Issue No. 111 Autumn 2017 Executive 2016/17 President Pat McPherson (03)5152 2614 Vice President Jen Wilkinson 040 854 5648 Secretary (under the Act) Pat McPherson (03)5152 2614 Treasurer Margaret Regan (03)5156 2541 Ordinary members and Coordinators Clerical Duties/Club Enquiries Fran Bright (03)5152 2008 Botanic Group James Turner (03)5155 1258 [email protected] Bushwalking Group Noel Williamson (03)5152 1737 Junior Field Naturalists Group Vicki Fraser 0417 586 856 Newsletter Editor Pauline Stewart (03)5152 1606 [email protected] Website Administrator Jen Wilkinson 040 854 5648 Raymond Creek Falls - see page 12 Photo by Fran Bright Bett’s Creek Track (see page 18) Photo by Andrew Bould CONTENTS Programme March to June 2017 3 Omeo Camp 4-12 Nunniong Plateau 13-15 Tulloch Ard Road 16-21 The Clematis Page 2 CORRESPONDENCE TO: The Secretary, P.O. Box 563, Bairnsdale 3875 www.bairnsdalefieldnaturalists.com.au The Clematis is printed and supported by the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning MEETINGS FIELD TRIPS It is your responsibility to contact the coordinator of each field trip General meetings take place at: to notify them of intention to participate. The Noweyung Centre, 84 Goold Street, Bairnsdale The coordinator will notify you if the trip has to be cancelled due to as per program at 7.30pm sharp adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Committee meetings take place at: members homes as per Please take note of safety procedures in your program at 4.00pm Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. ‘RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY’ booklet. THE CLEMATIS This can be downloaded from our web site. Responsibility for the accuracy of information and opinions expressed in this newsletter RULES TO OBSERVE DURING FIELD TRIPS rests with the author of the article. 1. Excursions are cancelled on days of TOTAL FIRE BAN. All articles for Winter Clematis must be 2. Participants to keep a visual on the car in front and behind. sent to the Newsletter Editor by 1st June 2017. 3. When making a turn, give signal, and stay at intersection until following car has also turned. SUBSCRIPTION FEES 2016/17 4. If separated from other cars, stop, and stay with your car. Single membership $30 Other members will return to find you. Family membership $45 5. The Car Pooling Cost Calculator is used to assist drivers and Mid-year fee (new members only) $15 car pool passengers to share fuel costs. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY FOR BUSH WALKS 1. To further the awareness and study of all Walks vary in distance from 6 to 14 km. branches of natural history within the East Gippsland community through field excursions, Easy: Flat, good firm track. regular surveys, specialist guest speakers and publications. Moderately easy: Mostly flat, track in good to fair condition. 2. To observe and strengthen the laws for the Moderate: May be undulating, track in good to fair preservation and protection of indigenous flora, condition. fauna, habitat and important geological features. Moderately Difficult: May be some steep sections, 3. To promote the formation and preservation of track may be rough in places. National and State Parks and Reserves. Difficult: May have long steep sections, track may be 4. To collaborate with other groups and agencies non- existent at times. with similar environmental interest. Contact the leader of the walk for a rating if it’s not LIBRARY INFORMATION - ask a committee member included in the program. If you would like to borrow a book. • Books are generally borrowed for one month - however you can write on the sign-out sheet if you wish to have it longer. • Should any library materials need maintenance, please make a committee member aware of same. • If you wish to recommend a book, this can be done by writing a short recommendation for the Clematis. This information could be from our library books or from other books that you believe our library could look at purchasing. Page 3 Issue 111 PROGRAMME March to June 2017 Date Activity Time Destination Meeting Place Subject/Rated Leader/Speaker MARCH Sun 5th Juniors 9.50am Raymond Island Raymond Island Park – need Walk/swim/snorkel Vicki Fraser to be on the 9.20 or 9.40am ferry Thurs 9th Comm. meeting 4.00pm Committee meeting Margaret Regan’s home Frid 17th General meeting 7.30pm General meeting Noweyung Centre Bird Monitoring Lucas Bluff & Faye Bedford Sun 19th Excursion 9.00am Mt. Elizabeth Bridge Club John Saxton 9.30am Bruthen Sun 26th Bushwalk 9.00am Mitchell River NP Bridge Club Moderate Noel Williamson APRIL Thur 13th Comm. meeting 4.00pm Committee meeting Pauline Stewart’s home Frid 21st Juniors meeting 6.00pm Juniors meeting before Noweyung Centre Rocks and gemstones Bairnsdale Lapi- general meeting dary Club General meeting 7.30pm General meeting Noweyung Centre Rocks and gemstones Bairnsdale Lapi- dary Club Sun 23rd Excursion com- Sperm Whale Head Details to be finalised bined with Junior group Sun 30th Bushwalk 9.00am Bullumwaal area Bridge Club Moderate Noel Williamson MAY Sun 7th Juniors 9.00am John Herman’s home at All Abilities Playground Sustainable Living Vicki Fraser Waterholes Thurs 11th Comm. meeting 4.00pm Committee meeting Jen Wilkinson’s home Frid 19th General meeting 7.30pm General meeting Noweyung Centre Mammal surveying Robyn Grant & Louise Crisp Sun 21st Excursion 9.00am Orbost area Bridge Club James Turner 9.45am Nowa Nowa store Sun 28th Bushwalk 9.00am Mt. Nowa Nowa Bridge Club Difficult Noel Williamson 9.45am Nowa Nowa store JUNE Sun 4th Juniors 9.00am Lonely Bay All Abilities Playground Walk to see Lichen Vicki Fraser and Fungi Sun 18th Excursion 9.00am Lonely Bay Bridge Club Margaret Regan Sun 25th Bushwalk 9.00am Providence Ponds Bridge Club Easy Noel Williamson CONTACTS for Field Trips. James Turner: 5155 1258 m. 0427 290838 Noel Williamson: 5152 1737 Vicki Fraser: m. 0417 586 856 Margaret Regan: 5156 2541 John Saxton: 5156 8737 Annual subscriptions are now overdue for 2017. Download a membership application form from our web site and send with fees to: The Treasurer, Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. P.O. Box 563, Bairnsdale , Vic 3875 The Clematis Page 4 OMEO CAMP - 2-5 December 2016 By Margaret Regan Most of the Field Nats stayed in the Omeo Caravan Park, situated on the banks of Livingstone Creek. The area must have been settled dec- ades ago, as there are many enormous trees. Some of these were Cottonwood or Necklace Poplar (Populus deltoides). Our attention was drawn to these trees in particular by the snowy carpet beneath them. The Cottonwood is a North American hardwood tree which can grow to 40m. The trees are single-sex with the flowers in catkins produced in early spring. After pollination, the female catkins produce small seeds attached to white cotton-like strands. These were what were carpeting the ground. Friday After lunch at the camp we headed up to the famous Knocker Track, reached from the Omeo Valley Road, after crossing the Mitta Mitta Riv- er. We stopped at the track’s junction with Burnside Track. The strangely-named Knocker Track derived its origin from the early days when it was the main road north of Omeo, and coaches with horses were the means of transport. Because of the steepness of the road, the hors- es would get “knocked up”. It is also believed that travelling back down the slope, the driver would throw out an attached log, which would act like a “sea anchor”. Much of this area was burnt in the extensive 2003 alpine fires. Now the vegetation has recovered and many plants were flowering. Some of the overhead trees were Broad-leaved Peppermint (Eucalyptus dives) with rough peppermint-type bark and scent- ed leaves; and Candlebark (E. rubida), a gum whose bark is reddish brown for much of the year, shedding to expose white new bark. Orchids were Slender Onion-orchid (Microtis parviflora) with up to 80 tiny green flowers; scented brownish Highland Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum sp.aff. odoratum 11) which has up to 40 upside-down flowers, each with a long white frilled labellum; blue Spotted Sun-orchid (Thelymitra ixioides) whose dorsal sepal and petals have darker blue spots; and Cinnamon Bells (Gastrodia sesamoides) whose flowers are brown with white insides and a three-lobed mobile yellow labellum. There were even more, with yellow and brown Tiger Orchid (Diuris sulphurea); pos- sibly Mountain Golden Moths (D. monticola); white Musky Caladenia (Caladenia moschata) which has several musk-scented white flowers and a labellum with marginal teeth ; and two spider-orchids Clubbed or Plain-lip Spider-orchid (C. clavigera) whose broad burgundy labellum has yellow-green edges; and tiny Brown-clubbed Green-comb or Small Green-comb Spider-orchid (C. parva) whose white labellum has green lateral lobes and a burgundy apex. We searched along a dryish creek area and found the enormous green and white striped Sickle Greenhood (Pterostylis falcata), one of the largest greenhoods, with a hood to 40mm; but not its hybrid with Leafy Greenhood (P. cucullata) - Enigmatic Greenhood (P. x aenigma) which has only been found along 100m of this sub-alpine creek at Hinnomunjie. We found neither Leafy Greenhood nor Enigmatic Green- hood. This site was devastated by storms after the 2003 fires, and sand and silt was washed into the area, which was then invaded by weeds. The rare hybrid was not seen on previous excursions in 2007 and 2012. An interesting banksia here was Mountain Banksia (Banksia canei) which only grows to 2.5m and is found on rocky sites above 900m in sub- alpine areas. The specific name honours a Victorian nurseryman, Bill Cane, who first recognized that it might be a new species.