Whilst not in the same league as tiger hunting or sky diving, tracking down the elusive gum tree can be a challenging pastime.

"What rubbish, Australia's full of 'em", I hear you say. It is true that there are many very common eucalypt species in Queensland, but by the same token, a few of them are as rare as hen's teeth. Rarity, plus poor access, gives you some measure of species which are difficult to track down. Near the top of the list of Queensland's 150-odd species would surely be Eucalyptus howittiana, which goes by the unimaginative common name of Howitt’s Box. This tree grows on ridges near the headwaters of the Burdekin River, west of Ingham.

On reaching the Mt. Fox road, I found E. brownii, which is an indicator of clay soils. Heading west, this tree became more and more common and it was obvious that clay soils dominated this region. I had not expected this at all, and it was at this point that I remembered the thunderstorm I had seen. The road surface was quite good to Camel Creek, but my progress was slow due to the creek crossings, which seemed to appear at regular intervals of about 400 metres! Most were dry watercourses with steep entry and exit. The real creeks were negotiated by the novel "grid bridges". I reached Camel Creek after 4.00 p.m., having already resigned myself to camping on the roadside for the night.

You don’t have to travel to "back of Bourke" to get that isolated feeling. Since leaving Hidden Valley I had passed only two homesteads and had come across no other vehicle - that is, until about 5.30 p.m., just before I was ready to pitch camp, when a Land Rover appeared, travelling in the opposite direction. We chatted for several minutes - the topic - you guessed it, road conditions. My news for him was all good, but the news I received was decidedly unpleasant. He told me the road ahead was wet and greasy from the effects of the storm which I had seen some hours before, and that he had just managed to negotiate one particularly muddy stretch of road. Well, that cheered me up no end!

After a rather fitful night’s sleep, I awoke to find the weather overcast and the prospects of rain were good. I decided to get underway as soon as 1 possible, as it was now obvious that the sun would not be around that day to dry the road out. My immediate objective was the Lake Lucy turnoff, which I managed to reach without too much trouble, passing only two greasy patches along the way. The turnoff itself was one huge puddle, surrounded by wet clay. I investigated it on foot to see if it was firm and sank to my ankles in mud. It was here that I needed to turn north to find E. howittiana, but my friend from yesterday suggested that this road was quite bad, and anyway the road going west looked more used. I got through the giant puddle and headed west, but was convinced that any chance of seeing Howitt's Box was now gone.

However, just five kilometres further along, on a gently sloping ridge, I noticed a box-barked tree with broad leaves. Brief examination removed any doubt - this was E. howittiana. I was absolutely delighted. The tree itself is quite unremarkable in appearance and would be easily passed by the non-eucalypt fanatic, and yet it was discovered well over 100 years ago! It has rough grey bark, making it far less conspicuous than the Lemon-Scented Gums (E. citriodora) with which it grows. However, its claim to fame is that it belongs to a small and unique taxonomic group of four species - two from Queensland, one from the Northern Territory/Western Australia and one from New Guinea and Indonesia The three Australian species all have exceedingly small fruits (gumnuts).

The clouds were getting lower, so I wasted no time in bringing down a small branch for specimens and seeds. To my delight, the branch yielded mature buds and fruits, both of Lilliputian proportions.

At the very instant the branch hit the ground, the rain started. It was not heavy rain, but enough to make the roads slippery and aggravate the already less-than-ideal driving surface. Seized by panic, I snatched a few botanical specimens, plucked most of the fruits from the branch, threw them inside the Kombi and fled. Imagine my frustration, having finally set eyes on Howitt's Box after years of wishing and dreaming, then spending just five minutes studying it!

The eleven kilometre stretch of road to "Valley of Lagoons" station was so bad that I was convinced I would not get through. The car was constantly slewing across the road and it was only sheer momentum which (just) got me through one muddy creek. I called into "Valley of Lagoons" homestead, rather shaken, but feeling like a victorious pioneer. To my disappointment, I was received with total nonchalance. The owner did want to know what the road was like where I had just been, but only because he was expecting a truckload of hay soon. When I asked him about the road ahead, he said it was "no worries", which did cheer me somewhat, although I have met a lot of country-folk in the past whom I would class as super-optimists.

Thankfully, his words were quite accurate. The road was firm and smooth and I soon reached the Mt. Garnet - Charters Towers road. On reaching the bitumen I stopped and breathed a sigh of relief and was sorely tempted to get down and kiss the ground, pope-style.

That little expedition cured me from taking unknown back roads in search of "will-o-the-wisp" eucalypts - for about three days anyway,