Green Cape etc

 Although not strictly in my Mallacoota District Green Cape would be included if stupid eBird offered a custom polygon facility, as does Birdata.  The area is 23 km off the Princes Highway on a reasonable road (dirt-with-potholes for the last ~18km).  This snip from Google Earth shows the 3 main areas covered below.

Before getting to the target area (sic, in view of what follows) as we turned off the highway on to Edrom Rd we noticed a fenced off area with signs saying OD Depot and indications this was a Commonwealth facility.  WTF?  

• My first go at Googling "OD Depot" took me to something on the Border Force (BF) website.  I rang BF but the charming lady I spoke to there couldn't help me further, but we did have a nice chat! 
• Frances then Googled "Eden OD Depot" for which the first hit was an 2013 announcement by Mike Kelly in his Ministerial role rather than as an electorate issue.  However I thought that Kristy McBain, the current Member, might know so rang her office.  Another very pleasant conversation - and very fast follow up - confirmed it is an ordnance depot for "ammunitioning" Naval vessels at their wharf out near the Chip Mill.

Once past the Depot our first stop was at Disaster Bay, primarily to donate some funds to NSW Parks.  The stupid people require exact change: who carries cash these days?  Also, I have a memory that if your put 8 x $1 coins in the envelope it doesn't fit through the slot!  Probably good to know that NSW Parks is as daft as their Victorian counterpart!  Excuse the rant: the view was stunning!

As we headed down the road there were many white flowers visible.  The first of these was clearly a Pimelea, possibly P. linifolia: certainly not the usual P. humilis.  Jackie Miles, an expert observer on iNaturalist has identified it as P. l. linifolia.

The iNaturalist AI has come up with Poranthera corymbosa for this umbellate jobbie.  Confirmed by Jackie Miles.

The initial guess by the AI was Acosta sp: a native to South Africa.  I don't think so.  On asking again the suggestion was Coronidium elatum!  The latter agreed by Jackie Miles.

We then descended the rather steep track to City Rock, feeling pleased we were in the Pajero rather than the Mazda!  Walking from the car park to the rock we passed this Pomaderris.  Over to a human for getting this to species.  (I have put some images of leaves to the app, but they are rather boring,)  The human was Jackie Miles, and from her comments I suspect she saw the same plant in 2018: she submitted a specimen to the Sydney Herbarium who identified it as Pomaderris prunifolia var. prunifolia.

The track was of deluxe standard: my mind boggles at the cost of schlepping all this rock and road metal to this area and then getting it along the track.  Then building the steps etc.  It seems that, as with most Governments they will happily pay their private sector mates for 'stuff' but not employ the staff needed to monitor what is going on with the wildlife etc.

A couple of views of City Rock.  Apparently a popular rock fishing spot.

Ascending the steep track was not a problem and neither was going down to Pulpit Rock.  The latter was not challenged by Ground Parrots, possibly due to some Parks workers manicuring the walking trail with a brushcutter.  On getting to the coast our gast was well flabbered by the stream of Shearwaters going by.  I put down 10,000 as my guess at the number we saw (that works out to 5 per second over 30 minutes which is possibly conservative - drawing lines across the following images touches 5 -15 birds, depending on the line).

This is the view to the North.  It doesn't show the 20 m vertical drop to the red rock, on to which my cap got blown.  I didn't even think about going after it: that would not have ended well.

More shearwaters!  A Peregrine Falcon was soaring in the distance over the flock: it didn't stoop, possibly being embarrassed for choice of victim.

We then moved on to the lighthouse  where I captured a passing Gannet!

Here is the lighthouse.

The view North.

We then moved on towards Merimbula, stopping at Wheelers fish restaurant .  An excellent meal was had, accompanied by a very pleasant beer (see below).  As we visited the Fishpen to check birds on the oyster beds some blokes were working on the beds.  To my surprise the water barely came to their knees!

As usual, lotsa Crested Terns.

This is the lunchtime beer.  In the beer list it was shown as Ryefield Hops Bemboka which being very local encouraged me to try it.  I think the brewery 'Dangerous Ales' is at Milton, but not too far away.  The brew is not too dangerous at 5.1 ABV but was very pleasant indeed.  A light body and rather rather sharp which made it very refreshing. 

For the evening I had a first sample from a Plonk box.  It needed a bit of thought but this offering from BentSpoke got the gig.  At 8.8% some caution is warranted!  Very fruity and full bodied.  I have yet to have a bad beer from this crew.