Kenilworth Forest Reserve - Conondale National Park: 08/11 - 12/11

This is classic subtropical lowland rainforest. Red cedars, white cedars, silky oak, strangler figs and hundreds more plant species compete for light and devour adjacent sclerophyll forest. Two types of nasty stinging trees occur here - Gympie Stinger and Shiny-leafed Stinger. The Gympie Stingers grow to over 30m high. Speaking of height, many of the emergent Rose Gum and Hoop Pine would measure higher than 50m, with some reaching 60m, from my calculations. This is one of the only areas that Bunya Pine grows naturally. Gubbi Gubbi, Wakka Wakka, Jinibara and Kabi Kabi people lived a traditional lifestyle in this area for thousands of years. Natural resources were plentiful and families were self-sufficient in all seasons. Bunya pines growing throughout this area were a very significant food source. The diverse forests provide homes for a wonderful variety of wildlife including more than 120 species of birds and many mammals. The threatened but seldom-seen yellow-bellied glider lives in the open forest.

Zephyr, Oisin and Tristan camped beside the beautiful Booloumba Creek for four nights. We were rained on for a few days of our stay but that didn't dampen our spirits - on the contrary the funnest thing for me was running through the rainforest with the boys in the teeming rain. Beautiful. While the boys played floating bowls in the creek and spaceships in the fire, I pondered what life might have been like here without Lantana. I also wondered how I might inflict the most possible destruction upon the ever-present Brush-turkeys. Frogs croaked loudly at night and Wompoo Pigeons vocally dominated the twilight times. We also visited an abandoned gold mine inhabited by Common Bentwing and Eastern Horseshoe Bats. However the area where we were is not currently National Park and "sustainable" (plantation) logging still goes on in that reserve. A highly recommended and accessible rainforest camping spot.

Spanish word of the day: Hablaba - used to speak/spoke