Rocks and Jungle (and some more flowers).

The next stage of the coastal walk went from Pebbly Beach halfway (where we stopped last time) towards Shipwreck Creek.  The turn point was a convenient track Junction after 2 miles (a more traditional measure than 3.2 kms!)

The day was pleasant for walking: not too hot although a tad hazy.

Pebbly Beach or Rocky Beach?

Once into the bush the amount of vegetation was astonishing.  Most of this is Acacia longifolia, but there is a fair bit of Exocarpos cupressiformis in there as well.  In other areas the young Eucalypts were dominant. 

It was nice to see such a well mown path.  I wonder what we will find as we head to Seal Creek in a couple of days?  Memo to self: take a panga.

The veg isn't as dense in the heath areas but dead, metre-high grass might be considered a fire hazard.  Luckily the mower didn't hit a rock!

At the second major gully it was apparent the recent storms had bonsaied a tree across the track.  The tree ferns in the background didn't look unduly happy.

We saw most of the flowering species evident on the previous day but I have only photographed the additions in this post.  The most obvious repeat was Acacia myrtifolia which was in profusion.  The plants were small, but there were a lot of them.

Pterostylis nutans was the only orchid seen today.

A flower on a low Allocasuarina paludosa.

I think this is a sedge photographed to show the bright green segments of stem amongst the black. (I tried a close up but the camera couldn't focus clearly, I think because there were tow many conflicting points.)

Dillwynnia sericea

Hybanthus vernonii

Monotoca scoparia: Frances has recalled earlier advice "If you see a white heath-looking plant in Winter and can't identify it, it will be Monotoca."

Leptospermum sp.  I think it was L. laevigatum.

Carpobrotus rossii:  note the triangular sectioned leaves.  Another similar looking species has round leaves.

Although the track shown above come from eBird there were hardly any birds seen or heard.  The only bush birds recorded were the two Pardalote species.  This Little Pied Cormorant and a pair of Masked Lapwings seen on the beach completed the record.

We saw a couple of instances of these small larvae on dead fallen leaves.  Not caterpillars (butterflies, moths) nor maggots (flies).