Somersby Fall Brisbane Waters National Park

Located on the central coast of NSW you will find Brisbane Waters National Park, over 12,000ha of rugged sandstone rich in Aboriginal Art and Wildflowers.
The Somersby Falls track is rated as medium to difficult and 500m long. If you feel like a picnic or a walk in the rainforest, with excellent viewing platforms the peaceful Somersby Falls is the place to go.

The track descends along Floods Creek passing two stages of the falls. I will say take some good shoes as the track can get slippery in places.

There are over 1000 Aboriginal sites located on the central coast. The Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council works closely with National Parks and Wildlife Service to maintain and protect all sites on the central coast and to continue to act as custodians. Aboriginal sites throughout Brisbane Waters National Park include spear and axe grinding marks, rock engravings, hand stencils and sandstone shelters.

Flora
There are 18 different plant communities and over 650 plant species recorded in the park. The parks soil, drainage, aspect and geological differences represent the variety of plants found.
High plateau at Somersby falls carry open woodlands with a heath like understory and a distinct mix of riparian and rainforest species along the watercourse. In other parts of the parks deep gorges allow for sub tropical environments.
Late winter and early spring provides visitors with the opportunity to see an extensive variety of beautiful blossoming wildflowers.

The rare and endangered Somersby Mintbush (Prostanthera junonis) a low spreading shrub 0.1 - 0.3 m and up to 1 m diameter. In open sites, branches appear wiry and are often prostrate. Where vegetation is denser, the plants have long spindly branches which weave through other vegetation and can grow up to 1m high. Leaves are oval in shape, dull green above and paler below. Flowers are 8 - 12 mm long and pale mauve to almost white with brown spots in the throat.

Fauna

A large number of birds call Somersby Falls home , like the bush turkey, superb lyrebird, yellow tailed black cockatoo, rosellas, kingfishers and parrots to name a few. Two bird species lists as threatened, turquoises parrot and the black cockatoos are also found in the park.
The park also protects the environment for a large number of native animals, reptiles and frogs. Some of the fauna that has been sighted around Somersby Falls include long nosed brown bandicoot, sugar glider, common ring-tailed possum, grey headed flying fox, eastern water dragon, red bellied black snake and the threatened red-crowned toadlet.

Munmorah State Conservation Area (part 2)

The Palm Tree Circuit track is an easy walk of around 20 - 30 mins. Starting at the picnic area which has free gas barbeques and sheltered tables and chairs under the canopy of cabbage palm trees providing a quite and peaceful setting.

As you start your walk you will pass through rocky outcrops, then through open woodlands full of banksias, ancient cycads and smooth barked-apple trees before returning to the picnic area

The dense upper layer (or canopy) of the cabbage palm tree and eucalypt reduce the amount of light that can penetrate, thus providing shelter from the heat. The soil is moist and very deep providing shelter and food for many animals. The growing tip known as the “cabbage” was eaten either roasted or uncooked by the Aboriginals and early settlers. Unfortunately as a result the tree wouldn’t survive.

Along the walk you will find some Cyads (Marcozamia) which are a group of ancient plants that were a common sight some 200 million years ago during the Jurassic period. Their fleshly red seeds are a highly nutritious source of starch. Don’t try one however as they are extremely poisonous. Aboriginal people would remove the seeds by pounding them and socking them in water for a week. This water would be changed everyday or the seeds would be placed in bags and put into a running stream or creek. The pulp was then made into cakes and roasted over hot embers.

Brown stringy bark and angophora dominate the ridgetop of the open woodlands with a mixture of tree teas, hairpin banksias and mixed native grasses in the understory. The open woodlands sit on layers of gravelly soil and its elevated position provide a sunny aspect of the walk.

Next we take a look around Somersby Falls in Brisbane Water National Park.

Acknowledgments
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Munmorah State Conservation Area. (part 1)

Last week I had the opportunity to spend several days on the Central Coast of New South Wales and visit both Brisbane Waters National Park and Munmorah State Conservation Area. I will write about both parks beginning with a two part article on Munmorah State Conservation Area.

Around 40km north of Gosford you can discover Munorah State Conservation Area, situated between Budgewoi and Catherine Hill Bay. The land now occupied by Munmorah State Conservation Area was first inhabited by the Darkinjung people and the Awabakal people, the Indigenous Australians. The Darkinjung occupied the southern section and the Awabakal occupied the northern section. It is believed Europeans first discovered the Tuggerah Lakes in 1796. National Parks and Wildlife Service started managing the park in April 1977 and today it covers an area of 1,529 hectares.

Coastal Views
You can undertake scenic driving, sailing, fishing, surfing, camping (booking required), bushwalking and picnicking and some truly spectacular views. The reserve contains a number of ecosystems wetlands, forests, woodlands, littoral rainforests and heath communities.

Flora
In spring Munmorah offers the visitor a beautiful wildflower display.
Throughout the park you may notice lime green scrubs scattered through the coastal heath this is Lance – leaf Geebung, or Persoonia lanceolata. It is in the Proteaceae family, same as Banksia and Grevillea

In the Open Forest and Woodland flora such as Red Bloodwood, Smooth-barked Apple, Arcacias, Grevillias, Banksia, Hakea, Brown Stringybark. Scribbly Gum and in the Closed Forests Cabbage Tree Palms, Mock Olive, Muttonwood, Cheese Tree, Lilli Pilli, White Mahogany, Wonga Vine, and Wombat Berry can be found.

Fauna
The park is home to wildlife such as Blue Wrens, Brush Bronzewing Pigeons, Tawny Crowned Honeyeaters, Southern Emu-wrens, White Breasted Sea-eagles, Sooty Oystercatchers, Ring-tailed Possums, Sugar Gliders and Swamp Wallabies.
A number of Southern Emu-Wren could be seen flying around Snapper Point. The Southern Emu-wren is a tiny bird with a long (10 cm) filamentous tail, made up of six feathers, which is usually held upright. Male birds are grey-brown streaked black above, warm tawny brown below, with a distinctive blue chin and throat and some blue around the eyes. Females are similar but lack the blue colouration. This species is shy and has a weak flight, preferring to spend most of its time low in dense cover and will run like a mouse, with its tail down. The Southern Emu-wren is found in a variety of moist dense scrublands, heaths with grass trees, coastal heathlands, tea-tree vegetation and, in Western Australia, in low scrub and dune vegetation on sandhills.


In Part 2 on Munmorah State Conservation Area we will take a look around the Palm Tree Circuit Track.

Acknowledgments
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.