Charlie Moreland, Imbil State Forest, QLD. Revisit.

The swimming hole in Little Yabba Creek at Charlie Moreland Campground.

One of our favourite campgrounds is Charlie Moreland near Kenilworth. I wrote a blog about our last visit in December here. It is always interesting to visit campgrounds at different times of the year as the experience vary quite a bit. In December the creek crossings for the Little Yabba Creek and Piccabeen circuits had a small amount of water flowing over the stepping stones and we seemed to be the only people doing the walks. This time the stepping stones were high and dry which made for an easy crossing. We didn't see or hear any Noisy Pittas though. We didn't see any Paradise Rifflebirds on this trip either. However, large numbers of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos made quite a spectacle every afternoon as they flew past and we enjoyed watching them use the horse troughs in the horse yards next to the campground.

Antics at the horse trough.

A dry crossing over Little Yabba Creek.

Some years ago (2011 I think) we did the walk to the Mount Allan Fire Tower. Our timing was unfortunate then because alongside most of the walk the forest had very recently been raised to the ground. We toiled up and up on our way to the tower with no shade and a bleak close-up view of the destruction. Mercifully, the tower is in Conondale National Park and we had some relief from the searing sun as we got closer to the tower. Although we don't have fond memories of the walk itself the fire tower is well worth the effort as it is open to the public and we enjoyed climbing it and having a picnic at the top with great views. On this trip we had a look at the start of the walk and discovered that new trees have been planted and they have grown quite quickly so we will probably do the walk on another visit but we will wait until the weather cools down a bit more.

Near the start of the Mount Allan Fire Tower Walk

I like to keep an eye out for edible plants in case I get lost one day. I do carry a personal locator beacon so I shouldn't go hungry for too long. "Wild Food Plants of Australia" by Tim Low is an excellent book on the subject and lists native ginger Alpinia coerulea as edible. There were a few last blue fruits on the native ginger along the Little Yabba Creek Circuit. I also noticed some watercress near the start of the Mount Allan Walk. 

Wild watercress.

Native Ginger Alpinia coerulea

When we were here in December the Blackbean trees (also known as Moreton Bay Chestnuts) were in flower and now the pods were dropping on the ground. The seeds are poisonous but they were once an important Aboriginal food, however, they required intense preparation over many days before they could be consumed.

Pods and seeds of the Blackbean  Castanospermum australe

There were lots of Goannas (Lace Monitors) in the campground by day and a few Red-necked Pademelons about, especially at night.

Lace Monitor Varanus varius

Red-necked Pademelon

As in December, Brown Cuckoo-Doves were busy feeding in the campground.

Brown Cuckoo-Dove

We noticed some interesting insects on a fence post. There were lots of Leafwing butterflies about and I spent ridiculous amounts of time trying to get a photo of one with its wings open, with limited success. They may have a carefully camouflaged exterior but when they fly they transform into a glowing orange beacon.

Australian Leafwing Butterfly Doleschallia bisaltide

When the rangers did some campground maintenance with Whipper-Snippers I went down to Little Yabba Creek and watched the dragonflies dart about.

Bird List for Charlie Moreland Campground on this trip: Australian Brush Turkey, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Laughing Kookaburra, Bell Miner, Noisy Miner, Logrunner, Eastern Whipbird, Eastern Yellow Robin, Grey Shrike-thrush, Golden Whistler, Grey Fantail, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow, Red-browed Finch.