Poytr
Pollia (Pollia crispata)
Pollia crispata at Marowin Brook Road. A moist section of the seldom used track, surrounded by sub tropical rainforest. (Pollia is the ground level herb). The tree reaching out from the right is the Sandpaper Fig (Ficus coronata).
The 1:25,000 Tinebank sheet shows a small lake on Marowin Brook at 700 metres above sea level. Two of my friends and I decided to find it. However, it doesn't exist. (It was a joke by a cartographer). Instead we found a magnificent tall rainforest.
There is a rocky outcrop at 700 metres, but no sign of the lake. According to the Tinebank sheet, the lake is 130 metres long and 45 metres wide.
Tallowwood trees were recorded at great heights here. In the 1980s Forester Hopkinson and Forester Aldred reported trees here at 71, 72 and 81 metres tall.
On the edges of the rainforest were large Blackbutt trees, around 60 metres tall, as well as Brush Box, shorter though very thick at the base.
We found several giant Tallowwood trees, some marked with red tape. The real height of these trees is near impossible to measure, as the top of the trees is not visible through the rainforest under-story.
Walking up the gully the previous January was not successful, the terrain was steep and awkward, we averaged half a kilometre per hour. The Walking Stick Palms were excellent to grab hold of, however. This later trip, we started from the ridge. The descent and return was easier.
The previous January we attempted to walk up to the big trees, as directed by Forestry. They said "follow the red tape". Forestry workers had put a lot of tape on low plants en route to the big trees. This was OK, except the Walking Stick Palms were in fruit. The reddish/orange fruit were everywhere, and the trail of red tape was camouflaged in so much hanging red.
It didn't really matter, we just followed Marowin Brook. Just climbed the gully, until my companion panicked, went irrational in the forest. He couldn't handle it, so we abandoned the quest.
Later in September, I had another companion. He was expert at map and compass navigation. We drove through bushfires to get to the starting point, west of the mountain ridge. We had to drive off-road to avoid a burning log which blocked the road. He got out of the car, pushed branches out of the way. Eventually the car roughed it up back to the track.
On the top ridge was a line of New England Blackbutt. Wind damaged, fire scarred veterans. Trees of a huge base, with alive and dead branches. These ridge top guardians were about 30 metres tall. On the western fall of the ridge was dry eucalyptus forest with many tall Grass Trees.
On the east of the ridge, a dense temperate rainforest abruptly appeared, with many Coachwood up top. Further down it was sub-tropical rainforest. No Coachwood below, a taller forest with buttressed roots, palms and many epiphytes.
The rainforest proper (as photographed) was about 40 metres tall, consisting of Yellow Carabeen, Rosewood, Black Booyong, Brush Box, Soft Corkwood, Stinging Tree & Citronella. The previous trip saw the rainforest floor near covered in Christmas Orchids.
The giant eucalyptus at Marowin Brook appeared bigger than the "Grandis Tree", down near Bulahdelah.
Pollia (Pollia crispata)
Pollia crispata at Marowin Brook Road. A moist section of the seldom used track, surrounded by sub tropical rainforest. (Pollia is the ground level herb). The tree reaching out from the right is the Sandpaper Fig (Ficus coronata).
The 1:25,000 Tinebank sheet shows a small lake on Marowin Brook at 700 metres above sea level. Two of my friends and I decided to find it. However, it doesn't exist. (It was a joke by a cartographer). Instead we found a magnificent tall rainforest.
There is a rocky outcrop at 700 metres, but no sign of the lake. According to the Tinebank sheet, the lake is 130 metres long and 45 metres wide.
Tallowwood trees were recorded at great heights here. In the 1980s Forester Hopkinson and Forester Aldred reported trees here at 71, 72 and 81 metres tall.
On the edges of the rainforest were large Blackbutt trees, around 60 metres tall, as well as Brush Box, shorter though very thick at the base.
We found several giant Tallowwood trees, some marked with red tape. The real height of these trees is near impossible to measure, as the top of the trees is not visible through the rainforest under-story.
Walking up the gully the previous January was not successful, the terrain was steep and awkward, we averaged half a kilometre per hour. The Walking Stick Palms were excellent to grab hold of, however. This later trip, we started from the ridge. The descent and return was easier.
The previous January we attempted to walk up to the big trees, as directed by Forestry. They said "follow the red tape". Forestry workers had put a lot of tape on low plants en route to the big trees. This was OK, except the Walking Stick Palms were in fruit. The reddish/orange fruit were everywhere, and the trail of red tape was camouflaged in so much hanging red.
It didn't really matter, we just followed Marowin Brook. Just climbed the gully, until my companion panicked, went irrational in the forest. He couldn't handle it, so we abandoned the quest.
Later in September, I had another companion. He was expert at map and compass navigation. We drove through bushfires to get to the starting point, west of the mountain ridge. We had to drive off-road to avoid a burning log which blocked the road. He got out of the car, pushed branches out of the way. Eventually the car roughed it up back to the track.
On the top ridge was a line of New England Blackbutt. Wind damaged, fire scarred veterans. Trees of a huge base, with alive and dead branches. These ridge top guardians were about 30 metres tall. On the western fall of the ridge was dry eucalyptus forest with many tall Grass Trees.
On the east of the ridge, a dense temperate rainforest abruptly appeared, with many Coachwood up top. Further down it was sub-tropical rainforest. No Coachwood below, a taller forest with buttressed roots, palms and many epiphytes.
The rainforest proper (as photographed) was about 40 metres tall, consisting of Yellow Carabeen, Rosewood, Black Booyong, Brush Box, Soft Corkwood, Stinging Tree & Citronella. The previous trip saw the rainforest floor near covered in Christmas Orchids.
The giant eucalyptus at Marowin Brook appeared bigger than the "Grandis Tree", down near Bulahdelah.