyanea, kidney weed Dichondra repens, blady grass Imperata cylindrica, weeping
grass Microlaena stipoides, common tussock grass Poa labillardieri, forest hedgehog grass  Echinopogon nutans, Australian bluebell Wahlenbergia gracilis, stout-rooted wood-sorrel Oxalis radicosa.
Shrubs: native raspberry Rubus rosifolius, broad-leaf bramble Rubus moluccanus, bush lawyer Rubus moorei, poison peach Trema tomentosa var. aspera, red-fruited palm lily Cordyline rubra, hairy  psychotria Psychotria loniceroides, tie bush Wikstroemia indica, cockspur thorn Maclura  cochinchinensis, bolwarra Eupomatia laurina, kangaroo apple Solanum aviculare, wild tobacco *Solanum mauritanium, lantana *Lantana camara.

Trees: brush box Lophostemon confertus, pink bloodwood Corymbia intermedia, grey gum (possibly Eucalyptus biturbinata) rose she-oak Allocasuarina torulosa, native tamarind Diploglottis australis, giant stinging tree Dendrocnide excela, strangler fig Ficus sp., creek sandpaper fig Ficus coronata, muttonwood Rapanea variabilis, wattle Acacia sp., yellow pittosporum Pittosporum revolutum, celerywood Polyyscias elegans, bleeding heart Homalanthus populifolius, white bolly gum Neolitsea dealbata, Bangalow palm Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, pink poplar Euroschinus falcatus, tallowwood Eucalyptus microcorys, black booyong Argyrodendron actinophyllum, orange boxwood

Mountain Galaxias,
Galaxias olidus

Denhamia disperma.

Fauna

introduced species = *

Amphibians & Reptiles: Frogs; tadpoles of either or both the great barred frog Mixophyes fasciolatus and Fleay’s barred frog Mixophyes fleayi.

Birds: – (H) = heard only.

brown cuckoo-dove, wonga pigeon (H), azure kingfisher, musk lorikeet, little lorikeet (H), rainbow lorikeet, Albert's lyrebird, satin bowerbird, white-throated treecreeper, variegated fairy-wren, white-naped honeyeater, white-throated honeyeater, Eastern spinebill (H), Lewin's honeyeater, bell miner, spotted pardalote, brown gerygone (H), white-browed scrubwren (H), yellow-throated scrubwren, golden whistler, Eastern whipbird (H), cicadabird(H), pied currawong (H), grey fantail, black-faced monarch (H), Torresian crow, rose robin (H), Eastern yellow robin, double-barred finch.

Fish: mountain galaxias Galaxias olidus.

Marsupials: red-necked pademelon Thylogale thetis.

Butterflies: blue triangle Graphium sarpedon, orchard swallowtail Papilio aegeus, wanderer *Danaus plexippus, yellow admiral Vanessa itea.

Other Invertebrates: Worms: leech Chtonobdella sp.

Autumn Camp Details - CANCELLED! Members check your emails for alternative arrangements

Main Beach, Iluka
Photo: Wikipedia, Public Domain

Dates: 15th-18th May 2026

Where: Iluka, Northern NSW

Directions: It is about 150 kms south of the border – go past Brunswick Heads, into Ballina, then Woodburn, and travel about 36kms past Woodburn and turn left into Iluka - before you go over the Clarence River and hit Maclean.

Alternatively, you could do the scenic route through Rathdowney, and Kyogle and Casino to Woodburn.

Activities: We are meeting up with our old friend Janet Hauser. There is a rainforest next to town that Janet is very familiar with. There are beaches with a few headlands. Also Bundjalung National Park is nearby – with all sorts of different habitats, including coastal heath, and

there is the Clarence River.

Grafton, Maclean and Yamba are not far away for individual, optional visits.

It’s a beautiful and relaxing spot.

What to Bring: It might be a bit cooler. It could rain. It could be warm enough for a

swim. Sand flies and mosquitos may be present. So be prepared. And start saving for extra fuel

costs now. 

Suitable clothing and footwear for walking in the bush, sunscreen, and the usual naturalist stuff of your choice; binoculars, camera, field guides, notebook, etc.

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $2 per person participant fee.

More information:- Members: see your newsletter. Non-members: please contact fassifernfieldnaturalists@gmail.com.

March AGM Details - Boonah – Saturday, 21st March 2025

Lost Koala, Boonah High Street

Where: The Conference Room at ‘The Outlook’.

Time:  2 pm for 2.15 pm start.

Directions: Coming into Boonah along the Boonah-Ipswich Road, just when you come over the hill and get your first view of Boonah with the Scenic Rim mountains as a backdrop, you will see the big ‘Welcome to Boonah’ sign on the left. Turn left just before the sign and immediately left again, proceed up the steep hill to the carpark. Park, get out, turn around and take in the view! Signs will direct you to the Conference Room.

Admission: $4 per person.

Agenda: Reports for 2025 year and voting on Executive positions for 2026.

AGM Formalities: Club officers will give reports on Club matters to the Club Members. Office bearers for 2026 will be elected. And upcoming events will be highlighted. Then on to the guest speaker and afternoon tea.

Guest Speaker: Lara Solyma, biodiversity officer for Scenic Rim Regional Council, on “Koalas of the Fassifern”.

Lara is part of the environmental team at Scenic Rim Regional Council. She will talk about conservation initiatives for the Koala in the wider Fassifern area. Surveys have been conducted and DNA samples collected. Koala family trees give us clues to how Koalas are using the forests of the Fassifern.

Bring Display Items: Any interesting objects, or photos, or information on the incredible diversity of fauna and flora in the Fassifern and even SEQ. Bring questions too.

Members: Please bring a plate of goodies. Coffee and tea provided.

It is also time to pay your annual membership fee for 2026. Peter, our Treasurer, will be on hand to receive your payment or you can pay on line – details for online payments are on the Information page of our Newsletters.

Our first outing for 2026 - Lake Moogerah, 17 January

 Happy Naturalizing New Year 2026

Date & Time: Saturday, 17 January 2026, 7:00am.

Where: Upper picnic area.

Directions: From the Boonah Information Centre carpark, turn right and head northwest on Boonah Fassifern Rd for 8.1km. Turn left into Lake Moogerah Rd and after 8.6km turn right into Moogerah Connection Rd. After 1.4 km you will enter the picnic area.

From Ipswich: from the Cunningham Highway/Boonah Rd overpass, travel approximately 41km on the Cunningham Highway and turn left into Boonah Fassifern Rd. Travel 3.1 km then turn right into Lake Moogerah Rd. Travel 8.6km turn right into Moogerah Connection Rd. After 1.4 km you will enter the picnic area.

Activities: Wander the grounds of the Lake Moogerah Picnic Area and lower slopes of Mt Edwards, via the dam wall.

Level of Fitness: All types: there are level tracks, grassy areas, rocky outcrops.

Facilities: Toilets, picnic shelters, tables, chairs, bbq.

What to Bring: Suitable clothing and footwear for walking in the bush, sunscreen, insect repellant, water, morning tea, chair (just in case we sit away from the shelter sheds), and the usual naturalist stuff of your choice; binoculars, and a scope if you have one (for those distant birds on the lake), camera, field guides, notebook, etc.

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $2 per person participant fee. 

Some photos from the Myall Park Camp, October 2025

 All photos by Linda Oliver

Gardenia Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii

Black Orchid - Cymbidium canaliculatum

Grey-crowned Babblers at their roost

Olive-backed Oriole

Male Superb Fairy-wren

Female Red-winged Parrot

Australian Raven

Immature Grey Butcherbird

Double-barred Finches

Gathering in the camp kitchen for a convivial time

October Camp Details - Myall Park Botanic Garden, Glenmorgan – 17th-20th October 2025

Lagoons at Myall Park entrance
Photo: L. Beaton

Where: Myall Park Botanic Garden, 7km north of Glenmorgan

Activities: 

Friday 17th - arrive as preferred, bird walk at 4pm for early arrivals, at 6pm an info session and Birdcall.

Saturday 18th - morning and afternoon walks at Myall Park Gardens property with siesta around midday, Birdcall at 6pm. 

Sunday 19th – walk at Eringibba National Park. Enringibba is a 20min drive southeast with park entry at the southern boundary off Windermere Road.

Lunch at the Glenmorgan Hotel for those interested and afternoon at leisure. Birdcall at 6pm. 

Monday 20th – departure at your convenience.

Non-members, please contact fassifernfieldnaturalists@gmail.com for more information.  

Members, please refer to your September newsletter. 

September Outing Details - Spicers Gap, Saturday 20th September 2025

FFNC at Spicers Gap in 2022
Photo: L. Beaton

Time: 8:30 am

Where: Spicers Gap day-use area, near the campground, and opposite the mango farm.

Directions: Directions-Route A: From the Dugandan Pub (0kms) - head south and take the Mt Alford turnoff (right turn). Go through Mt Alford and on to Moogerah – up over the ridge on Mt Alford Road. At 28kms turn left into Lake Moogerah Road and the sign says to Mt Edwards. Go over Reynolds Creek bridge and on some good dirt until 38kms -turn left into Spicers Gap Road. There is bitumen for 3kms and then about 4kms of good dirt, but steep in places. 

Directions-Route B: alternate route. Get onto Cunningham Highway and travel south through Aratula for about 5kms and turn left into Lake Moogerah Road. Travel about 5kms until you hit Spicers Gap Road on the right.

Activities: Spring will have sprung. There will be birds and butterflies everywhere. It is a while since we went there last - 2022. The bush has come back a lot more since those fires of 2019. There are tall forest areas and rainforest pockets. There are tracks and roadsides –all reasonably flatish. There is even a spring-fed well (Moss’s Well). For those who want to walk a lot there is the Mt Matheson Track or the old road.  

We will stay up in the mountains for lunch. We might hang-around the campground for a bit; up the Matheson Track for a short distance; Moss’s Well and road for a bit; and maybe Governors Chair for a bit.

Level of Fitness: As easy or as strenuous as you like, your choice. 

Facilities: Picnic tables, toilet.

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

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $2 per person participant fee. 

July Outing Report - Sherwood Arboretum & Oxley Common, Saturday 21 June 2025

Adapted from the FFNC August 2025 newsletter report by K. McCosh

Little Pied Cormorant
Photo: FFNC member

A warm winter’s day greeted us at the Sherwood Arboretum for a city-based outing to a place I hadn’t seen for ages. Barry showed us around and gave some background to the Arboretum. It is quite a historical place. An “arboretum” is a place devoted to trees. This arboretum was certainly full of trees, with two rows of big old Kauri Pines down the middle. Various specimen trees had been planted across the site – some exotic but mostly Australian natives. 

The site is a low-lying creek area next to the Brisbane River, so it goes under water often. A small lagoon provides great habitat for waterfowl, but no rarities were seen today. We could hear dingoes howling at one time. I don’t think dingoes live in the revegetated creek bank area, that the western suburbs branch of SGAP has worked hard on. I hope it was from Lone Pine Zoo, at Fig Tree Pocket, just across the river from Sherwood. 

Milky Mangrove
Photo: Wikipedia under Creative Commons Licence
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

The rainforest is regenerating nicely, under some big old Blue Gums. It even has a Scrub Turkey. Along the river, three species of mangrove can be found – River Mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum, Milky Mangrove Excoecaria agallocha, and Yellow Mangrove Ceriops tagal. Some were covered in buds, and about to explode into flower. This area is about the limit of salinity but it is still very tidal. 

In one of the gardens we sighted a couple of Bush Stone-curlews. How can such a big bird be almost invisible? They seemed to be happy here and didn’t mind lots of people in the park. 

After a walk around the park, we headed over to the Oxley Creek Common on Oxley Creek. Picnic tables and a shelter shed make this area a popular place for Brisbane-ites. There is also a track that goes along the creek for a few kilometres. Lots of birds along this track. Lots of bushcare and tree planting too – the local Bushcare group have restored quite an extent of riparian habitat. They have even established some Berry Saltbush Einadia hastata as a thick groundcover. After lunch and a walk we all headed home. 

SPECIES LIST: Muscovy Duck (Domestic type), Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Hardhead, Australian Brush-turkey, Spotted Dove, Crested Pigeon, Buff-banded Rail, Dusky Moorhen, Australasian Swamphen, Bush Stone-curlew, Australasian Grebe, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Australian White Ibis, Striated Heron, Plumed Egret, Laughing Kookaburra, Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pale-headed Rosella, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner, Brown Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Striated Pardalote, Eastern Whipbird, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow, and Welcome Swallow.