Field Nats Climb Mount Michael

Report by Lou Brooker and Craig Searle.

Rising above Weldborough is the beautiful Blue Tier. The original walking tracks, marked and maintained by local volunteers, are now signposted and maintained by Parks and Wildlife and although there seem to be mountain-bikers everywhere, some of the iconic tracks are still designated especially for walkers.

Once there were magnificent rainforests of myrtle beech, sassafras, native pepper, mosses and ferns flourishing in the high rainfall and misty conditions, but when the ore carrying tin was discovered in the 1880’s, the Tier swarmed with tin miners and the beautiful forests were decimated to make way for open cut and underground mines.  Since mining stopped in the 1930’s, and the subsequent pastoral leases were relinquished in the 1970’s, the Blue Tier has been slowly making a recovery and now the regeneration of rainforest species is taking place. However, small tracts of old growth rainforest remain, and an area of glacial refugia exists in the Western section near Crystal Creek.

Club members recently explored the Mt. Michael track and ‘climbed’ the mountain which attains a grand height of 850 metres. Craig Searle led the outing which began by following the route of the Three Notch Track, an old horse and walking track used by Chinese miners, to travel between Garibaldi and Weldborough, the main Chinese population centres. The group passed through some of that remnant old growth myrtle forest with its moss-covered buttresses, stopping to admire ferns, coral lichens, and sphagnum moss covering the ground.

(Click on the photos for a fab view)

The track climbed gently until emerging from the forest onto an open granite summit with spectacular views and granite slabs with pockets of low growing alpine vegetation here and there.

Sure footing and good balance were then required for a short down-hill section which was steep, with huge boulders to negotiate. Half way down, there were mine holes, interpretation boards and relics around the Mt Michael mine site to be inspected. The walk continued along an old road, which was once a tramway, passing more relics and old hut sites, before branching off and crossing picturesque Sun Creek and following a man-made diversion – a chasm cut through the granite.

The highlights for Debbie were the ferns and the lichens. Here is her list:
Alpine coral fern Gleichenia alpina   ** this one of special interest as it only grows at altitude
Pouched coral fern Gleichenia dicarpa
Scrambling coral fern Gleichenia microphylla
Spleenwort sp. Asplenium sp.
Mother shield fern Polystichum proliferum
Fishbone fern Blechnum nudum
Hard water fern Blechnum wattsii
Filmy fern sp. Hymenophyllum sp.
Fan fern sp. Sticherus sp.
Bracken Pteridium esculentum
Manfern Dicksonia antarctica
Finger fern sp. Notogrammitis sp.
Kangaroo fern Microsorum pustulatum
Ruddy ground fern Hypolepis rugosula
Leathery shield fern Rumohra adiantiformis

She also noted that the following were in flower AND fruit simultaneously:

Woolly tea tree Leptospermum lanigerum
Purple cheese berry Cyathodes glauca
Copperleaf snowberry Gaultheria hispida
Geebung sp. Persoonia sp.
Trigger plant Stylidium graminifolium

The highlights for Mike were the swathes of Oxylobium. Also Olearia persoonioides and Pentachondra pumila, the frilly carpet heath.

 Everyone enjoyed seeing the Macleay’s swallowtail.

Thanks to Craig and his two bushwalking mates David and Bruce who were a great help on the steep section. David’s extensive knowledge of the mining history of the Blue Tier was also much appreciated. Well done, everyone.