Missed the Everglades Wetland talk completely. Buggered off to Point Clare in the morning having completely forgotten the talk was on in Woy Woy. Scampered back in time to see the last of the organisers leaving. D'oh!
Everglades Wetland Woy Woy (Click for embiggened versions)
Everglades Wetland is the proper name of the Paperbark Forest. It is a narrow silver of bushland beside the golf course on Dunban Road in Woy Woy.
This photo is the lagoon. The floating weed in the left foreground is alligator weed, according to one of the Dear Old Things. Got here from South America a while back in the ballast of a ship.
The trees are mostly paperbarks (Melaleuca quinquenervia, with a casuarina (she-oak, Allocasuarina) poking its head up there in the left of the photo. The casuarinas have a beautiful sound, a soft rushing howl in the wind.
The reeds are some sort of reed I can't find anything out about. Can't find much at all on the Everglades Wetland online. This is off some wildlife website:
"The lagoon...habitat for birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals." (CEN, includes map)
So it's home to various native birds and beasties. Plus a few golf balls no doubt, given that the golf course is only a fence away.
The bark of a paperbark in the wetland
The foliage of the local paperbarks is like this and not like the photo at the top of the Wiki page. Smallish flat tough leaves, wee nuts in short rows along the twigs, small creamy white and pale yellow flowers.
The Aborigines used to and still use the bark of the paperbark for all sorts of things from making cradles for babies and shrouds for the dead, bandages for wounds, sleeping mats, humpies (tent-like shelters) and canvasses for paintings. There are some paperbark paintings in Australian art galleries but now most Aboriginal artists use yer bog standard painting canvas.
Modern science is using the oil of the paperbark as an anti-fungal for all sorts of things, including Siamese Fighting Fish. (Wiki)
Casuarina foliage
See original photo at Wiki
Casuarinas have needles instead of leaves. Very fine needles which, if you have a good squint at them up close, have got segments like tiny wee bamboo poles.
Fake raffle targeting Woy Woy's elderly
Tell yer granny not to open the door to strangers.
From the NSW Police site:
"Bogus raffle ticket sellers steal from elderly
26 Sep 2008
Police are urging elderly residents to be on lookout for bogus raffle ticket sellers after four robberies on the Central Coast this month.
On each occasion, a group of teenagers have stolen money from each victims home after offering to sell them what turn out to be fake raffle tickets.
The group have falsely claimed to be selling tickets on behalf of a local youth or netball club.
They have been able to enter each home either by being invited in after gaining the victims trust, or by being allowed to use the victims’ toilet.
...
“We are advising residents to...[ask] to see some form of identification".
Local linkage
Steve's Virtual Tours
Michael's photos of Woy Woy & nearby
