Paperbarks - Leschenault Estuary, Australind, Western Australia

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. After a burst of sunny spring weather it seems like we have been plunged back into winter. 

However, this morning was cool, cloudy, but no rain imminent, and no wind, so we decided to take our morning walk through the paperbarks along Cathedral Avenue, which skirts along one side of the Leschenault Inlet in Australind only about 10 minutes from our home. I have blogged about it before, but I was surprised how long ago it was:  Paperbark Cathedral - Leschenault Estuary

Cathedral Avenue was part of the original Old Coast Road coach route from Mandurah to Bunbury, used by prominent figures like colonial settlers Thomas Peel and Marshall Waller Clifton in the early to mid-1800s. 

Paperbark trees line the road. They are of unknown age, but likely to date from the early to mid-1800s when the road was established as a coach route. It is believed that gangs of convicts cut the roadway through the trees. The trees arch over the road forming a cathedral like appearance, hence the name Cathedral Avenue. 

When we first came to Bunbury we could drive along under the trees, but since then a road has been diverted around the trees, and the original road is now a safe pathway for waking and cycling. It is a lovely shady walk under the trees. On the return you can divert to a path along the water's edge of the Leschenault Estuary.

We have walked along here many times, but it wasn't until today that we discovered that there are two varieties of paperbarks growing along here. Perhaps I looked at them more closely as they were flowering. 

The most distinctive feature of the paperbark is their multi-layered, paper-like bark, which consists of thin, papery layers separated by fibrous material. The Noongar people used this papery, waterproof bark for wrapping food, making shelters, creating bandages and using as toilet paper.   

I do love the delicious textures.

There are many varieties of paperbark - here is an interesting link from INaturalist Australia.  There are over 200 species in the genus Melaleuca. 

Below is the Swamp Paperbark - Melaleuca rhaphiophylla 

The Swamp Paperbark is a small to medium tree growing to 10 metres high with greyish white paper bark. It can be found near both fresh and saline water. It has narrow needle like leaves and clusters of very fragrant creamy flowers. It flowers from spring to summer. 

The Indigenous Noongar name for Melaleuca rhaphiophylla is Bibool or Yowarl, and for the Minang people (a Noongar group), it is yourl or yorral borrna. 

Below is the Saltwater Paperbark - Melaleuca cuticularis 

This is a small gnarled tree up to 7 metres high with very white papery bark. It grows in salty wetlands. The 5-12mm long leaves are arranged in two opposite pairs forming four regular lines of the leaves down the stems. It has white to cream, very fragrant flowers, singularly or in clusters spring to early summer. 

The Indigenous name for Melaleuca cuticularis, is often Yoorl in the Noongar/Nyungar language, with variations like yourl and yorral borrna also documented from the Minang/Menang people.

A couple of other flowers we saw today along the Cathedral Avenue walk path - one of the eucalypt gum trees, pink fairy orchids, and one of the wattles. 

That's it from me today. I hope you have enjoyed my post about paperbark trees. 

Update - 10 October - today we went walking at Manea Nature Reserve - and we came across another variety of paperbark - the Stout Paperbark -  Melaleuca preissiana, also known for its indigenous name - modong or moonah,

This tree can grow to 10-15 metres. This old gnarly one we saw was definitely an old growth tree judging by the height of it and the width of the base. Its thin pointed leaves are arranged alternately and are 6–14 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long. the white to pale cream flowers form in clumps at the end of the branches, and it flowers January to March. We will have to go back in summer to see the flowers. 

Now our eyes were open to them we saw quite a few of the Stout Paperbark at Manea, along with the Swamp Paperbark. 

You might also like - 

Paperbark Cathedral, Lescenault Estuary

Eucalypt Swamp Yate - Leschenault Estuary

Where the Pelicans meet

Finding Spoonbills along the Leschenault Estuary

For more information - 

Australian Native Plant Society

INaturalist

Flora Base

Atlas of Living Australia

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Paperbark cathedral - Leschenault Estuary, Australiand, Western Australia

Only about 5 minutes drive from our home is Cathedral Avenue which runs along the edge of the Leschenault Estuary at Australind.  Beautiful old paperbarks (which are natural to the area along the Estuary) arch over the old road like the roof of a cathedral. I love walking along here, and as it was a beautiful morning on Sunday we drove out to Cathedral Avenue for a walk. 
It is a great place for children to ride their bikes.

This was the original Old Coast Road. The road has now been diverted around this section, so you can walk or cycle along here quite safely. You can park at either the southern or northern end, and if you like walk both ways beneath the cathedral of trees or walk one way along the foreshore path, and then back through the trees.

In the bottom left picture, if you look into the distance, you might be able to see the Bunbury port facilities. It is so lovely to have a place to walk like this so close to home. I love the blue on blue effect of the top image. You can how the paperbarks cling to the edge. During winter storms they would be inundated by the rising water.

 The birds were enjoying the morning too - 
An eagle was fishing, swans were gliding, parrots were chatting, cormorants were sitting in their tree, pelicans were duck diving, and an ibis was stalking in the shallows.

and the kangaroos were looking, grazing and hopping. You often seen them in the paddocks along this stretch of road, so it is a good place to take overseas visitors (or city people!) to see kangaroos. 

On one side of the road is the Estuary, and on the other farm land. I often wish we had bought a block out here before it became a popular place to live and the prices skyrocketed. I would love to wake up in the morning and see the water and be able to walk along here every day. There are quite a few horse paddocks out here on the flat.

 I love the texture of the paperbark trees.   And surprisingly there are even a few olive trees. (although I took this pic last year - they are not fruiting at the moment)

Other good walks in this area are along the shores of the Collie River on either the Clifton Park side or the Eaton side, and also along the Leschenault Estuary waterfront and Collie River mouth at the Grand Canals.  

Do you have a favourite nature walk not far from you?

The Leschenault Estaury is popular for crabbing, fishing, prawning, boating, sailing and windsurfing. There is a boat ramp, car park, playground and public toilets are opposite the Australind shopping centre and numerous picnic and BBQ (wood) sites are scattered along the foreshore. 

The European history of Australind goes back to 1803.  

(Taken from the website of the Australind  Family History Society)

The Inlet on which present day Australind is located was named "Leschenault" by French Explorer Lieutenant de Freycinet, who charted the Australian coast in 1803 in the company of Nicholas Baudin. The land around Port Leschenault was explored by the Swan River colony's Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe, in 1830 and was further investigated by Lieutenant Bunbury in 1836

 After Captain Stirling began a settlement at Perth in 1829, a few settlers came to the Bunbury region from about 1831.

 However, in London in 1840, a town and farming enterprise was being planned, to be created at Australind. The company acquired some 103,000 and another 63,000 acres of land in the area.
 
To read more of Australind's history please click on the links -
the Australind Family History Society - Australind Family History Society
and Harvey History On Line - Harvey History Online

 You might also like -

Cathedral Avenue and Australind Pioneer Cemetary  
Dryandra Woodland in the early morning light
A walk in Yalgorup

Cathedral Avenue & Australind Pioneer Cemetary, Western Australia

On Wednesday morning I went out to Cathedral Avenue which runs along the Leschenault Inlet at Australind, about five minutes from my home. The paper-bark trees form a natural arch over the roadway, which has now has a re-routed road around it so that you can just walk along the road along this part. It is such a lovely peaceful place to walk.

and a close up of the beautiful bark of the paper-bark tree with the early morning light on it.

We have an old pioneer cemetery in Australind near where I live. There lie the bodies and ashes of some of our early  pioneers from 1842 onwards. The Australind & Districts Historical Society have done a lot of work out there since the last time I was there. And now there are lists on the entrance archway with the names, death dates and numbers of the graves, so you can identify them. Many are marked only with a simple number. Others are falling into  decay - like this one - crumbling and overrun by weeds - I cleared away some of the long weeds.

From the number on the grave I found it was the grave of Rachel Smith - aged 19 - died 2/7/1852, George Smith - aged 32 - died 25/7/1852 and Henry Smith - aged 4 months - died 15/9/1852.
They died so close together - I wonder who they were and what was their story.

The cemetery is a peaceful place in a pocket of bush. In the spring time the freesias push up through the ground and flower in profusion.

I hope you find a time for peaceful wandering over the weekend.

Update - Some information (see below) about George and Rachel Smith was sent to me by Phyllis Barnes, Bunbury historian, and editor (with others) of   "The Australind Journals of Marshall Waller Clifton : 1840-1861" . Please click on the link - Australind Journals of Marshall Waller Clifton


Thank you Phyllis for this valuable information. It was wonderful to learn something about George and Rachel. 

Quote from Phyllis - "I believe in getting such info onto the jet stream so long as it is accurate. I cannot tell you how George died, possibly pneumonia but have never quite worked out how a little baby can get to paint – presumably lead poisoning that takes weeks to build up and was sometimes chewed off the cot by a child!!!"

Rachel Catherine Clifton was born on the 10^th of March 1833 in London although the family was living in France. She was the fourteenth child of Marshall Waller Clifton who was appointed the Chief Commissioner in Australia for the Western Australian Company in May 1840.

The Co. had purchased 103 000 acres of land that formed a huge square from just north of the Collie River to about Wokalup and from the west side of Leschenault Estuary into the hills; the town of Australind was to be on the southwest corner.  Shares were sold to investors and settlers who were willing to emigrate entitling them to 100 acres of rural land and four ¼ blocks  in town. The surveyors left England in December 1840 arriving in January 1841, but then it all went pear shaped and many investors withdrew taking their money - a blow from which the Company never recovered.

Nevertheless, Clifton arrived in Koombana Bay on the Parkfield on the 18^th of March 1841 with 11 of his 14 surviving children including three little girls - Lucy was 11, Rachel 8 and Caroline was 6.

Three sons of the Company Secretary, Charles Henry Smith, came to Australind –

John Valentine Smith, later Sir John, arrived on the Island Queen in December 1840 with the surveyors on the Island Queen, and then George and Henry came on the Parkfield  as Gentlemen Settlers.  All three worked for M.W. Clifton who thought well of them and frequently mentioned them in his Journal.

Rachel and George were married at on the 21^st October 1851.  Her brother Charles Hippuff Clifton married Maria Elizabeth Glynn, ward of the Thomas Little of Belvedere, earlier same day in the day in a Catholic ceremony at Belvedere, then joined Rachel and George in a dual Anglican ceremony at Australind.

The young couple went off to live in Perth but Rachel died in childbirth and George soon afterwards.  All this comes to life in 'The Australind Journals of Marshall Waller Clifton … published last year.

Phyllis Barnes