Shipwreck Creek walk

It is becoming a ritual to go for a longer walk, without Tammy, on Saturday.  We did one on 8 May from Pebbly Beach to Shipwreck Creek.

The day started off somewhat overcast which made for an excellent sunrise.

It was still overcast when we started the walk at Pebbly Beach (where last weeks walk turned round).

After ascending through some forest we go to the first section of heath where some white Epacris impressa was found and photographed.  There was quite a lot of the white form on this walk, unlike most others we have done recently.

This was an unusual Acacia.  From consulting the excellent "Wildflowers of the Wilderness Coast" we have concluded it is Acacia myrtifolia.

WRT to wattles generally A. terminalis seems to have done its dash but A. suaveolens is still in fine flower.  I didn't bother photographing the latter as I have put several images in various posts.  It was thus frustrating to be looking through the book and discover that the more yellow flowered wattle with long thin leaves was possibly A. mucronata - although that is supposed to flower in Spring!

As we got close to Shipwreck Creek the coastline appeared through the murk.

After a pause for lunch we set off coming back on the 'other' leg of the walk at Shipwreck.  This was Tetratheca sp, and from the hairiness of the leaves I think it is T. pilosa.

Off the track, so photo taken on zoom, was Hakea decurrens.  I chose this on the apparent length of the leaves: it is supposed to flower frpm late Winter to Spring (so is a tad early) but the other species in the book is Summer to Autumn (so would be late).

Our first bean: well early.  Dillwynnia sericea.

Looking North into the murk.

A tunnel through the Melaleuca armillaris forest.  This is a very boring habitat as the canopy is so dense nothing grows underneath.

Some tree ferns in a gully,

I am quite sure that these leaf bases indicate Cyathea australis (which seems to be far more common here than Dicksonia antarctica)..

This was about the only fungus seen today, growing in the middle of the track.  I have taken a punt at Podiscytha petalodes.

In the last forested section the Exocarpus sp were well endowed with fruit.  The shrubs didn't look quite 'right' for E. cupressiformis (Native Cherry) so I have concluded - assisted by the shape of the fruit holder - that it is E. strictus.

As we returned to Pebbly Beach the Easter Reef Heron was evident again.

The highlight of the trip was at the base of the path from Pebbly Beach to the car park (ie with 200m of the 10km walk to go).  Our first Winter orchids Pterostylis grandiflora (Cobra Greenhood).