Nature Encounters of The Tablelands Way experience

Hidden Treasures

Scattered throughout the Tablelands region are many rare and endemic plants and animals. Many of these species are found in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. None has received more attention than the Wollemi pine. It is thought that only 75 adult specimens and several dozen seedlings remain in the wild. Consequently the exact location of these trees, somewhere within deeply shaded sandstone gorges, at altitudes over 600m, remains a closely guarded secret. The Wollemi pine can grow to a towering 40m high and live for more than 100 years. These remaining specimens are remnants of a wider population, which covered the land up to 20 million years ago. The Wollemi pine has been described as the ‘green dinosaur’.

Less well known, but also rare and endemic to the region is the exquisite purple copper butterfly. It is found in pockets throughout the Tablelands region and more commonly at Marrangaroo National Park near Lithgow. This small butterfly (it has a wingspan of 20-30mm) glows an iridescent bronze in the sun.

The purple copper butterfly inhabits altitudes above 900m, where it feeds off the blackthorn bush. A local ant is crucial to the survival of this species. The ants keep the butterfly larvae underground in their nest during the day, and then lead them out to feed on the blackthorn bush at night. The ants benefit from this relationship too, as they feed on sugary honeydew secreted by a gland on the larvae’s back. The larvae pupate in the ant’s nest, emerging as butterflies many months later.

Many other endangered wonders remain protected by the sheer vastness of the wilderness areas of the Tablelands region. The broad-headed snake nests in the sandstone areas of Wollemi National Park and Gardens of Stone National Park. In swampy areas such as Newnes Swamp and parts of Kanangra-Boyd National Park you might find the rare giant dragonfly, whose wingspan can reach 13cm.

Rock wallabies lurk in overhangs and caves. They have been seen in Gardens of Stone National Park, Jenolan Caves, Wombeyan Caves, Wollemi National Park and Kanangra-Boyd. Rock wallabies are hard to spot in the wild, but Jenolan Caves is the most likely location, as populations there have increased in recent years due to predator control programs.

Yerranderie, a ghost town within the southern part of the Blue Mountains National Park, has become a wildlife sanctuary. Years of friendly human contact have tamed the wild animals. Today they do not hesitate to wander up and say hello.

Other hidden treasures include mini-ecosystems, such as fern tree gullies. One can be found along Bylong Way, 17km from Rylstone, and is open to the public. Among the fern trees is an entanglement of fig tree roots and animal life. This environment is home to lyrebirds, scrub turkeys, glossy black cockatoos, and rare and endangered powerful owls. Skilled bush navigators may choose to venture into more remote wilderness. In doing so they may uncover hidden treasures, such as Tree Fern Gully near Gooches Crater, Newnes Plateau.

You can, should you wish, see the local animals in a more comfortable setting, without the hide and seek. Many of the golf courses in the Tablelands region boast a great diversity of wildlife. Look out at dawn and dusk when the animals are most active.

The Capertee Valley

The Capertee Valley provides outstanding opportunities for encounters with nature. It is home to the largest diversity and highest population of birds in the southern hemisphere. It is also blessed with a great diversity of plant species. Old growth forests allow carnivorous predatory birds to roost. Riverbanks are dominated by river oaks, which attract seed eaters. Nectar eaters feed off the blooms of eucalypts, as well as flowering plants beneath their canopy. But it is not just birds that call the Capertee Valley home. The grey gums on Capertee River banks provide a habitat for koalas. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of them in the trees. In the daytime you can see plenty of echidnas and lace monitors in Gardens of Stone National Park. At night you can see grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, swamp wallabies, brush-tailed possums, ring-tailed possums and greater gliders.

Rainforests

20 million years ago almost all the forests in Tablelands region were rainforest. As the continent slowly moved towards the equator, eucalypts gradually forced the rainforest back into marginal areas, within gorges or on more fertile soils.

Animals of the rainforest include greater gliders and squirrel gliders. You can also find soft fruit eaters, such as the mountain brushtail possum, the grey-headed flying fox, the little red flying fox, the Satin Bowerbird, the Wonga Pigeon and the King Parrot. Mt Mondundilla, Mount Coriaday and Kanangra Gorge are key remnant rainforest sites in the Tablelands region.

Rainforest can be easily accessed at Newnes, in the Wolgan Valley. It is an old growth forest, which means it has never been logged. You can walk or mountain bike along an old fire trail into the rainforest. The rainforest contains trees such as Coachwood, Sassafras and Black Wattle. Mosses are also common.

The rainforest communities of Kanangra-Boyd National Park find refuge in the plateaux escarpments. Before it was protected Kanangra-Boyd was logged for its prized red cedars, but it still retains significant pockets of rainforest trees. The kurrajong tree can be found on limestone outcrops, such as those near Colong Caves along the Oberon Stock Route. Red cedars and blue gums exist in the protected sandstone gorges, but extensive logging has made these species harder to find. You can experience the rainforest first hand in Kanangra-Boyd National Park. Head from Kanangra Walls to Christys Creek and Bullhead Creek. You will also find rainforest at Church Creek and Christys Creek along the Oberon Stock Route. Bellbird Corner on Wombeyan Caves Road is also an excellent spot for a rainforest encounter.

Subalpine Environments

The rare and remnant subalpine environment is one of the most precious found in the Tablelands region. A survivor of the last ice age, 17,000 years ago, it lives on at higher altitudes, such as Boyd Plateau in Kanangra-Boyd National Park. The subalpine environment is home to species such as the snow gum, black sally and poa tussock grass. It is also known for its insect diversity. Several new varieties of slaters have been discovered, including the hairy cicada. You will also find rare and protected alpine swamps here.

You can access the fire trails into this subalpine environment by heading east off the main Kanangra Walls Road around Whalania Heights. The fire trails (Whalan’s fire trails) form a loop track that provides access to the subalpine area. They have locked gates at the Kanangra Walls Road intersection, and you will need to a topographic map (available from Oberon Visitor Information Centre) to help you get around.
 

Eucalypt Communities

Many of the National Parks of The Tablelands Way experience form part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. A key factor in the region’s world heritage listing is its diversity of eucalypts.

Eucalypts have developed an interdependent relationship with fire. The blue haze often see around eucalypts is made up of fire promoting oils. Fire is used to stimulate propagation and wipe out competing species, such as the faster growing rainforests.

Wet sclerophyll forests
Wet sclerophyll forests are characterised by tall trees (up to 70m) in their canopies, and rainforest (or related) plants in their understoreys. Their open canopies let in sunlight, which can ignite bark and leaf litter. This can lead to crown forest fires, the most devastating of all bush fires.

Wet sclerophyll forests are home to possums and gliders, as well as the Sooty Owl, which feeds on them. The hollows of trees provide shelter and a place to breed for bats and birds, including owls. Insects in the canopies attract birds such as Thorn Bills and Scrub Wrens. Gum flowers attract pollen eaters such as honeyeaters and lorikeets.

The southern escarpment of Kanangra-Boyd National Park is Wet sclerophyll forest. It can be accessed from Batsh Camp off the Yerranderie Road.

Dry sclerophyll forests
Dry sclerophyll forests, with trees reaching heights of between 10m and 30ms, are very common in the Tablelands region. They occur along its sandstone plateaus. Sclerophylly is associated with soil infertility. It consists of plants which have adapted to fire, using it to open seeds or regenerate dormant roots.

Dry sclerophyll forests are characterised by open canopies of red stringy bark, scribbly gum, argyle apple, brittle gum, narrow leaved peppermint, box leaved wattle, sliver wattle, and broad leaved hickory. Sclerophyll shrubs grow in the understorey.

The floor of Dry sclerophyll forests is home to many of Australia’s best known flowers. Waratahs, banksias, spider flowers, wattles, pea flowers, native fuchsias, boronias, sedges and wax flowers are all found here.

The eastern grey kangaroo inhabit the lower areas, while red-necked wallabies and wallaroos live higher up. Ant eaters such as the long nosed bandicoot and the short beaked echidna are found in the leaf litter. Here you can also see birds such as the Lyrebird and Eastern Whipbird. Honeyeaters, possums and gilders make their homes in the treetops.

The Dry sclerophyll forests in the Mount Werong area of Boyd Plateau are good examples of this type.

Grassy woodlands
Grassy woodlands are typically associated with box and red gum trees, dispersed with wattle. In this area the understoreys have been cleared extensively cleared for agriculture. When intact, the understorey contains perennial tussock grasses and herbs. Native flowers such as orchids, daisies, native fuchsias and lilies can be found on the woodland floor. Parrots, including the endangered Turquoise Parrot, feed from the seeds of flowers and grasses. Grassy woodlands with intact understoreys can be found at Abercrombie River National Park and Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve. The area surrounding Dunns Swamp is also grassy woodland. Tree dwelling mammals including the squirrel gilder, the koala, and the endangered brush-tailed phascogale inhabit grassy woodlands.

Life on the Water’s Edge

Swamps of The Tablelands Way experience

Marsden Swamp and Newnes Plateau Swamp are two of the most accessible swamplands. Newnes Plateau Swamp is a favoured spot for lovers of native flowers. Newnes Swamp has been classified as a rare and endangered community, and is the highest sandstone based swamp in Australia.

Swamps include communities of sedges and shrubs, and occur where there is impeded drainage. Tea trees, grevilleas and myrtles are commonly found flowering plants. Visitors to Newnes Plateau Swamp may be lucky enough to spot a giant dragonfly or Blue Mountains water skink.

Riparian environments
Riparian environments are found along rivers and creeks. They play a crucial role, acting as wildlife corridors between wilderness areas. River oaks line the banks of creeks and rivers. Riparian environments are typically associated with higher water tables and abundant plant life. They are also home to many tree and ground dwelling animals. The Capertee, Abercrombie and Kowmung Rivers teem with life on the water’s edge, including platypuses and wombats. On the Cudgegong River at Rylstone you can spot Clamorous Reed Warlbers, Purple Swamphens, Gang-gang Cockatoos and King Parrots

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Nature Encounters of The Tablelands Way experience (15 images)