The Mangrove Board-Walk

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Walking to the Mangrove board-walk...

has taken longer than expected

we have stopped to look back
over the Weyba River
which loops up river from my home

in the distance are
the mounds of the Noosa Hill
over which we climb
on more energetic days

and around which we walk
on the coastal tracks
in the National Park...

that jolly Singapore Daisy
has found another habitat
in the saline swamps,
versatile weed that it is...

we'll shortly leave
this riverside pathway
and cross the road

can you see
all the bent knee
pneumataphores-
breathing roots...

Now we have entered the mangrove zone,
we take our life in our hands,
no, there aren't crocodiles
down this far south
but there are mosquitoes
and sandflies
and I have neglected
to apply the repellent...

it's a swampy scrappy area
of tea trees
and wet heath shrubs

through which you can glimpse
the fingers of river

here we are
on the boardwalk
constructed as an educational tool
for anyone silly enough
to want to be eaten alive
in the pursuit of knowledge...

don't worry
we won't stay too long
it doesn't pay to stand still
just keep moving along with me
and never scratch where it itches...

a maze of interwoven root systems

millions of pencil like pneumataphores -
that word is getting a lot of air play...

the river peeping through

a sea of mangroves

and roots

let's get out of there...

Because this bridge is here
I think we should walk over it

and see what my river looks like up stream

very pretty and appealing

there's an old Queenslander
through the gum trees
the Queensland vernacular,
built high on stumps
to allow the air to circulate and
some say to keep free of snakes...

and a perfect spot to rest
but don't scratch those sandfly bites...

let's enjoy the view from here
for a few moments
then retrace our steps...

but on account of your itching
we will bypass
the Mangrove Boardwalk
on the way home

in the park around the corner from home
the hungry Rainbow Lorikeets

are having a nightly feast
on red gum flowers

quite adept at hanging upside down.



A bunch of pink galahs
flies low over head
and this is why...

a storm is on the way
pink galahs always herald storms.

Hurry
let's skedaddle home
quick smart....




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Mangroves

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Walking the River's Edge...

Yesterday
it was too perfect a day
to be inside
so I decided to walk along the river

to the Mangrove Boardwalk
and take a good look
at the plants that thrive there

a weeping Tea Tree



but on the way
I became waylaid...
as is often the case,

this time
looking at the variety of trees
that grow on the river's edge

and catching the glimpses between
the casaurinas and gums

The river path is lined with
she oaks - casaurinas
wattles- acacias
gums- eucalypts

and giant Cotton trees,
Hibiscus tiliaceus
was very important
to the early indigenous peoples.
The inner bark made fishing nets
and ropes,
wood was used for fire
and shield making
and also in herbal medicine

the white or grey mangrove
is the most common
and widespread mangrove
along the coast of Australia

the native bees use the trees
to make nests in
and Aboriginal shields
were made from the wood

this rounder leaf
looks like the Yellow Mangrove

the tallest mangrove
in the Noosa River system

with the lush green leaves
is the Orange Mangrove

it has the 'bent knee'
shaped breathing roots
called pneumataphores

and when the flowers petals
fall away
the torpedo shaped hypercotle
(young plant)
drops into the mud







and floats away.

Snails that live
amongst the mangrove roots
were cooked and eaten
by the Aborigines.

This wattle- acacia
called Blackwood
has a distinctive curly seed pod

the stalk passes
completely around the seed
and folds back on itself
exposing the glossy black seed.
The bark and twigs
were used as fish poison

The pencil like
breathing sticks
of the mangrove,
the pneumataphores

and along the path edge
wild grass

with horse hair mane
waves

and stately eucalypts
reign



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and tomorrow
all going well
we may eventually arrive
at the Mangrove Boardwalk....

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