March
Salt marsh exploration – Little Musselroe Bay
This often forgotten and undervalued habitat has been the subject of recent studies. NRM North and UTAS have identified and mapped Tasmanian Saltmarshes and published their findings. A walk-and-talk in the morning, then some shoreline monitoring after lunch.
April
Sunflats Road to Platts Lookout – Blue Tier
A downhill walk, of 5–6 km on a 4WD track, looking for native berries. Noted were Snowberry (Gaultheria hispida), Native pepperberry (Tasmannia lanceolota), Climbing blueberry (Billardiera longiflora) and Heart berry (Aristotelia penduncularis)
May
Blackboy Plains overhangs – Mt Victoria area
A fascinating day exploring these overhangs which were used for shelter 1600 years BPE. Some of the caves are 10 metres high and extending 10-15 metres into the cliff.
June
Waterhouse Conservation Area
A tour of the country inland from Blizzard’s Landing.The coastal heath on the dunes is dominated by windpruned dwarf oaks (Allocasuarina monilifera), silver banksia (Banksia marginata), sweet-scented wattle (Acacia suaveolens) and various guinea flowers, particularly the silky guinea flower, Hibbertia sericea.
.
September
Rail trail from Scottsdale to Ling Siding
The trail meanders through farming countryside to the east of Scottsdale. Across wet gullies dotted with tree ferns; through numerous cuttings, and a wet area with buttongrass and Melaleuca gibbosa.
October
Mossing around at Paradise Plains
A sub-alpine area behind Ringarooma. Sean Blake led us on three short walks—to a
stand of Eucalyptus delegatensis (white-topped stringybark); into an open grassland area that was used for cattle grazing a century or so ago and is now undergoing
rapid transition; and through a rainforest that is also undergoing transition, albeit at a much slower rate.
November
Threatened plants
We joined some members of the Threatened Plants Tasmania group who were visiting the Bridport area to survey threatened species. Among the species surveyed were Hibbertia virgata, Pultenaea sericea and Xanthorrhoea bracteata.
December
Blue Derby Field Nats style
Revel Munro showed us the historical and natural elements of some of the new trails – the “Blue Derby” Mountain Bike Trails.
