Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve.
When I think about my visit to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, in Queensland, Australia, the words, 'tranquil,' 'awe inspiring' and 'refreshing' come to mind.
This amazing subtropical rainforest which overlooks the Glass House Mountains comprises of a 55 hectare landscape. The area is a remnant of the original rainforests which once covered the Blackall Range.
It is a wonderful representation of the diversity of nature which encompasses a variety of plant, animal and birdlife, enriching all who have had the pleasure of immersing themselves in this picturesque landscape.
The Mary Cairncross Reserve has been referred to as, "The natural jewel of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland," and I can attest to that after spending a relaxed and enjoyable couple of hours far, far away from the restraints, congestion and disruptive sounds of all things urban.
Before one enters this fabulous forest of Australian flora and fauna, they can take advantage of the informative multi-sensory, interactive educational displays in the Rainforest Discovery Centre and enjoy the superb views of the Glass House Mountains from the viewing platform with lift access available.
This $4.7million facility was officially opened on 27 February 2017 by the Governor of Queensland, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC. Friendly volunteers are always available to assist with any questions and provide information to visitors.
Visitors can fuel up at the Mountain View Café before venturing into the forest or alternatively, look forward to refreshments after their trek. For those who prefer to bring their own food, picnic tables, shelters and barbeques (with gas supplied) are available adjacent to the children's playground and the open lawn space on the property. On an average day up to 600 visitors may enter this rainforest.
A gold coin donation is requested on entry and people can book a guided tour which includes entry to this Discovery Centre. The entire reserve is a natural area and although relatively flat, the walk requires a reasonable level of fitness and is not wheelchair accessible at this stage. However, alternative walks such as the butterfly walk and glider gallery boardwalk are available.
Some of the animals you are likely to encounter are the Red-legged Pademelons. They are solitary, shy animals who are active both during the day and night, and they feed on fallen rainforest leaves and fruits. These animals are called, "wallabies with status."
People are advised not to feed any animals they may come into contact with and not to get too close to them even if they appear friendly enough. A keen observer may have the pleasure of seeing, Southern angle-headed dragons, carpet pythons, great barred frogs, or tusked frogs.
Invertebrates include Mountain freshwater crayfish, the Pink underwing moth, and the Richmond birdwing butterfly. They are one of Australia’s largest butterflies but also one of the most in need of protection and have been listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act.
Here is an image of the Cairns Birdwing butterfly which is very similar to the Richmond Birdwing butterfly but is bigger in size than the Richmond Birdwing.
This seat which blends in beautifully with its surroundings was donated by Rotary International.
The Birdlife:
Brush turkeys dart furtively across our paths and scatter soil in every direction in their search of food. They are the largest birds found in this reserve with the average adult growing up to 70cm in length and weighing over 2kgs. Brush turkeys are easily recognised by their red, bald heads and bright yellow throats which create a distinctive contrast in colour from their black bodies and tail.
This is an image of a typical Brush Turkey.
Green Cat Bird: It was the first time I'd heard the sound of these birds who prefer to hang out in the upper portions of the trees. Their distinctive call is mistaken for a wailing baby or a cat howling, and they can be heard throughout the day.
Noisy Pitta Birds are conspicuously coloured for little ground birds who are vulnerable to predation. Their gorgeous plumage includes electric blue shoulders, green wings, yellow breast feathers, with pink/red tails and chestnut coloured ‘hats’.
These birds are found along the Australian east coast and up into Papua New Guinea, preferring tropical and sub-tropical rainforests, and dry and wet schleropyll.
Paradise Rifle birds characterised by their loud calls and elusive appearances. They are related to the bird of paradise group of Papua New Guinea.
Both birds measure approximately 28 - 30cm but being a sexually dimorphic species, the female and male birds have very different appearances.
The adult male is black with an iridescent blue-green crown and breast. During their elaborate courtship ritual, its black wings are raised and the oily blue-green under-feathers are revealed. The colour of the adult females feathers are rufous-brown above with light-cinnamon underparts which are patterned with dark brown chevrons.
I would have loved to have spotted an adult bowerbird with their brilliant gold and black markings and would have been equally enthralled to see the inconspicuous mottled brown female, but alas, they were nowhere to be seen. Which is not surprising as they
are rather shy birds who feed on fruit in the taller rainforest trees which include native tamarind and the giant stinging tree.
The beautiful Rose Crowned Fruits doves didn't make an appearance either but I have had the pleasure of capturing these tropical dweller in another Queensland rainforest and here is a collage of these birds.
Wompoo fruit doves are large, loud and colourful but they were out of sight that day too, but apparently they prefer to remain hidden. They make up for their absence because their deep, reverberating calls can be heard up to 1km away.
A keen observer may have the pleasure of seeing, Southern angle-headed dragons, carpet pythons, great barred frogs, or tusked frogs.
The Flying Foxes:
In fact 17 different species of bats occupy areas of Mary CairnCross reserve. From the minute blossom bat (the size of a persons thumb) to the larger 1 kg grey-headed, flying fox who is classified as a mega-bat, they are identified by the red ring around their necks and their brown/red fur coating. Their undersides are flecked with lighter grey-browns.
Squirrel gliders can be spotted from time to time in the mid-story canopies. These arboreal marsupials rarely venture to the forest floor. They nest in tree hollows or in the broken boughs of mature trees, particularly eucalypts.
The membrane of skin that stretches between the front and hind legs of Gliders enables them to glide reasonable distances between trees.
Amongst the plant life you will find:
Bleeding heart trees. These fast-growing forest pioneers are favoured in forest regeneration and belong in the Euphorbiaceae family, which is one of the most diverse flora groups in the plant kingdom.
Black Apple trees are a favourite with the rainforest fauna. These tropical fruit trees belong to the Sapotaceae family and are characterized by their large, thick, black-skinned fruit that contains stringy white flesh.
Blue quandong trees are known as the true giants of the forest, as they extend to the very top of the canopy. They are rapid growing trees and are popular in forest revegetation, their canopies provide necessary cover and enable many other species to thrive.
Blue quandongs are easily identified with their unusual red-pink leaves which create a noticeable contrast to the majority of green rainforest foliage.
Caronia vines are found mainly in the understorey of the rainforest. They are one of few vines that choose to ‘scramble’ across the forest floor rather then reaching for the top of the canopy. The carronia vine is important in the fact that it is the only known food source for the larvae of the endangered Pink Underwing Moth and Mary Cairncross is the only confirmed breeding location for this species.
Cunjevoi is sometimes referred to as ‘native elephant ear’. Cunjevoi grows up to two metres in height with unusually large, fleshy, spade-shaped leaves. Each leaf blade can grow up to one metre long. The leaves are an important host for at least four species of hawk moth.
The giant stinging tree or ‘gimpi gimpi’ is part of the Urticaceae family in Australia. Gimpi gimpi is understood to be a Kabi Kabi word meaning 'devil.' Fittingly, this massive rainforest tree can grow up to 40m tall and is characterized by its smooth-tubed trunk and buttressed base.
The Lawyer cane vine is a climbing palm and more commonly referred to ‘wait-a-while’. It is endemic to Queensland and has caught many an unsuspecting walker by surprise, hence its reputation.
If a person brushes up against this spiky palm, the prickles and hooks latch onto their clothing or skin, and entangles the person, so of course, they are condemned to ‘wait a while,' before removing themselves from this uncomfortable situation. (lol)
Macadamia Nut Trees: The woody nuts produced by these trees have edible seeds which are high in monounsaturated fatty acids. The shell of their close relative, (the commercially produced Macadamia integrifolia) is dimpled and rough in texture. Macadamia Nut Trees were one of the first native species to be grown by non-Indigenous Australians as a commercial crop.
Native Ginger plants contain small, cream-white flowers, which are followed by large bunches of attractive blue fruits. Local Aboriginal peoples (Jinibara and Kabi Kabi) eat the spicy flesh of this fruit by peeling back the blue skin and throw away the seed. This fruit used to be so popular, and in fact, it is reported that if you got lost, you could find your way back by following the trail of these blue skin peelings.
The native tamarind is plentiful in Eastern Australia. It is a member of the Sapindaceae family growing up to 35m high and characterized by its large, ‘sausage’ shaped leaflets which are coated in rust-coloured hairs, proving a velvet appearance.
Red Cedar Trees. It pays to look up when trekking through the Mary Cairncross rainforest because these hardwood giants are an awesome sight. Their grey-brown trunk and branches are often covered with clumps of orchids, mosses, lichens and iconic ferns such as exotic staghorns and elkhorns.
Native deciduous trees are not common in the Australian landscape. The red cedar sheds its leaves during winter months, layering the forest floor with a dense carpet whilst providing the perfect habitat for leaf litter-dwelling lizards and insects. Red cedars look magnificent during the Spring season with their brilliant, red regrowth.
Other notable plants located here are a variety of ferns, red lily pily plants, roseleaf raspberries, sandpaper figs, white beech, and Wonga Vines.
Amongst some of the natural hazards one should be aware of when exploring this rainforest are: The giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa) can give a painful sting and long-lasting rash if touched.
Leeches. These unpleasant creatures are more active during wet weather.
A variety of snakes call The Mary Cairncross reserve home...…..and some are venomous. We are advised to.
"Please stay on the path and give them room to move."
"With Pleasure," I say.
Trapdoor spiders and ticks also live in the reserve. (I wish I'd known that before I visited.) They belong to a small family called Ctenizidae and are named for the unique house-doors they construct over their burrows, created by using a mixture of soil, vegetation and silk.
Some parts of the walking trail is quite rough with stones and tree roots presenting obstacles if one is not observant.
Fungi familiar to the Mary Cairncross reserve are Anenome stinkhorn, otherwise called sea anemone fungus and starfish fungus because their fruiting body bears a remarkable resemblance to these sea creatures.
The fungi images which I found in this rainforest are not the ones I have added here and unfortunately I have not been able to identify them but whatever they are, they seem to thrive in this environment.
Earthstars which are named because of the shape of their fruiting body. After a rainy spell or humid weather, the rays of fungi flesh spread out into a star shape which exposes a circular white/grey spore sac in the centre.
Red waxcap mushrooms are a type of agaric or gilled mushroom and they belong to the family Hygrophoraceae. Like most fungi, they prefer shade and moist soil and their red waxcap has a dark, rich red stalk and top. Their gills are yellow closer to the stem and they have a white glow around the outer edge.
Ruby Bonnets are characterized by their bright red caps which grow uo to 2cm in diameter on top of a slender stem. They grow in clusters and are found in decaying wood or tree bases where the trunk meets the earth just like these fungi plants I came across on my walk.
I mentioned at the beginning of this blog about the views to the Glasshouse mountains which can be seen from across the road from the reserve. So of course, I had to share these images with you. Views such as these, look all the more magnificent on a fine day.
The distinctive glasshouse Mountains are situated on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and consist of a group of thirteen hills with the highest one being, Mount Beerwah. They range from 123m to 556m, so although they are not ‘mountainous’ they are impressive when viewing them from up close.
The Glass House Mountains were named by Captain James Cook in 1770 because to him, they reminded him of glass factory furnace stacks back home in Yorkshire, England.
There are bike and walking tracks and many people love the challenge of rock climbing or abseiling the different aspects. These rugged volcanic peaks are listed on the Queensland and National heritage registers due to their cultural importance and links to the Aboriginal owners. The area used to be a place to gather for both ceremonies and trading and a few original sites remain.
And before I go...…..here is my 
THANK YOU FOR VIEWING. HAVE A GREAT DAY.
