2 walks in nearby NSW

 I have a memory of someone enquiring on the Mallacoota Birds Facebook Group about the condition of Maxwell's Forest Reserve (on Maxwell's Rd in NSW) but can't now find the post. At the time I didn't know, not having been there since the fire. However today we went there. Shortly after we turned off the highway we noted a sign to the Python Track (regarded by Google as Python Firetrail) and through that looked worth exploring at some stage. However we had an objective in mind so pressed on to the Forest Reserve (12 km of reasonable forest road).

The Reserve is close to the pin for Royds Rd.

You may be aware of the military acronyms which escalate the level of shambles: SNAFU (Situation Normal, All...); TARFU (Totally And Royally ...) and FUBAR ( .... Beyond All Recall).

The lovely rainforest walk is at least TARFU and, given the Parrothead Government of NSW's level of interest in environmental matters, I suspect is actually FUBAR. The images show where the track used to start and the state of (dis)repair of a picnic table.

There was obviously no point in trying to follow the walk through the rainforest. The first 200 m would be battling through the revegetation and who knows in what condition the fire had left the rainforest. If it burnt, which seems highly likely, it would be utterly impenetrable. So Frances suggested going back a little to a track marked to a Picnic Area and exploring that and then the Python trail. An excellent suggestion. It was only about 500 m back to the first track.

The next image, from Google Earth, was acquired on my computer at home, as I took a compass reading on my phone at the turn point and another when back at the car. It was pleasing that they agreed almost exactly on altitude and snapped to a track on the computer screen. Note the many areas of rainforest visible off to the sides: again the regrowth was going to be very difficult to get through.

The most interesting plant seen had a lot of fruit and the somewhat hop-like appearance made us think of Dodonea sp. Then we noticed the thorns and Bursaria spinosa got elected (confirmed by a few flowers seen later)

It was a tad upwards going back: about 70m elevation gain in 900m. The reason for the rain gear was not rain - it held off while we were walking - but the expectation of mosquitos etc.

So back to the Python track.  I have used this snip from Google maps as it names the creeks in the area.

The sign to the trail.  (The signs do the job and would be a lot cheaper than the flashy metal street signs deployed by Parks Victoria: I'm not sure how long they will last.)

The Python track is much flatter than the higher one and very sandy.  This first few metres had more Tabanid flies than I have ever met elsewhere.  These are related to March flies and are biters: the Rid worked in keeping them moving.

A patch of Drosera as we got into a sedge zone before descending a little to White Gum Creek

This is the crossing of White Gum Creek, where we turned.

An Eastern Iris-Skipper butterfly (thanks for the ID Em Dale).

A common attractive flower which I (and iNaturalist thus far) can only ID as Goodenia sp.  However @jackiemiles has delivered via iNaturalist with G. humilis - with a vernacular name of Swamp Goodenia this is right on the money.

Some of the Banksia serata (Old Man Banksia) were nicely in flower.

The nuts on some of the Allaocasuarinas suggested this coulfd be a happy place for Glossy Black-Cockatoos (but not this day).