Cape Otway trees and plants

Quick post today on some plants I found on my recent journey to Cape Otway Victoria. I'm not sure of the names of some of these plants but I'll endeavour to identify them.

I know this is a plants blog but I had to add this picture of a Koala. They are everywhere in Cape Otway and are easy to spot. They eat the leaves of the Manna Gums.



This is a common coastal plant and I'm pretty sure it is called Ozothamnus turbinatus common name 'coast everlasting plant'.

I had a did some quick googling to try and identify this one but failed. It is very common near the beaches in the Otways.

Below is a close up of the same plant. Looks a bit like miniature cauliflowers.

I love visiting the Redwood picnic grounds. These huge Sequoias are obviously not native but impressive none the less. They tower above the Eucalypts in the area surrounding them.

Picture of the inside of the Sequoia plantation. There is something very Tolkien about these trees.



Whoa I wasn't expecting to see this snake below the Redwoods. He blends in so well with the dropped foliage from the trees.

This is the creek in the bushland near the Redwoods.

Below is what looks to be some sort of fern growing on the branches of a tree.



Close up of the fern.

I can identify this one easily. Dicksonia antarctica is everywhere in this part of the Otways. 

More common ferns near the creek.

Below is a very attractive tree called Prostanthera lasianthos or commonly named the 'Victorian Christmas Bush'. It flowers around Christmas time and the colour of the flowers ranges from white to pink to mauve. All the ones in Cape Otway are white and look amazing set amongst the green of the other trees. It is native to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The pithy stems of this plant were used by aboriginal people as fire drills. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family which also contains such plants as mints and salvias.

Close up of the above tree's flowers. I'm going to try planting one of these at home in Macedon. The area which I found these in Cape Otway is a dense forest that is several degrees cooler than the surrounding areas. I'm hoping that is an indication that this plant will grow in the cool Macedon climate.