LittleDesertNationalPark

KeithHateleyNatureWalk

KiataSanctuaryPicnicGround

Located10kmssouthofKiatathewalkisagoodintroductionto,andcelebrationofsomeoftheplantsandanimalsthatmakeLittleDesertNationalParksospecial.

Self-guidedwalk1km,30minutesreturn

Keepyoureyesandearsopen,betweenthenumberedpegs–youaresuretoseemore!

KiataLowanSanctuarywastheoriginalnamegiventothisareapriortheestablishmentoftheLittleDesertNationalPark.KeithHateleywasalocalresidentandmajorcampaignerfortheconservationoftheLittleDesertfortheprotectionoftheMalleefowlor‘Lowan’.

1.Malleeandechidnas

AnoldclumpofYellowMallee(Eucalyptusincrassata),amulti-stemmedtreewithridgedfruits. Thelargestumpisthetree‘trunk’beneaththeground. Newshootsgrowfromthetrunkafterfire,severefrostordrought.

Watchforechidnascratchingsandfinger-sizedholesalongthetrack. Echidnashavelongclawsforburrowingintothesoilandahardpointy‘nose’forprobing

intoantnests.

Insteadofdrinkingwater,echidnasgettheirmoisturefromthebodiesofantsandtermites.Theirlongstickytongueisusedtoextracttheseinsectsswarmingfrominsidetheirburrowsasafterbeingdisturbedbytheechidna.

2.Livingbrooms

BroomHoney-myrtle(Melaleucauncinata).

Earnedit’snamefromEuropeansettlerswhowouldusethebranchesandfoliagetosweeptheirhomes.Inmorerecenttimes,ithasbeenusedtomakebrushfences.

3.Stringybark

ThisDesertStringybark (Eucalyptusarenacea),istheonlytypeof‘stringybark’treeinthePark.

Noticeitsdeep,fibrous‘stringy’bark.Examinethebudsofanygumtree;boxes,Malleeorstringybark,and

youwillfindthattheyareallcoveredby

asmallcap(eucalyptmeanswellcovered).

Yellow-wingedHoneyeateron

SilverBanksia

Stopoccasionally,closeyoureyesandlistenforbirdcalls.Earlymorningandeveningarebest.Watchcarefullyalsoandnotethewonderfulcoloursandshapesofthedifferentspecies.

4.Livingcycles–boomtobust!

AnumberofyoungOysterBayPines(Callitrisrhomboidea)canbeseengrowingaroundhere.Thesenativepineshaveclumpsofwoodyconesorseedcontainersthatareanimportantsourceoffoodforparrotsandcockatoos.Whentheconesopen,seedsdroptothegroundandwaitforsuitableconditionstosprout.

Severefrostsanddroughtcauseproblemsforgrowingplants.SomeMalleeplantssendoutnewshootsandleavesaftersuchnaturaldisasters,whileothershavetostartfreshfromtheseed;bushfiresusuallytriggerthebeginningoftheirlife-cycleinthenewashbed.

5.Adifferentbroom

BroomBaeckea(Baeckeabehrii). AtfirstglanceitmayappearverysimilartotheBroombushbutifyoulookcarefully,theBroomBaeckeahasshorterleavesandmorewidelyspacedfruits.

Baeckeaflowersaresimilartothoseofthetea-tree,(alsoamemberofthesameplantfamilyMyrtacaceae),butit’sleavesandfruitareverydifferent.

6.Wallowa

Wallowa(Acaciacalamifolia)isanindigenouswordmeaning‘wattletree’. Itproducescopiousflowersandseeds. Itprovidesshelterandfoodformanyanimals,andisafavouritefoodoftheMalleefowlandBronzewingPigeon.

FormoreinformationcalltheParksVictoriaInformationCentre

on131963orvisitourwebsiteat

ManyspeciesofSpiderOrchids(Caladeniaspp.),GreenhoodOrchids(Pterostylisspp.)andSunOrchids(Thelymitraspp.)canbefoundinthisareafromJunetoNovember.Theyarenotsocommonindrieryears.

Greenhood,PinkFingers,SpiderandSunOrchids.

7.Theremarkablethermometerbird

TwentymetresalongthesidetrackisaMalleefowlmound. Unusedformanyyears,re-usedinrecentyearsbutmaybedormantnow.

Malleefowlarecalled‘thermometerbirds’astheyspendabouttenmonthsoftheyearbuildingandregulatingthetemperatureoftheirmound.

AnactivepairofMalleefowlwilldig

outaconeshapedholeandrake-intwigs,bark

andleavestofillthehole.Followingrainthisiscoveredbyalayerofsandysoil. Heatbuilds

upinsidethemound

fromthedecomposingleafmatter.

Eggsarethenlaidintothecompostchamberofthemoundifthemaledecidesitistherighttemperature. Egglayingandbroodinglastoverfourmonths.

Duringthatperiodoftimethetemperatureinsidetheeggchamberiskeptat33OC. Thisischeckeddailybythemalewhobalancesthe

heatoffermentation,thewarmthofthesun,andtheairtemperaturebyvaryingtheamountofsandcoveringtheeggs.

CanyouseeanysignsofactiveMalleefowlworkingthismound?Indryyearsbreedingdoesnottakeplace.

Retraceyourstepstocontinuealongthemaintrack.

8.Whatisallthisshrubbery?

Notethewidevarietyofsmallshrubsalongthetrack. SomeofthemorecommononesareFlameHeath(Astrolomaconostephiodes),afavouritefoodforemus,andFringe-myrtle(Calytrixtetragona).

PartlyundigestedFlameHeathflowerscanoftenberecognisedinEmudroppings. Afreeridefortheseedswhicharespreadbytheemuasitsearchesforfood.

ThespringtimeflowersofthenearbyFringe-myrtlerangeincolourfromwhitetovividpink.

Moreorchidscanbefoundhereinseason.PinkFingers(Caladeniacarnea)andtheLeopardOrchid(Diurismaculate)aremostcommon.

9.Atoughlifewithspikes

CarefullyfeeltheneedleshapedleavesoftheDesertHakea(Hakeamuelleriana).Theyhaveahardouterlayercalledacuticle.

Thisandtheirhardseedconesprotecttheplantfromtheharshsummerheat–agoodexampleofsuccessfuladaptationtoadryclimate.

10.Thecycleoflife-anageing,unburntstruggling‘mess’

Thismessybushactuallyhasorder.Plantremainsarevitalprovidinghomesforplantsincludinglichens,andahostofinsects,spiders,lizardsandothersmallanimalswhichinturnserveasfoodforbirds,lizardsandmammals.Eventually,thedeadplantsrotdown,releasingnutrientsforlivingplantstouse.Fireisthemissingtriggertomanyplantsandanimalsongoingrenewal.Fireisoftenafreshstart.

11.Differentsoil–differentplants

Noticeachangeinthevegetation?ThetrackhasleftthesandysoilsthatfavourDesertStringybark,andmovedontoclayey

soilsthatsupportYellowGums.

Thelargertreeshavelightmottledbarkandareimportanthabitatwithlargerhollowsforparrotsandbattoshelterandbreedin.

ParrotsandRosellasdependonthem.

Anotherdistinctivetreewithdarktrunkandlong,hangingbranchletsis

theDroopingShe-Oak(Allocasuarinaverticillate).

Takeacloselookatthe‘leaf-teeth’leavesofthistree.Thetinyscalesformringsaroundthebranchletsandreduce

waterlossthroughtheleaves.

12.Arareone

KeepalookoutforthedarkgreenshrubcalledtheHairy-podWattle(Acaciaglandulicarpa)whichisarareplantwithavery

limiteddistribution. Itisfoundonly

inafewareasofthispark;nearDimboolaandNhillandfurtherafieldintheBurraGorgeofSouthAustralia.

SeveralotherrareplantsincludingWestringiacrassifoliaalsooccurwithintheLittleDesertNP.

HealthyParks,HealthyPeople

TheLittleDesertNPareaisanexcellentexampleofaregionalcommunityfightingtoprotect,conserveandbalanceoutagriculturalandconservationpractices,ensuringahealthylegacyforfuturegenerations.

Wehopeyouhaveenjoyedthiswalk.Ifyoudon’twishtokeepthisleaflet,pleasereturnittotheboxforsomeoneelsetouse. Thankyou

UpdatedMay2013