Adapted from the Club September newsletter.
Seven of us took on the rugged road up from Waterfall Creek Reserve and were rewarded by picture postcard weather as we arrived at this private Land
for Wildlife property on Waterfall Creek Rd at Maroon. The property is a 50 hectare sloping forested block
with glimpses of Lake Maroon that extends down to Waterfall Creek and lies adjacent to the twin peaks of
Mt May.
The owners welcomed us warmly and we gathered at their shady screened cabin for a
chat and cuppa. Of particular interest was the inviting 7m long x 1.8m deep pond with both aquatic and
semi-aquatic plants they had constructed near the cabin that comes complete with solar pump. It is stocked
with native fish species (silver perch, firetail gudgeons, Pacific blue eyes and rainbow fish) and is also a
valuable breeding habitat for various frog species including the Stony Creek Frog. As would be expected, it
has become a wildlife mecca with sightings of bandicoots, wallabies, a koala and
even a barn owl.
The owners have been lucky enough to observe the iconic glossy black-cockatoos feeding on a rose she-oak
(Allocasuarina torulosa) near the cabin and have installed a few specialised nest tubes designed for them in
the surrounding trees. The nest tubes are constructed from heavy duty storm water pipe and timber with the
aim of increasing the lifespan of the tube and improving insulation to reduce internal temperatures.
The vegetation is a spotted gum Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata and ironbark Eucalypt crebra forest on
sandstone with both rocky outcrops and scattered rocks of rhyolite. Keith gave a very informative
background to the geology, explaining the area is close to the original Focal Peak volcano, which today is a
small residual circular peak tucked away nearby amongst other surrounding peaks. The rhyolite would have
originated as either magma flow from the volcano or shallow intrusions into the sandstone.
Gum-topped box E. moluccana and stringybarks put in an appearance near the top of the ridge at the
property entrance.
The bright green Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis and the Dogwood Jacksonia scoparia were
found scattered in the understory, with Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra and Black Spear Grass Heteropogon contortus noted as part of the groundcover.
A few intrepid members made the steep trek 400m
down to the creek, where water was trickling along and present in shallow pools. As they descended, Brush
Box Lophostemon confertus grey gums possibly E. propinqua, and at the creekside there was
another eucalypt, possibly Sydney blue gum E. saligna. The creek banks displayed Smilax sp., Matrush
(Lomandra sp). and Maidenhair Fern.
We finished a lovely morning at the cabin comparing notes. Many thanks to our gracious hosts Genevieve
and Phil for sharing their special bush retreat with us and congratulations on their habitat initiatives.
Fauna sighted:
Reptiles: Tree-base Litter-skink Lygisaurus foliorum, Fire-tailed Skink Morethia taeniocauda, Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher pulcher.
Mammals: Red-necked Wallaby
Birds: Australian Pelican (overhead), Wedge tailed Eagle, White-throated Gerygone, White-throated Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird (very noisy), Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Varied Sittella,
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Fairy-wren sp., Buff-rumped Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, Striated pardalote, Grey Fantail.
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