Excursion Report – White Rock Conservation Park, held 27th August ’23

Excursion Leader: Delma Clifton

Our group of 13 rose early on Sunday
morning August 27 and made their way to
White RockConservation Park, Springfield.
We were pleased to welcome Dr Penelope
Mills, a brand new member with extensive
insect knowledge, and Amelia Morling
who has since become a member. We
were pleasantly surprised to see that the
area is very popular with early morning
joggers, followed by families and young
people out for a walk. After a short walk,
we climbed a steep, rough path to the top
of a small sandstone outcrop. Beneath
the outcrop, weathering had created an
overhang where the colours of the
sandstone were quite spectacular.

The Park was generally very dry but this area seemed
to retain some moisture, evidenced by a large
Drynaria rigidula (basket-fern above) and a young
Platycerium sp (photo left). Returning to the main
track, Penny’s sharp eyes found a koala high in a
distant eucalypt. We marked the track and told other
walkers where to find it as we passed them. After
another hour of botanising, during which Delma
encouraged Ron to take his photos faster, we
stopped briefly for morning tea. At this point, David
and Bernice Shaw left us to return to the carpark.