UP THE HAWTHORN TRACK

The bus driver sets me down at Mahogany Drive and I wander through to Hawthorn Grove where there's a track into the Marcus Section of the Noosa National Park. 
It's a cool morning, dew on the grass, butcher birds singing arias from the treetops…our wonderful songbirds, ancestors of the world's songbirds, Out Of Australia.

This is a great track for wildflower hunting…if it's dry. We've had little rain in the last weeks so all should be well. It's early in the flowering season so it will be a hunt to find them.
The track divides thick wallum woodland to the left from a broad sweep of low growing wet wallum heath, swampy ground, mostly sand. There's an open view clear across the wet heathland to the Marcus high dunes.
Immediately I see that the heathland has been burned right up to the track edge. And the track is dry.

The morning dew is frosting some intricate little net entrapments created by some crafty little spiders no doubt.

Along the track as I enter the walk, the silver green patersonia clumps are sporting closed buds. They'll be open, flaring purple by the time I return.

Further in, I see that everywhere the wet heathland is charred to the sand. What was a tumble of chaotic intermeshed growth has become a skeleton frame of twisted charcoal black branches of hakea and swamp banksia, glowing green and gold underneath. At their base, growth spurt is pushing out velvety russet and softest green leaves; regeneration.

The clumps of wallum grasstree that populate the understory have been relieved of any trash. Sprinkled through them are the bobbing white faces of the milkmaids, and very occasionally a few tiny heads of sweet vanilla lily in tight pink buds on the end of long fine stalks. Wildflowers are like little jewels in this country. And like I said, it's early in the flowering season.

The wallum woodland on my left is thick, quite luscious, such a stark contrast to the burnt heath on my right. There are deep dark spaces through the trees, good for creatures to feel safe. Often there's a burr of wings close by. Up top the casuarinas are just beginning to take on their rusty red coats.

Butterflies flash black/white, cavorting, flirting, courting in the paperbarks. A tiny warbler finds breakfast in the creamy brush flowers, too quick to catch with my camera. And there's a friendly flycatcher, lovely fellow. Across the wet heathland I hear the reeearrk of black cockatoos.

In the grassy edge of the forest on my left, there are a few flowers popping through. Here a pink boronia, there a rice flower, a little philotheca (Qld), and profuse yellow pea flowers that I can never name as there are so many.

The burnt heath on my right is high drama now. Fronds of blechnum fern wave like so many flags shivering slightly in the breeze, glowing against the char, gold green on charcoal. Such a lifeforce surging.

I've reached the boggy bit of the track. It doesn't look too bad, I can walk on the outer edges. I'm pleased to see the clumps of villarsia lily that grow here have survived the burn. They're already holding tall spears of buds.

I wander the return. The black cockies sweep over the swamp. It's really warm now. When I reach the patersonias, their buds are open to the sun, so gorgeous.

If the sunshine keeps happening through the next couple of weeks, this is a wonderful track to wander. If it rains, forget it …or wear your rubber boots.

You'll find this track off Hawthorn Grove, off Mahogany Drive, off David Low Way, Marcus Beach, Qld. Happy wildflower hunting.