New orchid finds in Illawarra SCA on the road home : October 8 2025

Heading home from Shoalhaven Heads. Mission was to wall a section of Heathcote NP not walked before - looking for sun orchids open

Turned the wrong way off the freeway - never mind - stop and walk this track in Illawarra SCA. Seen friends post orchids from these tracks

Track was not what I was hoping for. It is a sealed tar road down Boomerang Fire trail. Going to guess this was the access road to one of the now closed collieries - this flower is new to me but looks like a lantana - never seen purple and never seen them this close to ground

There was a reason for taking a wrong turn - found this orchid growing in the tar road edges - not seen it before. The reason right there

The rosette of leaves. Typically there are many more leaves which start to die away as the flowers emerge

What is it? The class is rustyhood - a check with one of my guru friends is pterostylis saxicola - Sydney Plains Rustyhood. Apparently rare but not endangered

Australian bluebell

A lot of these pink flowers along the track - most were closed - this one furthest to open

The access road - going to guess this was the old road to the coal loading port. The work to create the structure of the road nailed the orchid habitats along the side of the road

A flash of blue across the track - a lily of some sort - another to look up

Walked a side track under the powerlines - the foundation of the track is coal based - no surprise with a colliery below

Evidence. Huge lumps of coal. Takes me back - my grandfather worked 37 years underground in a UK colliery. I did one internship in an SA colliery

Hypericum happy to grow in a coal base

The best flowers were just away from the influence of the coal and the tar road base

Just like these purple fringe flowers- not quite the form I am used to

Side on. Walked part of the track down to Stanwell Dam - also a track made from old coal

Did find a budding sun orchid down that way - a few plants but no flowers open. Was warm enough. Time to turn back

A few kunzea back on the main trail

And a few more budding sun orchids - missed these on the way in. This is why I prefer out and back walking - get to see stuff one missed on the way in

Good.example these mictoris orchids - missed on the way in. ID had me stumped - the labellum is browning. The sepals outside that are the clue

This one has no burned brown labellum. Given how tight the flowers are going to suggest microtis parviflora

Always good to find orchids on a first walk on a track. Better still - find a new one - pterostylis saxicola

A different close up

Stepped back

Bought lunch at the food truck just before the U-tuen back to Sydney. Stopped in picnic area just inside Royal National Park - eat lunch and walk a bit. First orchid up was flying duck orchid

Good to find a few. Was really only thinking there would be bearded orchids -.makes this one a bonus - flying duck orchid

Hammock mode for caleana major

Lady in wating for red bearded orchid - calochilus paludosus

Full edition

Another cluster of caleana major - sleuths will spot how many in frame. Each spike is 7 or 8 inches tall. Say 4 to find

View out over Hacking River below - need to check the map to see where those houses are

Walks done - orchids found. Shopped on the way home. Made for a fruitful two days to recover a PC power supply especially with a new orchid find and buying different beer from the apple orchard

Dinner: Leftovers - my wife had a big lunch at work
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Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking, Shopping

Height 183.0 cm		Weight 90.0 kg		Body Fat %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm