August Outing Report - Mt French, 15 August 2026

brown wattle Acacia bruniodes

The Mt French outing is always a botanical event, and Keith and Barry didn't let us down with their knowledge of the local flora. We were a little disappointed with the flowering though the brown wattle Acacia bruniodes and the Brisbane wattle A. fimbrata put on a display. The Bossiaea rupicola had finished flowering, and the Jacksonia scoparia didn't look if it was going to flower at all. 

Brisbane Wattle, Acacia fimbrata

We came across some magnificent spider sacs on our way to the east cliff lookout. Nobody seemed to get a good photo of them so I've used one from my garden. They are quite amazing. 

magnificent spider,
Ordgarius magnificus

Once at the lookout, most members listened to Keith explain the rock formations, Barry checked out the flora, and I watched a couple of Elegant Snake-eyed Skinks or Wall Skinks Cryptoblepharus virgatus.

The heath offered us much more in the flowering shrub line, such as small-fruited may Gaudium microcarpum once known as Leptospermum microcarpum, and New England beard heath Styphelia neoanglica.

Species Lists compiled by the Club Recorder from members observations.

introduced species = _* 

Fauna

Arachnids: magnificent spider Ordgarius magnificus – egg sacs. Birds: pale-headed rosella, white-throated honeyeater, eastern spinebill, Lewin's honeyeater, noisy miner, spotted pardalote, white-throated gerygone, white-browed scrubwren, brown thornbill, pied currawong, grey fantail, Torresian crow. Marsupials: red-necked wallaby. Other Invertebrates: Ants; spiny ant sp. Polyrhachis sp. Reptiles: Dragons; lace monitor or goanna Varanus varius - injured. Skinks; elegant snake-eyed skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher (sometimes called fence, or wall skink).

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

Grasses: *red Natal grass Melinis repens. Herbs: tree trigger-plant or larchleaf triggerplant Stylidium laricifolium. Vines, Scramblers & Climbers: climbing asparagus fern Asparagus africanus, wonga vine Pandorea pandorana. Grass Trees: Johnson’s grass tree Xanthorrhoea johnsonii, coastal grass tree Xanthorrhoea latifolia. Shrubs: brown wattle Acacia brunioides, fringed or Brisbane wattle Acacia fimbriata, Bossiaea rupicola, triangle-leaved hopbush Dodonaea trianularis, hop bush Dodonaea triquetra, prickly or native hibiscus Hibiscus heterophyllus, dogwood Jacksonia scoparia – not flowering, *lantana Lantana camara, small-fruited tea tree Gaudium microcarpum [formerly Leptospermum microcarpum], Grove's paperbark Melaleuca groveana, New England bearded heath Styphelia neoanglica. Trees: kurrajong Brachychiton populneus, smooth-branched ironbark Eucalyptus dura, thin-leaved stringybark Eucalyptus eugenioides, small-leaved fig Ficus obliqu, shiny-leaved canthium Psydrax odorata subsp. buxifolia.