Lake Elizabeth or Tarkine wilderness?

Like something out of the deep remote Tarkine wilderness of Tasmanian, Lake Elizabeth is eerily quiet and preciously unique. The lake was formed by a landslide in 1952 after record heavy rains pummeled the area and the slide naturally dammed a section of the eastern branch of the Barwon river. Huge Mountain Ash Eucalyptus regnans trunks loom large, protruding from the waters surface like bygone mystical monoliths watching over the Otways. The lake provides a perfect habitat for one of Australia's most conspicuous and unusual creatures, the Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus.

Classed by DSE as a "wet forest" - Ecological vegetation class, it isn't hard to see why, when you consider the area receives in excess of 1600 mm of rain a year. Low cloud cover often envelops the deep valleys, creating a scene not dissimilar to something out of Tolkien novel. Dominated at ground level by Tree ferns Dicksonia antarctica and a mid layer of Myrtle Beech Nothofagus cunninghamii, the lake is truly a throw back to prehistoric Gondwanaland.

After engrossing myself in the wonderment of Lake Elizabeth, it was a shock for me to find out that up untill as recently as 2002 areas within the immediate vicinity of the lakes catchment were still available for logging. It would be interesting to know whether this proposition has been reformed under the new banner of the Otways National Park with the  unification of the Angahook State Park and the original Otways National Park. I find it hard to believe that human greed still has a hold in the incredible, unique and pristene environment that Lake Elizabeth provides. Surely common sense would prevail in this instance, and the incredible representation of a sheer wilderness lake can be preserved for future generations, untainted by gross consumption.

Cody.

   

Brisbane Ranges unassuming...

Another Victorian park puts on a show after recent fires.

The Brisbane Ranges is a light amongst the rain shadow which encompasses much of the outer western Melbourne rim. Situated rather inconspicuously in the triangle between Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat, the park retains a remnant foothold in a vastly agricultural focused area.

In 2006, a lightning strike in the Steiglitz historical area sparked a fire that encompassed a vast proportion of the park. In the wake of these fires the park has sprung to life, with even more opportunities for the ground dwelling wildflowers to flourish in the newly opened canopy.  

cod

The vibe of the ranges could be described as rugged outback, almost typical of something from the Flinders Ranges or even Kakadu. Red, rocky and iron infused soils dominate the range, with deep sandy gullies traversing the length and breadth of the faulted and worn ranges.


A vast array of flora exists within the park, ranging from hearty and resilient bush peas, heathy wattles, stunted messmates and prominent Pomaderrises. However the most attractive and interesting floral specimens would have to be the park's wildflowers. Some of Craig and I's favourites would have to be the  brown-clubbed Spider-orchid  Caladenia phaeoclavia, which we snapped on a ridge line in the east of the park and the  Leopard Orchid Diuris pardina,which we found in a sandy saddle also in the east section of the range.

Brown-clubbed Spider-orchid  Caladenia phaeoclavia

Almost 700 species of plants exist within the park, some of which are only indigenous to the range itself and others which are found well and truly out of their normal range. As an example of just how the park exists as an anomaly within the region, some plants, usually only found in Gippsland hundreds of kilometres away and geographically separated by Port Phillip Bay, exist in the park.

 Leopard Orchid Diuris pardina

What I took from the park was that you don't have to go far from Melbourne to be completely transported to something so very different from your immediate surroundings. The Brisbane Ranges provide a rare and complex ecosystem, with biological and conservation values unprecedented for the region. Positive steps are being taken for the future of the park with a recent expansion of the park encompassing some high quality remnant areas which had been privately owned. The park is a vital resource not only from a humanistic / green space point of view, but also as a remnant representation of what some of the region may have presented as when the native Watherong clan roamed the rocky slopes.

Cody

craggs in his natural environment

The Birth of ernest.conservation

ernest.conservation is a new blog by ernest. which will follows and is apart of many different conservation projects. We hope to keep people involved in the appreciation and conservation of their surrounding environments. Check back regularly for photo updates, future events and much more.