Orchid hunting around Dalwallinu

4th September 2014

The Dalwallinu information centre provided details about likely places within a 50km radius to find a good display of wildflowers, particularly orchids.

This morning we drove west to Miamoon, where there is a granite outcrop.  Orchids favour damp patches in rock depressions, usually growing through other plants that have colonised the area.  Another favoured spot is close to trees.

We did eventually find 3 types of orchid after much searching. There is such an overwhelming variety of plants that the identification book I have does not detail most of them!

In the afternoon John was not feeling too good so I left him at the caravan and took off to the east in search of the old rabbit proof fence.

The fence was erected in 1904 to try and stop the spread of rabbits.  The fence was an abject failure and had been abandoned by the 1940's when biological methods were tried to control the rabbit population.

Part of the old rabbit proof fence

The area I visited had a water hole which was put down for the boundary rider along with a shelter. He was popular with the isolated farmer's wives, because he also carried the mail to these remote areas!

Further to the south I found Petrudor rocks, another granite outcrop. 

This one had several water holes which were an important resource to the local indigenous people. The rock holes were full of tadpoles today.

I also found two orchids here that I had not previously seen.