It was a perfect day for a walk in the heathlands. Although at times the sky looked menacing the weather remained calm and mild.
As we started out through the woodland, we found some Tall Greenhoods along the track. Common Hovea, Myrtle Wattle and Small Sheoak were flowering well, and we found Victorian Smokebush just coming into flower.
When we reached the winter flowering Juniper Wattle, rare in our area, we found it was partly burnt from a recent burn. It was still flowering and we were pleasantly surprised to find more of these further along the track.
Morning tea was a chance to sit and enjoy the quiet and ambience, and listen for bird calls. We appreciated how lucky we are to have this wonderful environment and expansive vistas in our backyard.
Near the junction of the tracks, the Grevillea plants were looking healthy and some had buds at the tips of their branches. All that area has recovered well since the burn a few years ago—the vegetation looking diverse and robust.
We lunched in a shady spot on the side of Allardyce Track.
After a couple more uphill climbs, we were back amongst the taller trees and spotted some leaves of Red Beaks and Mosquito Orchids on the track edges.
Birds we had seen included a Jacky Winter, Spotted and Striated Pardelottes, White-throated Treecreeper, White-faced Honeyeater, Scarlet Robin and Kookaburra.
This is a lovely walk full of variety and we all enjoyed being out in nature in fine company.
Alison Watson