What a joy to be able to finish off our holiday with a visit to what must surely rank amongst Queensland’s outstanding scenic attractions and geological formations.

After breaking camp at the Burra Range a convoy of four vehicles of Cairns members, travelled firstly eastwards, back to Pentland, where we then turned north towards the White Mountains. A three hour trip along a rough dusty road (hardly noticed when all eyes were on the local flora!) was broken by a lunch stop, before finding a track leading to an area where we began an interesting bush walk up over eroded sandstone hillsides and rocky outcrops. This afforded us a closer look at the vegetation, as well as some aboriginal paintings (hand stencils) and, of course, marvellous views of the White Mountains from various lookouts. At least five different Acacia species were noted on the walk (A. simsii, A. multisiliqua, A. uncifera, A. longispicata and A. dietrichiana) as well as another interesting and, as yet, un-named variety. This was a shrub with soft, needle-like foliage and bright golden flowers. It was growing on the higher rocky outcrops.

Some doubt was expressed as to the distinction between what looked like Baeckea and Calytrix, both species growing in close proximity to Thryptomene, the latter distinguished by its reddish growth and profusion of tiny white flowers. Rock Boronia was also present with small white buds about to open. Water worn rock surfaces and a scattering of interesting pebbles added visual contrast to this little Garden of Eden. Enroute back to the vehicles, a closer inspection was made of a Westringia sp. which, according to Ann, is one of the parent plants of ‘Wynyabbie Gem’ .

We had thought it was cold camping at the Burra Range. Here in the White Mountains the temperature dropped to -5ºC each night we camped there! Hard to leave the camp fire at night and harder still to get out of bed in the morning (At least for those who had a warm bed). 'Iced' lemon grass tea in the billy was given a definite miss at breakfast, and Ken's task of chipping away the ice from the table must be added to the store of memories of our visit to this remote area.

After breakfast however, we set off on the morning's walk, firstly along a section of the creek bed where hundreds of seedlings of E. camaldulensis (River Red Gum) were growing in the sand. We brought back a number of these which would only be washed away in the next flood (FLOOD? Yes, I suppose it does flood sometimes, even in this dry country!).

Climbing up amongst the huge cliffs, we eventually reached a massive cave in the form of an overhang at least 20 metres long by 6 metres deep. From here we had a good view of "Queen Victoria" (an impressive rock turret eroded in striking resemblance to Her Majesty). We eventually reached the latter and were rewarded with marvellous views all round.

Over morning tea in the warm sunshine we then set about a most serious task of trying to 'key out' an intriguing local eucalypt. This appeared to be possibly a mallee type tree with flaky yellowish-grey bark decorticating from the terminal branches to reveal smooth bark underneath. Leaves were finely lanceolate and the fruits very small and somewhat urn-shaped. Could it be E. jacobsiana? Leaves and fruit of two other unknown eucalypts were also collected and taken back to camp for another keying-out attempt that night (No, we didn't work them out.).

After a light lunch, we headed off in another direction and noted the deep red blooms of Grevillea decora on one of the rocky slopes. Astrotricha, Darwinia, Prostanthera and the silvery Leptospermum trinervium reminded some of us of a previous trip to Spy Glass Hill in Salvator Rosa National Park after the Longreach Conference in 1981. Wallaby bones in one sheltered area indicated a possible dingo lair and, in fact, we were surprised that we did not hear dingoes during our two nights in camp.

Saturday morning saw us breaking camp around 10.00 a.m. and negotiating (not without some difficulty - one land rover wheel was 2 ft. off the ground!) the awkward climb out of the creek bed. The square fruits of the newly named ironbark, E. quadricostata, were pointed out by Peter during the long drive north-east to beautiful Lolworth Creek, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch amongst the Melaleuca argentea. Next it was on to Toomba Station and a visit to the homestead, after which, despite a deep crossing of Canal Creek, we reached the camp site at Canal Falls at the junction of Canal Creek and Lolworth Creek before darkness set in.

Sunday - our last day before returning to work - was our longest day, or was it just that we crammed so much in that, by the time we arrived back in Cairns at 10.00 p.m., our morning on Toomba Station seemed like yesterday? We just could not leave for home without a closer look up on the nearby Great Basalt Wall, which is a fascinating wilderness of ropey and blocky lava, collapsed tunnels and lava caves formed recent to the Pleistocene Age. The wall is a living school of ecology and supports a wide variety of plant species including Pleiogynium timorense (Burdekin Plum), Erythrina vespertilio (Bats Wing Coral), Lysiphyllum (Bauhinia), Gardenia ochreata, Nauclea orientalis (Leichhardt Tree), Ficus sp., Brachychiton, Bursaria, Eugenia, Petalostiqma, Plectranthus and vines such as Pandorea pandorana (in full bloom at present). On Toomba Station also is a unique lagoon supporting the giant pink Lotus Lily (Nelumbo nucifera) with its distinctive large woody seed pods (used often in dried flower arrangements).

Finally, before departure, a trek over another section of the Basalt Wall and out onto a flat, grassy, lava plain to view the bird life (black swans, white egrets, plain turkeys and ducks etc.) on Canal Creek. Even wading through water and muddy swamps on our return to the vehicles was not entirely unpleasant, as the experience afforded a close look at floating Nardoo and the pretty Azolla fern. A hasty lunch stop at the better known Red Falls (pictured in Volume 2 of "Native Plants of Queensland" by Keith Williams) and it was goodbye to the Basalt Wall country, as we began our long drive home via Hervey's Range road, the rainforest of Paluma and back north along the Bruce Highway with its familiar land marks.