Noosa National Park

Author: Pamela Watson, NPSC Excursions

Photos: Spenser Shaw

Published: Journal December 2021

Native Plants Sunshine Coast visit to Noosa Headland section of the Noosa National Park, 11th July, 2021

According to the Noosa Park Project Management Team, the area of the Noosa Headland section is 545 hectares.

On a windy but fine Sunday morning fourteen excursionists gathered for an exploration of the flora in the above national park. Our guides were Robert Price and Joan Heavey, and Robert gave us a short explanation of the history and geology of the area before we headed off.

History

The first inhabitants of the area were the Gubbi Gubbi people, thought to be from about 40,000 years ago. In 1872 approximately 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares), encompassing the areas today known as Noosa Heads and Noosaville and the section from Sunshine Beach to Peregian Beach inland to Lake Weyba and Doonan, was set aside as a reserve for Aboriginal Mission Purposes by proclamation of the Queensland Government. In 1877 the Aboriginal mission on the western shore of Lake Weyba, which was established by Methodist missionary Reverend Edward Fuller, was closed. This was the only site known to have been used as an Aboriginal mission in the Noosa area.

In November, 1878 the Aboriginal Reserve was cancelled with the announcement that 1,700 acres (378 hectares) would be opened for selection from 15th January, 1879 at the price of seven shillings and sixpence (75 cents) per acre, and 8,250 acres (1,833 hectares) would be surveyed for auction. About 1,300 acres (526 hectares), or what is now mostly the Noosa National Park, was reserved for a township at Noosa Heads.

It was briefly logged illegally in 1881 for Kauri Pine Agathis robusta and Beech Gmelina leichhardtii, possibly the only time timber was taken from the site. Part of the Noosa Town Reserve became a national park in 1939 but only covering the high ground. In the early 1960s, Noosa Council and T M Burke planned to build a road right around the coastline to allow residential and commercial development.

In reaction, the Noosa Parks Association was formed and, led by Dr Arthur Harrold, “the next ten years was a battle to get the whole headland gazetted into a national park”. More recently, a loop road and car park were proposed for the area we walked today but fortunately this was also prevented.

Geology

On the more sheltered, northern side of the Headland Section of Noosa National Park and containing the southern-most occurrence of Kauri Pines Agathis robusta, is true rainforest, probably aided by the fact that Laguna Hill is of volcanic origin and provides plentiful nutrients. However, the headlands and Noosa Hill, the higher at 147 metres, are sandstone and have trapped sand blown ashore by the prevailing southeasterlies. This sand originates in the rivers of Northern NSW, is swept north by ocean currents and supports the vegetation we saw today.

The Coastal Track – The northern shore has an intrusive body of quartz from the Jurassic age, surrounding predominately Myrtle Creek Sandstone. Noosa Hill – Sandstone surrounded by high sand dunes. Tea Tree Bay – Sandstone stained with iron hydroxides deposited from ground water springs. Granite Bay – The boulders are of diorite and quartz, round grey boulders.

The walk and the plants

The start of the track was dominated by a canopy of Brush Box Lophostemon confertus and Pink Bloodwood Corymbia intermedia with an understorey of, among
others, a large leaved version Chain Fruit Alyxia ruscifolia, small groves of Denhamia Denhamia celastroides, various acacias (flavescens, maidenii, myrtifolia, penninervis, suaveolens, ulicifolia), Hairy Psychotria Psychotria loniceroides, Forest or Wallum Grasstree Xanthorrhoea johnsonii and X. macronema, and Cheese Trees Glochidion ferdinandi and sumatranum. It was here that two specimens of Coral Fungi were photographed, one a mellow yellow, the other a dull orange.

Moving up the first sand dune the groundcover was almost reduced to zero until we reached the eastern side and we began to see Native Sarsaparilla Hardenbergia violacea, Smilax S. australis and S. glyciphylla, Coastal Cypress Pine Callitris columellaris and Wallum Banksia Banksia aemula with Little Wattle Birds feeding on the flowers. It was around here that Spencer Shaw spotted something not on the species list, Canary Beech Polyalthia
nitidissima. Also not on the list was what seemed to be Casuarina glauca growing in an unusually dry spot.

Further along we came across Black She-oak Allocasuarina littoralis, Fraser Island or Beach Apple Acronychia imperforata and, as sounds of the ocean and the effects of the sea wind became more apparent, the B. aemula was in an almost shrub-like form. In a heath-like area was Blackeyed Susan Tetratheca thymifolia in flower, Branched Comb Fern Schizaea dichotoma, and Rice Flower Pimelea linifolia in both white and pink forms. Eagle-eyed Joan Heavey found several Flying Duck Orchids Caleana major, one with a flower spike.

Also seen were three species of Lomandra (L. elongata, laxa, multiflora), Homoranthus virgatus, Bossiaea ensata, Bossiaea heterophylla, Platylobium formosum, Gompholobium virgatum var.
virgatum, Daviesia umbellulata, Dillwynia retorta, Hibbertia linearis, H. vestita, H. acicularis.

Two more plants to be added to the species list were Snake Orchid Cymbidium suave and Muttonwood Myrsine variabilis. A couple of uncommon plants flowering nicely were Styphelia viridis subsp. breviflora and Jacksonia stackhousei.
All in all a wonderful morning in a slow-moving pack of flora enthusiasts, still learning and still appreciating the surprising variety of this part of the Sunshine Coast.