NORTH QUEENSLAND SAFARI
Iron Range to Cairns
September/October
Irene Champion.
Iron Range is well known as an almost unexplored area of lowland rainforest abounding in, as yet, undiscovered plants and liberally laced with colourful, isolated species of birds and animals. The area has a wide range of vegetation types, ranging from mangrove, melaleuca swamp and low altitude heathland on the coastal side of the rainforest to higher altitude wetlands, heathlands and woodlands inland from the rainforest area, which is predominantly on the eastern slopes of the northernmost end of the Great Dividing Range.
Iron Range has had a very colourful history, beginning with the visit of Captain Bligh in his long boat. Some feature bear the names of his crew members. In 1848 the explorer, Kennedy, was in this area and members of his expedition were rescued from Weymouth Bay.
In the 1930s gold opened up the area and underground mining was carried out on a fairly large (for those days) scale. During World War II the area was taken over by the Australian and American armies. A very large aerodrome was built and connected to a port (Portland Roads) by sealed road. Extensive fortifications were constructed and the area was connected to the Australian telephone system via a line 60 miles long to the Peninsula Overland Telegraph Line.
Most of the results of all this activity have now disappeared, except for the fortifications and one of the three airstrips that were built. However, numerous pieces of historical "litter" are to be found about the area, poignant reminders of the past.
During the whole of this time up to this present day the area has been visited by the world’s distinguished naturalists collecting for study the plant, animal, bird and insect life. Despite all of this, new plants are found all the time and, as the rainforest has never been fully explored, there is the constant possibility of exciting new finds for those who are prepared to investigate. The rarity of the bird and animal life is well documented. The plant life situation is that of a volume with only the foreword written. Everyone who visits here has the opportunity to add a vital new paragraph.
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Our visit to the Iron Range area of Cape York Peninsula was organised by Mackay Branch of SGAP. Our group travelled by DC3 flight from Cairns to Lockhart River, then by vehicle to what was to be our ‘home’ for the next week and took possession of our tents at the camp site "tucked away in against the rainforest on a branch of the Claudie River by the main track to Coen, 150 miles away". Travel was in two four-wheel-drive vehicles, plus a stores vehicle. All tents and air beds, chairs and other equipment were provided by the tour operator, as were all meals. Participants only had to supply their own sleeping bags, eating utensils and a teatowel. During this time the wonders of the Iron Range area were unfolded - Plant & Bird - Historic & Geographic wonders!! At first we were somewhat over-awed by it all and the vast number of plant species that were completely unknown to us. However, as our plant lists grew, so did our confidence and, with the help of our host’s well stocked ‘library’ and members’ booklets from excursions to Cape Flattery & Battlecamp Road, more names were added, although the identity of many species still remains a mystery. |
A great range of habitats were visited - from the closed rainforest along the creek above the camp, through deciduous monsoon forest, to eucalypt-dominant woodland - from heathland to mangrove foreshore. It was "look-up" for most of the time and binoculars were almost a necessity. On many occasions, it was the ‘Birdos’ of the group who brought the most interesting botanical specimens to our attention!!
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Our special ‘find’ was that of Maniltoa schefferi, a small rainforest tree with dark green foliage - except for the new growth, which varies in colour from pink to white to pale green, and hangs down in spectacular fashion, looking more like floral bracts than leaves.
Other trees that were to become familiar sights before our trip was over included Acacia mangium, A. crassicarpa, Alstonia actinophylla (which has much narrower leaves than those of the Milky Pine and was seen in open woodland), Barringtonia acutangula (often seen with long, pendulous racemes of red buds, but never flowers), B. racemosa; Calophyllum inophyllum, with its "beautiful leaves"; Eucalyptus tetrodonta, Parinari nonda (love that name!), the edible Nonda Plum. As well, there were recent identifications such as Buchanania arborescens, a large tree seen in a range of habitats, with dense canopy of dark green leaves I.C.I.s (Insignificant Cream Inflorescence, which seems to be common to many species) and pea-sized shiny dark green fruit, Blepharocarya involucrigera, a large upright rainforest tree with pale green, compound leaves and odd-shaped empty fruit cases, as well as Toechima daemelianum, a member of the Sapindaceae family, with very striking dark green compound leaves. |
| Freshwater Mangrove Barringtonia acutangula. Family Barringtoniaceae. |
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The heath-type vegetation contained many of the species seen in the Cape Flattery/Battle Camp area - Grevillea pteridifolia, Allocasuarina littoralis, Asteromyrtus symphyocarpa, Jacksonia thesioides, Sinoga lysicephala, to name just a few. At the conclusion of an interest-packed week, it was time to set off on the six and a half day expedition back to Cairns, travelling at a leisurely pace by day, with frequent stops en route, and making camp each evening with enough daylight hours to explore the surrounds as well as to attend to personal chores. Monday: |
| Tropical Banksia. Banksia dentata. Family Proteaceae. |
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Tuesday: Pascoe River to Coen River. After packing our personal gear and tents (for those who felt the necessity to erect one), it was the practice each morning to walk out of camp, while the trucks were being repacked with the amenities, to be picked-up along the way. This gave further opportunity for sightseeing. The riverine rainforest along this section of the Pascoe River is very marginal and gives way to eucalypt woodland, the dominant species being E. confertiflora, attractive large trees which were covered in pink new growth. We were to continue seeing this species for several days. At a ‘smoko’ stop at the Wenlock River, the ‘Birdos’ once again made an exciting ‘find’ - a beautiful specimen of Cratevia religiosa, with its cream petalled flowers (darkening with age) contrasted by long purple stamens. The Coen River campsite was particularly beautiful. Granite boulders reflected in clear pools. Native Kapok, Cochlospermum gillivraei, had often been seen along the way, but now a closer inspection could be made of the large, five-petalled flowers and tennis-ball-sized globular fruits. |
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Wednesday: Coen River to Breeze Plains, Lakefield National Park. On leaving the Coen River and travelling through eucalyptus woodland, a small tree similar in form and flowers to the Cocky Apple, Planchonia careya, was regularly observed but it was at camp that evening that this was first seen at close quarters. "Syzygium suborbiculare, Lady Apple, is a species which can survive fire and a Ref. "Australian Journal of Botany No 9 - A Revision of Syzygium and Allied Genera ..." by B.P.M. Hyland. Lakefield National Park, as its name indicates, is often covered by sheets of water and is noted for its birdlife, although this was the "dry season". Melaleucas are common and large M. argentea were seen at the Kennedy River. Colonies of M. foliosa were also seen. This is one of the minute-leafed Melaleucas, which usually takes on a typical ‘bonsai’ shape, but here were quite dense and looked more like young Casuarinas. Termite ‘castles’ are a feature of the grassy plains of Lakefield. |
| Lady Apple Syzygium suborbiculare. Family Myrtaceae |
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Thursday: Breeze Plains - Old Laura Homestead - Battle Camp Road - Isabella Falls. If I had to choose a preferred day, this would be it !!! Perhaps revisiting the Battle Camp Road and irresistible Isabella has a lot to do with the choice? Earlier in the day, we visited the "Old Laura Homestead", where restoration had only recently been completed, as well as seeing the huge Corypha elata palms in all stages of their life cycle. Corypha take many years to reach maturity (up to about 80), flower only the once, then die. (See p170 Vol. II, "Native Plants of Queensland" by Keith Williams for more information). Eucalyptus phoenicea is a tree of the Battle Camp Road area and was growing around our campsite. We were too late for its beautiful orange flowers and, although the clusters of urn-shaped fruit were still dark green in colour, the seeds of any within reach had already disbursed. (Another isolated stand of this species was observed later, much further south - between the Bloomfield River Ford and the entrance to the Cape Tribulation National Park - where it was growing in association with a Bloodwood). Other unusual plants in the area included a white flowered wattle, Acacia calyculata, a Wild Carrot, a Trachymene sp. and Astrotricha pterocarpa. |
| Scarlet gum. Eucalyptus phoenicea. Family Myrtaceae. |
Friday:
Isabella Falls - Cooktown - Black Mtn. - south of Cedar Bay National Park.
Seed collecting and photography occupied the early morning before departure from the campsite so rich in plant variety.
Much of the day was spent in and around Cooktown. The Botanical Gardens were revisited and previous plantings inspected - museums visited - souvenirs purchased and ice-creams and more ice-creams consumed. South of Cooktown there was a photography stop at Black Mountain, then on again, leaving the Cooktown Development Road and on to the evening’s campsite beside lush rainforest on a river bank within sight of Mt. Misery. Imagine a W.C. under a Syzygium cormiflorum with clusters of white flowers protruding from the trunk, which also supported a host of epiphytes, and torch-light tours of inspection in this rainforest !!!
Saturday:
On to the Hutchinson River - Walking along the rainforest-edged road after breaking camp, beautiful fruiting specimens of the Normanby Palm, Normanbya normanbyi, were much admired and photos were taken of a tree with pale green cat-tail-like strings of fruit. What a surprise later to find this same species, Mallotus mollissimus, in rainforest just south of Sarina!
The first stops of the day were at the Bloomfield River. First near the mouth, then a little later at the ford, where the wait for the tide to recede allowed bird and plant observations, as well as washing to be dried.
From here progress was much slower on the steep grades of the infamous Bloomfield to Cape Tribulation Road. Here the rainforest supports huge trees, but pioneer regeneration along the roadside includes large colonies of species such as Dendrocnide moroides, Trema tomentosa, Acacia flavescens.
At the lunch stop just north of the entrance to the Cape Tribulation National Park, the rainforest was inspected on foot. Two huge trees, which stood beside the road were Cardwellia sublimis, recognised by its large woody seed pods and seedlings with butterfly-shaped cotyledons, and a Eucalypt with beautiful bark, almost maroon in colour. This tree was too high to examine leaf features, but a few mature fruits were collected from the ground and I am confident that it was the Large Fruited Red Mahogany, E .pellita.
Palms and epiphytes were in abundance, with Rhaphidophora pachyphylla and Dendrobium smillieae getting a good deal of attention.
Good water was a feature of all camp sites and an evening swim had become a traditional ritual before the three-course evening meal. We were now very close to the Daintree, so this was the last camp of the Safari.
Sunday saw our vehicles cross the Daintree River on the Ferry and head south, winding our way through rainforest over the Dagmar Range, down along the Captain Cook Highway, stopping at Ellis Beach for lunch, then on to Cairns, where we collected our vehicles and headed for home.
The Safari had been most successful and enjoyable, due in no small measure to the skills of our host, Allen Mulder, and his extensive knowledge of "the North".
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