We had originally travelled to a town called Yalinda to see a ginger factory.  When we go there to see everything was about $250 so we ‘had a cup of tea’ (well Stephen did) and left.  Went for a couple of walks to see some waterfalls instead.  First stop was Mapleton Falls National Park.  Some pictures below, you can just make out a dribble of water bottom RHS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strangler figs (Ficus spp.) can grow up to about 150ft high.  There are over a thousand species.  These guys start off as epiphytes getting support and nutrients from their host tree.  They send out feelers to the ground that root.  Gradually they encompass the host tree, whilst using up all the water and nutrients surrounding the host tree.  The host dies and the strangler fig is left.  It’s a keystone species as lots of animals depend upon it.

 

LHS Some trees are well able to survive bushfires.  Not sure what type of tree this is but it has an extra thick fire resistant bark.  This tree had a black hollowed out section at the base of the tree, evidence a previous bushfire.  The tree survived and carries on growing. 

 

Views through piccabeen palms, so called because the aboriginals used the palm leaf base for a container which in their language is ‘pikka’.  They produce red coloured fruit which lot of birds, insects and mammals feed off. These grow along some creeks and wet patches.

 

We’d previously seen a couple of these huge black birds chasing each other in Mooloolaba and wondered what they were.  Turn out to be Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami) and they are everywhere.  They don’t appear to have any fear of humans.  It’s one of only three species in Australia that are mound building birds.  They build big nests over a metre high and the male incubates the eggs.  They have really long toes on their feet that they scratch up leaf litter with to hunt for bugs and build their nests.  We watched one methodically working its way a distance from the nest, clawing the litter backwards and onto it’s nest.   

 

 

 

 

Here’s some pictures of their nests.  This was in  Mary Cairncross Reserve.