Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

1800's. Crimson rosellas. Lots of red wattle birds. Drove to Wentforth Falls and walked to
overlook. New Holland honeyeater, up quite close. Returned to Blackheath and spent time in
visitor center. Casuarina, she-oaks, long needle-like stems, green, resemble a jointed pine needle.
The genus was split into three in 1982; most of the Australian species are now Allocasuarina.
Called Casuarina because of the likeness of the drooping foliage to the feathers of the cassowary
bird. Called she-oak because lumber is oak-like but inferior!
Pteridium - fern is here
The forests generally seem dry, though they call the forests in the drainage courses here
rainforests.
The ranger at the Visitor Centre says she sees lyrebirds frequently.
Lunched at overlook at Govett's Leap.
Drove to Mt. Victoria and then to Bell and turned back west, back through Blue Mountains. Still
quite dry-looking woods. To Kurrajong, Richmond, Windsor, then back into the Sydney suburban
area, to Hornsby and took National 1 north. Dense traffic. Night at Wong. Supper in an enormous
shopping centre.
July 6, Saturday. Left Wong and drove around through The Entrance, a narrow opening to
Tuggerah Lake. Over a bridge here, on to Budgewoi, back to the freeway, regaining it at Morisset.
North on National 1. Through gum forests, often quite dense rainforests, though often also drier
and more opened up from cutting. Lots of cattle and pasture. No row cropping. Lunch at Visitor
Center at Taree, in the Manning Valley. On north to Kempsey.
Geo is the Australasian Geographic Magazine.
The ocean here is called the Tasman Sea, as well as the South Pacific Ocean.
On to Coffs Harbor, a coastal resort, then to Grafton, more inland, for the night. Pizza at Pizza Hut.
Grafton celebrates its jacaranda trees. This is the Clarence Valley. Red cedar (a cypress?) seems
to have once been a highly desired timber tree here.
Littoral rainforest. Watered by the ocean filtered through sand.
A few banana plantations toward the end of the day.
July 7, Sunday. Drove north through sugarcane country. Often rather scenic landscape, rolling
hills, with sugarcane on the flats. Also bananas. Sometimes considerable gum forests. Crossed
into Queensland, and lunched at the much developed Gold Coast. Nice Norfolk Island Pines.
Reached Brisbane and found the University of Queensland. Staying at Woman's College, a
residence hall complex.
July 8, Monday. At the Australasian Philosophy Conference
The word "Australasian" includes Australia and New Zealand, but there is nothing Asian in the term.
Dinner: Spaghetti in a café at a shopping centre adjacent to campus.
July 9, Tuesday. Gave paper 11.00 a.m., to about 35 people. Val Plumwood and William Grey
were there; he was William Godfrey-Smith.
In the afternoon, rode a bus to downtown Brisbane, and walked around. Dinner at Woman's
College.