As record numbers of Canberrans explore our local nature parks this spring, more and more are stumbling on bush curiosities. Hardly a day goes by that this column isn't sent a photo of something unusual from Canberra Nature Park, whether it be a bush cubby, a rocky fort or an unusual tree. Here are my top three.
Ned Kelly Tree, Bruce Ridge Nature Reserve
When Trevor Preston of Holt recently enjoyed a stroll through Bruce Ridge Nature Reserve, he was surprised to see an old tree stump with two rectangular pieces peculiarly cut out of it.
"It's quite weird" he says, adding "both holes seems to have been cut with reasonable care, and with a chainsaw."
On one side of the stump, located near the Bruce Ridge Mountain Bike Trail Head, is a rectangular slit about head high and on the opposite side of the tree is a much lower slit of a similar size.
When this column inspected the tree earlier this week, the slits appeared as if they were made many years ago. Perhaps they were part of an experiment to allow hollow-dwelling critters access to the stump?
Rangers from the ACT Parks and Conservation Service who manage the park are equally mystified as to its purpose and are unable to uncover any leads in their records to confirm its purpose.
However, one Parks' insider suggested that the slits might have been cut into the tree as part of a fire training exercise. "This would have allowed the fire fighters to completely extinguish the fire inside the hollow". That may explain one slit, but two? And why chose a nature reserve for such a training exercise?
Who knows, maybe it's the handiwork of a landscape artist illegally channelling Ned Kelly? It certainly looks a bit like the famous bushranger's armour.
Fresh Scar Tree, Gungaderra Grasslands Nature Reserve
During a recent family outing to search for the Gungaderra's "Secret Seven", a grove of remarkably gnarly brittle and scribbly gums (The case of the remarkable trees, May 4 2007) Ben Hogan of Hackett was stopped in his tracks by a younger tree complete with a shield-shaped piece of freshly removed from it.
"Are the traditional owners keeping up the practice or is it part of some scientific experiment," Ben asks. Good question.
In fact, Ben and his two children aren't the only ones to notice a tree with a fresh scar in a reserve. Photographer Simone Green also noticed a similar shield-shaped scar on a tree while exploring the area around near the base of Mt Coree. "I'd love to know who made it, and why," she asks.
A spokesperson for the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, which manages both areas, reports, "the trees appear to have had a traditional shield or coolamon [carrying dish] removed" adding "Aboriginal people still carry out cultural practices today and scarring is one example of that".
Even though these two trees are sporting fresh rather than historical scars, this column won't reveal their exact location because details about scarred trees (and many other Aboriginal places and objects) are often of high cultural significance to the Aboriginal community and as such are generally classified as restricted information under the Heritage Act 2004.
You can, however, visit some of the older scarred trees that are part of several routes on the ACT government's Canberra Tracks series of self-guided heritage journeys. You can find out more information on the Canberra Tracks website.
Did You Know? Resource collection (the term used for activities like scarring trees) on lands managed by the ACT government is prohibited under the ACT Nature Conservation Act, but individuals are able to apply for a licence. A spokesperson for the ACT government advises "they will work with the Ngunnawal people as the traditional custodians of this land to identify and develop a process for resource collection for cultural purposes".
Fairy Trees, Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve
Alongside the "Old Tip Track" that extends up the northern slopes of Mt Ainslie from near the back of Phillip Avenue are a number of brittle and scribbly gums, their partially hollow bases often resplendent with tiny red toy doors. If you dare to open a door, inside the hollows are manner of mini toys and trinkets, no doubt placed there by fairies.
Activity in the magical fairy world seems to peak during each school holidays and then all but disappear by the end of the next term. Who dismantles it is anyone's guess. Perhaps an over-zealous park worker, super diligent ranger or serial party pooper? I guess only the fairies know.
Further up the hill, beyond the intersection of the Old Tip Track with the imaginatively named West 132 KVA Track are two more bush novelties, both previously featured in this column. The first of these, the infamous Mt Ainslie stick labyrinth (Canberra's Top five labyrinths, August 4, 2015), is 300 metres further up track in bush on the city side of the track, and just 200 metres beyond that on the other side of the track is the impressive "Ainslie Arch Tree". Since the tree, which is rooted to the ground at both ends, was highlighted in this column earlier this year (Rediscovering our suburbs, April 11), I've received several photos of Canberrans making a pilgrimage here, none better than this cracking shot at sunset taken by Tom Corra.
Did You Know? The shape of the arch tree is likely the result of the main trunk being blown over at an angle into the ground and somehow taking root, before the branches became vertical and became surrogate trunks.
Vale Stan, a Canberra luminary
This column was saddened by the recent news that Stan Goodhew, a Canberra luminary and enthusiastic correspondent to these pages, died earlier this month, aged 88.
Over the past decade Stan captivated your akubra-clad columnist with colourful stories of growing up in Canberra; from digging out his family's air raid shelter in Kingston during World War II to daredevil skiing exploits high in the Brindabellas. Stan represented a time when Canberra was a smaller and innocent place, a big country town.
Since first meeting Stan, I especially admired his genuine generosity. On hearing that I was developing a tour at the National Film and Sound Archive, Stan, who at the time didn't know me from a bar of soap, invited me to his home where he regaled me for hours with stories about the days, when as a boy he used to gawk at the gory exhibits in the building when it housed the former Institute of Anatomy. We instantly clicked.
However, it was Stan's quirky sense of humour that made him so much fun to be around. When, just several months ago (Impromptu air show,June 20), I drove Stan to the Hyatt Hotel to interview him about the day in 1942 that a B25 flew through its rooftop flagpoles, I was bereft on ideas of what would make a good photo. Stan to the rescue. He had a vintage World War II flying helmet, which he'd bought at an op shop many years earlier. I'll never forget our arrival at the Hyatt. Proudly wearing the helmet, and to the disbelief of a small group of dignitaries gathered in the foyer, Stan announced loudly he had "lost his plane", asking if someone could point him "in the direction of the airport".
With Stan moving on to that "big airport in the sky", our city is definitely a little bit poorer but in selflessly sharing so many of his tales of life growing up in mid-1900s Canberra, his memories will live on. Vale Stanley Henry Goodhew (1932-2020).
WHERE IN CANBERRA
Clue: Francis wouldn't be happy
Degree of difficulty: Easy
Last week: Congratulations to first-time winner Trish Hepworth, of Kingston, who was first to correctly identify the location of last week's photo, of the Bee Garden on Kennedy Street, Kingston. It was gifted to the community from the Red Box Design Group in Fyshwick. My favourite part of the garden, the mini Canberra bus stop, is actually a bee reservoir feeder that contains sweetened water syrup.
"The plants in the garden are all bee attracting shrubs and plants" explains Robby McGarvey, a volunteer with the Kingston and Barton Residents Group. "In view of the devastation to the bee community during the fires and smoke earlier in the year, pollinator gardens are a must," she attests.
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and suburb to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday, October 3, 2020, wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.
SPOTTED
ORCHID WONDER
Have you ever tried to photograph an orchid? It's not easy, is it. Thankfully, the hot-off-the-press Field Guide to Orchids of the Southern Tablelands of NSWincluding the ACT has a complete section on how to photograph orchids, including information on what settings to use on your camera as well as what to photograph in relation to the plant for future identification. The printing of the comprehensive field guide, which includes a page for each of the 181 (yes, that many!) species found in the area, was supported by the Australian Native Plant Society Canberra and is available at the Australian National Botanic Gardens bookshop or by emailing: tobiashayashi@hotmail.com
CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick
