GSWW Section 3 – Cut Out Camp to Cobboboonee Camp

What grows and lives above ground is influenced by what lies beneath.

The forest here changes from wet forest and heathland, rising to become dryer sclerophyll (hard leaved) forest and heath here in Cobboboonee National Park. This change is influenced by the undulating landscape. The dominant trees in the area are manna gum, large stands of messmate (Eucalyptus obliqua) and blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon).

Throughout the walk you will see a notable change with the dominant understorey plant species varying from Bracken Fern (Pteridium esculentum), prickly tea-tree (Leptospermum juniperinum) and Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) due to the changing topography and density of the forest.

Cobboboonee Camp is located at the interchange where sandy dune derived swamps give way to basaltic soils originating from Mt Deception to the north.

Ringtail Possums and Yellow-bellied Gliders are dependant on thick vegetation. Once heard you will never forget a Yellow-bellied Glider – a murderous scream that sends a chill up your spine. The ‘bleeding’ patches of sap on Manna Gum trunks may be where gliders have cut the bark to feed off the oozing sap.

As the dominant overstorey and associated understorey change, so too do the animals in the area. You may notice a multitude of scratching on the ground. These indicate echidna and potoroos may live around here.

Birds such as the Powerful Owl use large old growth trees for shelter and nesting. The large hollows of old trees are their only nesting option in mid winter. Blackwood foliage is important cover providing roosting trees for the threatened Powerful Owl.

Long-nosed Potoroos are large native rat-like marsupials with a very pointy face. They hop along much like a kangaroo. This endangered species is often associated with Swamp Gums (Eucalyptus ovata) and Manna Gums (Eucalyptus viminalis), where soils are sandy loam.

They are omnivores and dig for underground fungi, roots, insects, seeds and fleshy fruits. Potoroo ‘poo’ (scat) is very helpful to plants as it creates fungal spores. These spores attach to the roots of some plants, grow there and then assist the plant to take up nutrients from the soil. Then the cycle continues as potoroos eat the plants.