Crookhaven Lighthouse views and Jervis Bay NP mushrooms : May 25 2024

Had an itching for fish and chips by the beach for a while. How to combine that with an orchid hunt? Well I discovered that the app I use for plant ID - iNaturaliste - allows you to search for species by picking places on a map. Tapped in Culburra Beach and went looking

Plan was to walk and then buy fish and chips. Missed the first turn to where the orchids are and landed up at Crookhaven Lighthouse. Walked to the lighthouse and got this fab view of Coolangatta Mountain over the mouth of the Crookhaven River

Australian rosemary on the way - does not have the tang of rosemary

Native violet

View north from the lookout

Took a while to work out how to get this photo of the butterfly above the lookout. Eventually climbed on the railings and sat on the corner to get the photo. Zoom in and you will find there are two doing what was not going to be disturbed by the photographer

View across to Greenwell Point

The old lighthouse building - the light tower is gone. Interesting location as there is no road access - just the track I walked up. Tough job getting supplies in

Nice framing for this view south to Currarong

The long view down past Point Perpendicular with the fishermen working the flat rock ledges below

Changed the plan. Stopped for fish and chips in Culburra Beach and checked the maps. Did find the bush access off Canal Street - the orchids are along this trail

Mushrooms there were. Track edges look quite overgrown with stuff the orchids do not do well against. And it was wet

Did find a way to cross this puddle - keep left did it

Next was a creek crossing - the beach is just 75 metres to the right. Time to turn back. Got back to the car and checked a few roads down to the water. All dead ends. There is a large biodiversity stewardship site either side of the road. The orchids are in there - need to find who to get permission from.

Turned onto Forest Road which cuts through Jervis Bay NP. Picked one trail to walk - Pipeline Rd

More mushrooms. Pipeline Rd was not good for orchids - big made up trail with wode verges - no orchids. Did take the first side trail heading down to the creek

A creek that was crossable

Found greenhood rosettes just past the creek - good rainforest

Budding greenhood - two weeks to opening

Mushrooms in purple

A cluster of bonnet orchid leaves

Acinathus orchid leaves - none flowering

Seeded bonnet orchids - sorry for lack of focus but the photo is for the records

Mushroom looks like a sesame seed bun

A different shape for a mushroom - still showing its bullet shape and starting to flatten out

Next photo shows the foldng up like the sails of Sydney Opera house - good view of the underside

Back to Pipeline Rd. Tall lopped trees. Well made road with a heaped verge. Any orchids that were there did not survive.

Did cross the other side of Forest Road to walk the trail down to the creek - more chance of finding orchids as the verge is not as worked. Maybe for the summer

End the photo journal with mini mushrooms. Was a quiet place to walk apart from the noise of traffic. Not a lot of bird life.

Ends the orchid drives for this trip down south. Heading back to Sydney tomorrow. My wife comes home Monday

Dinner: Put the airfryer to work to redo leftover - pizza from.a few days back and today's fish and chips. Stayed up late - watched AFL and then the 2nd last stage of Giro d'Italia

This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking