Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. Time seems to have run away from me the last month or so....getting ready for two art trails...my dear aunt's funeral...some family health issues....taking photos for some friends at an event....just life really....
.... so it was lovely over the Easter weekend to go away for a few days camping in the bush through the Western Australian wheatbelt with our caravan. We had two nights in the Dryandra woodland about two hours from home, then one night in the Kwolyin old townsite camping area, and one night at my nephew's farm in Bruce Rock in the middle of the wheatbelt. I've blogged about these places before over the years, so I will add some links at the end of this post.
We have camped at Dryandra many times over the last 20 years or so, but it is always a delight, even during autumn as it is now, when nothing much is flowering. Just the simple peace of it and being in the bush. Located 30 kilometres north of Narrogin, and less than two hours south-east of Perth by road, Dryandra is a valuable nature conservation area of 28,000 hectares, featuring the largest area of remnant vegetation in the western wheatbelt. The woodland includes shrublands, wandoo, mallee, sheaok trees as well as plantations of brown mallet trees. It is home to a diverse range of threatened and other fauna including the numbat, red-tailed phascogale, woylie, western grey kangaroo, tammar wallaby, brushtail possum and echidna. As well there are more than 24 mammal, 100 bird and 50 reptile species. Below is a woylie, one of a group that came into our camp on our first night. Woylies are an endangered rabbit sized hopping marsupials, only found in Australia.
Below you can see clockwise from top left, Woylies, Western Grey kangaroo with joey in her pouch, a bobtail goanna, and an echidna. Visitors are reminded to not get close to the animals, do not distrub them or feed them. The Department of Parks and Wildlife's Western Shield conservation program aims to eliminate intrudocued species, like cats and foxes, to protect and conserve local species of wildlife.
There are two camp grounds at Dryandra, the Gnaala Mia campground on the left of the York Williams Road coming up from the south, and the Congelin campground on the right hand side. You cannot book ahead but camping fees are payable. A camp host came and collected our fees when we were there.
This time round we chose the Gnaala Mia campground, which has gravel sites, is suitable for caravans, camper trailers and tents and has slightly better facilities than the old Congelin campground. The new campground has a picnic table and firering at each site. Please be aware of firebans and bring your own firewood, and take away your rubbish with you. Only facilities are drop toilet, and a basic camp kitchen. There are a number of walk trails at Dryandra, all well marked, ranging from 30 minutes to 4 hours, and for different abilities. Please be aware of the distance and class of the walk, your own fitness, and the weather, and wear a hat, good walking shoes, and carry water and food, particularly for a longer walk. Below is a Wandoo eucalypt along the 1 km to 2.7km Wandoo Walk. Magnificent isn't it. As wet weather set in while we were at Dryandra this time around, we only did a short walk, and then after lunch decided to do the 23km Darwinia Drive. This drive has interpretive information in shelters located at five pull in bays, and takes you through a variety of vegetation. Start at the Old Mill Dam information shelter, turn onto Gura Road and look for the symbols along the drive. Due to the rain the drive was a good option.
I was particularly interested in the mallet plantations. In the early 1900s a significant industry established within the forest and surrounding region harvesting bark from brown mallet trees (Eucalyptus astringens), a species of eucalypt which grows on and near laterite soils in parts of the southern wheatbelt. The bark has a high tannin content and was used in the tanning industry.
By 1929, stands of the naturally grown mallet had almost disappeared. So between 1925 and 1962 mallet plantations were established under the management of the Forestry Department which, during the Depression, provided employment for sustenance workers who planted some 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of mallet, starting near Lol Gray lookout. In 1933, 50 forestry workers were employed in the plantations. From - Wikiwand - Dryandra woodland - Brown Mallet
Bark harvesting ceased by the early1960s due to the manufacture of synthetic tannins. However due to the extreme toughness of brown mallet, timber was harvested for the production of tool handles like axe handles, firewood and fence posts.
The mallet is a slender tree growing up to 20 metres tall, with pale yellow flowers early in summer. It is easily recognised by its curly dark coloured bark on the lower trunk.
Whilst at Dryandra you can visit the Barna Mia Nocturanal Animal Sanctuary for a night tour. Here you can see threatened animals on a guided tour. The tour duration takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours and bookings are essential. Please refer to this website for more information on how to book. We did the tour on a previous visit to Dryandra. Below is a photo of a Bilby - another of our endangered species. I have changed the image to black and white because of the night lighting they use on the tour. Bilby's are characterised by their long ears. I think that is a Woylie on the right hand side of the pic.
Did I ever tell you how much I like bark? There was lots of examples at Dryandra!Bark and leaves of the wandoo tree.
Unfortunately there wasn't much flowering at Dryandra when we were there. Spring is better. But here are a few plants. I am not a botanist...but... clockwise from top left - The remains of a dryandra flower, the new buds of a dryandra, an interesting dry prickly plant, a flowering eucalypt, an old everlasting flower, she-oak nuts, a sandlewood tree, a small red flower, and in the center eucalypt flowers.
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