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WILSONS PROMONTORY featuring Mount Oberon
 April 25,  May 12, June 14 & October 4, 2005.

Panorama from Tidal River to Norman Bay (features labelled)

Panorama with features labelled (568kb) ... April 25.

Sunset Mount Oberon panorama May 12, 2005.
Panorama of Mount Oberon and Little Oberon (337kb) ... sunset May 12

COMPARISONS APRIL 25; MAY 12; JUNE 14; OCTOBER 4.
Tree Fern April 25: already showing a green frond about to burst into life. SAME TREE FREN MAY 12 JUNE 14
Slope on Mount Oberon April 25 Same slope on Mount Oberon May 12. June 14

CLICK a thumbnail to open the larger photo (most are between 100kb and 250kb)

Wallabies are happy to graze on fresh regrowth shoots! Mount Oberon from Tidal River Tidal River huts untouched by the fire. Peak of Mount Oberon from Tidal River road. Park Rangers explain the regrowth at Telegraph Saddle car park. 87% of The Prom was unaffected by the fire. Seedlings will grow. Shoots will sprout from the eucalypt trunks. Grass Trees will flower ... don't miss it!! The Ranger points to Hakea seed pods which were opened by the fire. Hakea seed pods which were opened by the fire. Hakea seed pods which were opened by the fire. Wilsons Prom Park Ranger explaining how tree ferns will regrow. Surface of some granite rocks 'exploded' during the fire. Grass Tree ... soon to flower!! Echidna on Mount Oberon .. untouched by the fire. Eucalyptus seedlings pop up by the thousands!!

 

Friendly Kookaburra at Tidal River. After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark. After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark. After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark. After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark. After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark.

After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark. After a fire Eucalypts regrow from Epicormic buds beneath the bark. New grasses are popping up everywhere. Tree Ferns bounce back with new fronds Grass Trees showing a new flush of green. Spectacular new fern growth! New seedlings by the thousand.

Rocks exploded by the heat of the fire. Many contrasts of black, browns and greens. Bright green growth on a Grass Tree. Nothing bothers the Tidal River wombats! Peak of Mount Oberon (with tower visible) from Tidal River at sunset. Little Oberon from Tidal River at sunset.

 

Grass Trees near Tidal River Eucalyptus regrowth Eucalyptus regrowth The ferns make a spectacular come-back! The ferns make a spectacular come-back! Eucalyptus regrowth

Eucalyptus regrowth A gully of grass trees. Grasses return! Grasses on the way back Eucalyptus regrowth Eucalyptus regrowth Emus happily grazing

 Mt Oberon summit (see the towers?) from Lighthouse Track Grass Trees continue their regrowth Some trrees just refuse to die!! (Telegraph Saddle car park) Eucalypts continue their come-back Eucalypts continue their come-back Eucalypts continue their come-back
Eucalypts continue their come-back Eucalypts continue their come-back Fern gullies are spectacular already! Fern gullies are spectacular already! Seedlings abound in numbers and variety. Tree Ferns are full size already

 A new fern growing Paperbarks shedding bark, and ferns growing back. New seedlings are everywhere. Regrowth on ferns & eucalypts. Purple flowers near the top of My Oberon.

On top of Mt Oberon ... Gums 'killed' by the fire regrowing from the base. Tidal River from Mt Oberon ... bornt areas still visible. A new fern back-lit in the afternoon sun. Tiny fern growing back. Grass Tree flower head begins to grow. Flowering grass trees, with Mt Oberon in the distance.

A grass tree with its flower head ... which only grow after a fire! Grass Tree flower head in close-up ... can you spot the ant? A green lipped ORCHID flowering, near the top of Mt Oberon. Wattle in bloom. A wild IRIS in flower.

 

Orchid along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Orchid along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Orchid along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Flowers along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Flowers along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park.

Flowers along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. View to Norman Bay over Tidal River and Grass Tree flowers along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Grass tree flowers and eucalypt regrowth along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Crimson Rosella feeding on Grass Tree flowers along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park. Close up of Grass Tree flower (along the track from Tidal River to Lilly Pilly car park). Crimson Rosella checking our lunch in the car park at Tidal River.

 

 

And from John Lanigan ...  two progressive shots of the grass trees on the left just
out of Tidal River: April 28 and May 12. (Well done, John!!)

Grass trees on the left just out of Tidal River April 28 Grass trees on the left just out of Tidal River May 12 Same grass-tree October 4


New PROM TRACK OPENINGS May 5, 2005 (Download 794kb)

 

CLICK here to download the Wilsons Prom National Park FIRE INFOBOARD (April: 680kb) 

 

Download the Parks Victoria bulletin (1.1mb) "From the Ashes of Fire .. New Life Begins"

 

Download the DSE document (397kb): The Effects of Fire on Victorian Bushland Environments


From the DSE document (397kb): The Effects of Fire on Victorian Bushland Environments

The most obvious result of a fire is the loss of vegetation cover. Variations in the fire's intensity may produce variations in the effects on the vegetation. Severe fires for example, may remove all vegetation.

Each species has its own survival features, which assists it in recovery. Treeferns and some species of eucalypts, such as Messmate and Narrow Leaf Peppermint (Eucalyptus radiata), are protected by thick bark. The bark also protects the eucalypts' epicormic buds, which sprout new growth when activated by the loss of foliage, damage or the intense heat.

Other species such as Silver Wattles (Acacia dealbata) and Blackwood Wattles (A. melanoxylon) may survive due to regrowth from root suckers, and/or soil stored seed. Regrowth from root suckers can occur up to several metres away from the trunk of the parent tree and is the main mechanism of regeneration for the Blackwood Wattle.

A fire may create many open spaces and a seedbed of fine material, which is high in nutrients. Plants such as Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea spp.) produce flowers and seeds after a fire and take advantage of the increased nutrient and light availability. Mountain Ash which is often killed by relatively low intensity fires, may also release massive amounts of seed after a fire (up to 14 million seeds/hectare).
 


 

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