MapMyWALK | Mount Gravatt Environment Group

(l-r) Michael, Heather, Sheamus

By: Michael Fox

Sheamus O’Connor – 2012 Young Citizen of the Year, Heather Barnes – Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Comittee (B4C) and I were invited to take part in planting the Lord Mayor’s Diamond Jubilee Walk (click for map) in Victoria Park.

An avenue of sixty native Hoop Pines Araucaria cunninghamii,one for each year of the Queen’s reign, have been planted along the bike/walking path between Centenary Pool and Brisbane Girls Grammar School. Hoop or Queensland Pines occur naturally in drier rainforests from Hastings River, New South Wales, to Far North Queensland and, having a single straight trunk, are also grown as plantation timber.

Sheamus with tree 24 – 7 June 12

As a choice to celebrate a Diamond Jubliee these Queensland Pines that live for up to 450 years and grow to 50 or 60 metres are a good choice. They will make a spectactular avenue in a few years timelkj

Sheamus and Heather combined to plant tree 24.

Beth Dawson with tree 18

Beth Dawson AM, representing St John’s Ambulance, joined me in planting tree 18 in the avenue. I met Beth earlier when we both attended the Lord Mayor’s 2012 Australia Day Awards presentations. An interesting person, Beth actually attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School and, like me, is related to the early German settlers who established Brisbane’s Nundah/Zillmere areas.

(l-r) Michael, Heather, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, Lady Mayoress Anne, Sheamus, Mark

Meeting with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress.

Find the walk? Visit MapMyWalk Diamond Jubilee Walk

Walking the Summit Track on Saturday I saw this extraordinary looking growth on the underside a branch high up in a Spotted Gum Corymbia citriodra.

Spotted Gums grow to 45m so this photo was taken at about x60 digital zoom on my Canon SX20. So viewing the photo later it looked like some sort of sculpture made of concrete and hung on a tree 30 or 40 metres in the air.

My excellent network of experts came to my rescue suggesting a wasp nest. Some more research on Google gave me the answer: Yellow Paper Wasp Ropalidia romandi . Links: Queensland Museum Fact Sheet and Queensland Naturalists Club article.

I have photographed Yellow Paper Wasp for Flora & Fauna of Mt Gravatt Reserve however I did not realise that this tiny wasp: at 6-8mm it is the smallest of our local paper wasps, builds these huge paper nests. Up to 1 metre long these amazing sculptures are made up of multiple paper combs all wrapped in a paper skin.

I found this nest while researching our new self-guided Summit Track tail brochure. If you are walking the Summit track stop at Station 6 and look west-north-west for a large Spotted Gum then follow the trunk up to the branch growing out to the right. The nest looks like a concrete sculpture hanging under the branch.

You can see the Mt Gravatt Summit Track on MapMyWalk

Our new trail guide will be available early August ready for the Environmental & Photography Workshops. The guide will also be available online and copies available at a local BCC Library.