Thursday 1/2/2024   Mersey Bluff – Back Beach – Devonport Cycle and Walking Track – Don Reserve – Don River Loop Track – Coastal Pathway – Coles Beach

                                        Mersey Bluff State Reserve, lutruwita / TASMANIA

                                        Punnilerpanner Country                                  

Participants:  Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Geri Louis, John Louis 

We initially headed off for what I thought was a walk around Mersey Bluff but it soon turned into something longer. The walk around the Bluff was pleasant with some great views. The lighthouse was quite picturesque against the blue skies so we decided to venture further.

Download file: 20240201.gpx                         Track Info

 

We continued our walk along Back Beach where the walking was quite pleasant and we soon joined the trail following the Don River Railway. The historic train line (commenced in the 1870’s) was in operation today, so we were able to watch some trains passing. The bush through which the train and the path pass is predominantly tall Melaleuca making an impressive overhead arch in places. We walked along a section of the Don River before turning back and returning along Coles Beach.

As it was intended to be a shorter walk we hadn’t carried any water or supplies so we went straight back to the Cafe overlooking Bluff Beach for a well-earned lunch.

Photos

 

Geri’s Dairy Entry for the Day

“It was windy through the right again and windy all day again getting stronger as the day progressed.

I went for a walk to lighthouse before breakfast. Lovely light on the beach and rocks. Quite warm and windless in the lee of headland. Great bicycle, walking running track..

After breakfast we all walked to lighthouse. (Sue and Steve had already been for an 8 km run towards the ‘Spirit’). This short walk after breakfast ended up being a 10km walk. Weary legs and thirsty by the time we finished, but a lovely walk nonetheless, taking in the lighthouse, Tragarra walking track, Back Beach,  Coles beach, the Don Railway walking track along the Don River and through the Limilinaturi Reserve and back again.

Lunch at the Drift cafe, down by the beach adjacent to caravan park.

Sightings today: padymelons, blue tongue lizard, European Goldfinch, superb fairy wrens, silvereyes hen brown grey fantails, a long nose potoroo (maybe) or bandicoot kookaburra, wattlebird, Golden Whistles, native bee, bumblebee. – also watched the  Don Reserve scenic train.

The Don Reserve Paperbark swamp forest and the Don Reserve Eucalyptus ovata forest and woodland very enjoyable to stroll through. Grocery shopping after lunch followed by a read and snooze, dinner, then a sketch down on the foreshore;

Went for a short walk next morning, Bluff access Red, Tiagarra Ahoriginal & Culture Centre, and back down cycle walking track and the lighthouse.”

 

Information on Parks Tasmania signage along the way

Welcome to the Don Reserve Eucalyptus ovata forest and woodland

The local landscape features, geology, scenic highlights, flora, fauna, indigenous history, white history and other walks in the area 

A critically endangered vegetation community

Over 90% of Eucalyptus ovata forest and woodland has been lost since white settlement, largely due to clearing for agriculture and what remains is scattered across the state but mainly in the north and east and is limited to small patches.

The total area of the community in Tasmania is approximately 2800 ha. Only 100 ha is estimated to remain within the Devonport municipality and 32 ha in the Don Reserve. Old-growth stands are now extremely rare. This vegetation community occurs only in Tasmania.

Since 2019, it has been nationally listed as a critically endangered vegetation community under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act 1999). It is also listed as an endangered community under the Tasmanian Nature Conservation Act 2002).

What does it look like?

The dominant tree which forms the canopy of this community is the swamp gum (Eucalyptus ovata). It can be recognised by its smooth trunk which can be whitish or streaked with greys and browns. The base of the trunk is rough and scaly. The bark on the upper trunk and branches sheds annually, peeling in long thick ribbons. The leaves on young trees are quite round as the name suggests, often with undulations but in mature trees the leaves are longer, and more lance-shaped. Look for a fallen branchlet and observe the flower buds. Swamp gum buds are usually in clusters of 5 to 7 whereas the white gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) which can look similar to a tree, has flower buds in groups of just 3.

In the Don reserve an understorey of Paperbark (Melalouca ericifolia) can often be seen, and usually, the ground layer is a mix of sedges and related grasslike plants which grow in poor drainage situations.

Tall sword sedge (Lepidosperma elatius), cutting grass (Gahnia grandis) and long-leaf sedge (Carex appressa) are the most common.

Where to see

The Don Reserve has important patches of this vegetation community along several walking tracks and there are also important areas of this community around the shoreline of the Don River estuary where it often co-occurs with estuarine saltmarsh which is another nationally threatened vegetation community.

Important habitat

Eucalyptus ovata forest, is an important habitat for the swift parrot which feeds on the nectar-rich blossoms when the trees are in flower. Large old trees that contain hollows are also very important nesting habitats for these birds along with other hollow-dependent bird species. If walking in the reserve in Spring and Summer, listen for their talkative calls as they’re very elusive.

Two species of pardalotes can be observed in the Reserve, the spotted and the striated. These birds have beaks specifically designed to pluck lerps from the leaves of eucalypts. Lerps are a sugary scale-like protective cover that is formed by an insect called a psyllid and is a high energy food source for the pardalotes. Both species require hollows for nesting, in the branches and trunks of trees but also in burrows dug into loose ground or embankments.

Potoroo and two species of bandicoots the Southern brown bandicoot and Eastern-barred bandicoot, are nocturnal animals that rest and shelter in tussocks and dense ground layer vegetation during the day.

All three species are very susceptible to disturbance and predation during the daytime in the reserve and all three are at risk of local extinction if these threats persist. It is critically important for the health and welfare of these precious animals that all dogs being walked in the reserve are always kept on their leads.

 

Meet the Eastern-barred bandicoot

Perameles gunnii subsp. gunnii

The Eastern-barred bandicoot is a small to medium-sized bandicoot weighing about 800gm. Its coat colour is grey, brown to buff above and paler underneath. It has 2 to 4 distinctive darker bands of colour across the rump which clearly distinguishes this species from the more common brown bandicoot. Its ears are also larger and more pointed than the brown’s and it also has a pointed nose. It has long claws on the forefeet for digging and it also has a short whitish tail which helps to distinguish it from the potoroo.

HABITAT The preferred natural habitat of the Eastern-barred bandicoot is native grasslands and grassy woodlands which were originally widespread in the Tasmanian midlands, the species original habitat and home range.

Since white settlement and the associated clearing and sheep grazing for agriculture, the species has become rare in the midlands, but the bandicoot has extended its range into other parts of the state where it can be found in areas of low-intensity agriculture and rough pasture, and peri urban, low-density residential areas.

WHAT DO THEY EAT? Eastern-barred bandicoots are primarily insectivorous and invertebrate larvae and earthworms are important part of their diet. They also dig for our truffle-like fungi, and they are an important dispersal agent for the spores of these fungi. They will also feed on small bulbs and tubers as well as other plant material.

THEIR ECOLOGICAL ROLE Our native digging marsupials are important in maintaining the ecological balance and biodiversity within the vegetation communities in which they live. The localised disturbances from bandicoot diggings provide niches for native herb-like plants to establish amongst the more competitive grasses.

THE BREEDING CYCLE Eastern-barred bandicoots can breed throughout the year but usually between late May through to March, but it is quite dependent on prevailing seasonal conditions and food availability, and an individual female can breed several times in any one season. They have a rear opening pouch and can have 1 to 5 young but usually 2 or 3 in a litter. The young remain in the pouch for 55 days and become independent after 3 months. Adults are relatively short lived with an average lifespan of 2 to 3 years.

OBSERVATION Like most of our native mammals the Eastern-barred bandicoot is largely nocturnal and can be difficult to observe in natural habitats unless they have been flushed from cover. They move on all feet but can have a bounding action. Signs of their presence are the narrow conical holes that they dig when foraging. Their scats are firm cylindrical pellets with pointy ends 1-3cm long, often broken into 2 or 3 pieces.

The areas within the Don Reserve where Eastern barred bandicoots are most likely to be observed are around the aquatic centre and at the northern end near the Don College where there are open grassy areas associated with nearby dense ground layer vegetation.

THREATS IN THE DON RESERVE Bandicoots such as the Eastern-barred, are very vulnerable to predation and disturbance by both dogs and cats, including uncontained domestic cats as well as feral and stray animals. The potential impacts of ongoing predation are obvious and can lead to local extinctions over a relatively short period of time in a land-locked ‘island’ such as the Don Reserve.

Not as obvious is the impacts on ground-dwelling animals from the frequent disturbances from off-lead dogs which can also over a period risk local extinctions in restricted areas of habitat.

 

Welcome to the Don Reserve Paperbark swamp forest

A threatened vegetation community

Paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) swamp forests were once widespread in poorly drained near coastal locations right along the north-west coast including around Devonport but very little now remains and the small remnants that do remain are small, and the patches tend to be scattered or isolated. The total area of the community in Tasmania is estimated to be about 8,900 ha with just 20 ha remaining within the Devonport municipality and only 9 ha within the Don Reserve. It is now considered to be a threatened vegetation community and is listed as a rare and endangered community under the Tasmanian Nature Conservation Act 2002. Mature old-growth formation of this community is particularly rare.

What does it look like?

Paperbark swamp forest is a distinctive vegetation community with a dense, dark green and closed canopy of fine leaves above a dense stand of trunks as the trees reproduce by suckering. The trunks have the typical papery bark of the species. The dense closed canopy results in quite dense shading which limits the growth of understorey and ground layer plants. Quite often the understorey only consists of sedges such as cutting grass (Gahnia grandis), longleaf sedge (Carex appressa) and the sword sedge (Lepidosperma elatius).

Where to see

Paperbark swamp forests can be found in poorly drained locations, such as the margins of swamps and lagoons, around the shoreline of estuaries and as fringing vegetation around coastal saltmarshes.

In the Don Reserve swamp forest can be seen in several wooded areas which have impeded drainage and around the shoreline of the Don River estuary.

The paperbark also occurs as the main understorey tree in the Eucalyptus ovata forest which is the other threatened vegetation community which occurs in the Don Reserve.

Important habitat

Ringtail possums construct dreys or nests in the dense canopy as daytime shelters and sleeping quarters. Sacred kingfisher perches in the low branches overhanging the Don estuary shoreline. The yellowtailed black cockatoo is a regular visitor to the Don Reserve.

Meet the long-nosed potoroo

Potorous tridactylus subsp. apicalis

The potoroo is our second smallest marsupial macropod weighing in at about 1.3kg. The species name means three-toed, tri = three and dactylus = toe. It has dark grey fur, a hunched appearance when stationary and moves quickly on its hind legs. It has a long, tapered nose that is bare of fur, long sharp front claws for digging and a longish prehensile tail, usually with a white tip. Like most marsupials, they have a pouch in which to raise their offspring.

HABITAT The potoroo in Tasmania can be found in a wide range of vegetation types including many forms of eucalypt forests and woodlands and heathlands and swamplands, but their main habitat requirements include a dense canopied understorey/ shrub layer as well as a dense vegetation cover at ground level comprising native clumping plants such as matt rush or sword sedges, ground ferns such as bracken, and small ground level shrubs through which it forms a network of well-defined runways.

The dense ground layer vegetation provides shelter, cover and security, and during the daytime, they will shelter in a well-concealed’ squat under grass-like clumps. The retention of the ground layer vegetation within the Don Reserve is critical as habitat for the potoroo.

WHAT DO THEY EAT? Underground fruiting fungi (truffle-like) figure prominently in the potoroo diet, but they also eats roots, tubers and bulbs, fruits, seeds and other plant material as well as insects and their larva.

THEIR ECOLOGICAL ROLE The mycorrhizal fungi on which the potoroo feed are critical to the ecological health of forest ecosystems and the potoroo disperses spores of these fungi throughout their territory in their droppings after feeding on the truffles. Potoroos are considered to be ecosystem engineers and are critical to the ongoing ecological health of a forest ecosystem. The loss of digging mammals such as the potoroo is recognised as contributing to the loss of ecosystem function across Australia and the Don Reserve is no exception.

THE BREEDING CYCLE The potoroo in Tasmania has two breeding periods in a year, winter and early spring and late summer depending on the prevailing seasonal conditions. They give birth to a single joey which remains in the pouch for 4 months.

OBSERVATION The potoroo is a nocturnal animal and quite difficult to observe but occasionally one will be seen foraging in a small clearing usually late on a winter’s day or in the early morning.

Usually, it is a fleeting observation as the animal heads for the cover of nearby vegetation. They are more likely to be seen within the Don Reserve where areas of ground-level vegetation have been retained. The white-tipped tail can often be seen as it disappears, and this will confirm the observation.

Potoroos are active diggers, foraging for fungi and invertebrates and their holes can be an important indicator of their presence. Their diggings are usually more rounded and shallower than holes made by bandicoots. Their scats are cylindrical to oval pellets about 2cm long and can often be seen near their digging holes.

DISTRIBUTION The Tasmanian subspecies of long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus subsp. apicalis) occur only in Tasmania and on the Bass Strait Islands. The potoroo is still widespread in suitable habitats in most areas of the state, but loss of habitat is an issue in many locations.

CONSERVATION STATUS The Tasmanian subspecies of the long-nosed potoroo is wholly protected. The mainland subspecies however are listed as vulnerable under the Commonwealth EPBC Act due to the loss and degradation of their habitat and predation by foxes, feral cats and dogs.

THREATS IN THE DON RESERVE The ground-dwelling animals that live in the land-locked Don Reserve face numerous threats to their ongoing survival. The reserve is a popular walking area for local residents, including dog walkers. Off-lead dogs are a significant threat to the nocturnal animals in the reserve, including the potoroo, As well as the direct threat of predation. 

 

The local landscape features, geology, scenic highlights, flora, fauna, indigenous history, white history and other walks in the area (Gemini)

• Mersey Bluff State Reserve, nestled on Tasmania’s north-eastern coast, unveils a captivating blend of dramatic landscapes, from towering sea cliffs and secluded beaches to lush rainforests and heathland plateaus. This haven for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts boasts a unique geological history, diverse ecosystems teeming with flora and fauna, and remnants of its rich cultural heritage.
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• Landscape Features:
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• Rugged Coastline: The reserve’s defining characteristic is its awe-inspiring coastline, stretching over 12 kilometres and showcasing towering dolerite cliffs sculpted by millions of years of erosion. The sheer cliffs and rocky outcrops, reaching up to 80 meters in height, create a sense of power and grandeur.
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• Beaches and Caves: Sheltered coves boast pristine white sand beaches like Little Beach, perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and exploring rockpools teeming with marine life. Sea caves, like the fascinating Fossil Cove, add to the coastal intrigue. 
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• Rainforests and Heathlands: Inland, pockets of lush rainforests, dominated by towering eucalypts, tree ferns, and ancient sassafras trees, cloak the slopes, offering a tranquil contrast to the coastal scenery. Windswept heathlands blanket the plateaus, showcasing low-growing shrubs like tea-tree and banksias.
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• Lookouts and Rock Formations: Several lookout points, like the aptly named Remarkable Point and the Bluff Lookout, offer panoramic vistas of the coastline, beaches, and hinterland. Unique rock formations like the Tesselated Pavement, featuring geometric patterns etched by weathering, add to the geological wonders. 
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• Geology:
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• The dramatic landscapes of Mersey Bluff State Reserve are a testament to its ancient geological history. Dolerite columns, formed from cooling lava flows approximately 180 million years ago, dominate the coastline and create the impressive cliffs and rock formations. Subsequent erosion by waves, wind, and glaciers sculpted the diverse coastal features, heathlands, and valleys we see today.
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• Scenic Highlights:
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• Clifftop Walks: Hike along scenic clifftop tracks like the Bluff Trail or the Little Beach Circuit, enjoying breathtaking coastal vistas, dramatic rock formations, and diverse vegetation. 
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• Secluded Beaches: Explore hidden coves and pristine beaches like Little Beach, accessible by footpaths, and relax on the soft sand while listening to the waves and spotting marine life in the rockpools.
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• Rainforest Walks: Immerse yourself in the cool, green embrace of the rainforests along tracks like the Tesselated Pavement Track, discovering towering trees, ferns, and unique plant life.
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• Fossil Cove Exploration: Explore the fascinating Fossil Cove, accessible at low tide, and discover fossilised imprints of ancient creatures embedded in the rock faces, offering a glimpse into Tasmania’s prehistoric past.
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• Sunrise or Sunset over the Coast: Witness the magical play of light and shadow as the sun paints the cliffs, beaches, and rock formations in warm hues, creating a truly unforgettable spectacle.
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• Local Flora:
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• The diverse habitats within Mersey Bluff State Reserve support a rich variety of plant life:
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• Coastal Heathlands: Low-growing shrubs like tea-tree (Leptospermum spp.), banksias (Banksia spp.), and native wildflowers like coastal rosemary (Olearia axillaris) and boobialla (Myoporum insulare) thrive in the exposed areas.
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• Rainforests: Towering trees like swamp gum (Eucalyptus globulus), blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), and sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum) dominate the rainforest canopy, while the understory boasts ferns, mosses, and colourful wildflowers.
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• Coastal Scrub: Sheltered areas near beaches feature taller shrubs and small trees like coastal wattle (Acacia sophorae) and pomaderris (Pomaderris spp.).
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• Local Fauna:
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• Keep your eyes peeled for diverse Tasmanian fauna while exploring Mersey Bluff State Reserve:
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• Mammals: Spot wallabies, pademelons, and even the occasional Tasmanian devil foraging in the heathlands and forests. Look out for shy echidnas and bats emerging at dusk.
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• Birds: The reserve is a haven for birdlife, with diverse species like Eastern rosellas (Platycercus eximius), honeyeaters (Meliphagidae spp.), raptors like wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax) soaring through the skies, and seabirds like gulls and terns circling the cliffs.
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• Reptiles: Look out for basking lizards like the heath monitor (Varanus giganteus) and the mountain skink (Eulamprus heathi) on sunny rocks. Spot the spotted tree frog (Litoria punctata) near water bodies.
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• Marine Life: Explore the rockpools teeming with diverse marine life like crabs, sea stars, anemones, and small fish. Watch for dolphins and whales playing in the waters offshore.
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• Indigenous History:
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•  The traditional lands of the Palawa people encompass the Mersey Bluff State Reserve area. Evidence of their long connection to the land can be found in middens and stone artefacts scattered throughout the region. The Palawa people revere natural features like caves and lookouts as places of cultural and spiritual significance.
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• White History:
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•  European explorers first sighted the area in the early 1800s. The land was later used for grazing and timber harvesting, leaving some historical remnants within the reserve. Conservation efforts led to the establishment of Mersey Bluff State Reserve in 1967 to protect its natural and cultural values.
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• Other Walks:
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•  Mersey Bluff State Reserve offers numerous walking tracks catering to various fitness levels and interests:
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• Little Beach Circuit: A moderate 2.5-kilometre loop track leading to the secluded Little Beach and featuring coastal scenery and heathland vegetation.
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• Bluff Trail: A challenging 8-kilometre one-way track traversing clifftops, offering panoramic views and diverse landscapes.
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• Fossil Cove Track: A short and easy kilometre track leading to the fascinating Fossil Cove, showcasing geological wonders and remnants of prehistoric life.

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