Into the forests

 The day dawned with more wind-driven rain. When we reached our first stop, a water fall nestled in a temperate rain forest, a strange thing happened— the sun came out! It was a short walk to the falls, about 400 m. It was a very tranquil spot with a warm sun filtering through the forest.  On our way back to the parking lot, two eastern kangaroos were on the trail.  They stood there for quite some time trying to decide what to do.  They could not simply leave the trail because the slope to either side was too steep.  In the end they retreated back down the path to a spot with a shallower incline.  Our second stop was at another falls, in a second-growth forest recovering from a history of logging. It was nice but not a serene as the first, nor were there any roos.  After lunch we went to an old growth rain forest.  The natural beauty, particularly the scale of the ancient eucalyptus and tree ferns, was humbling. 

The final stop was at a small (2 km diameter) sanctuary with a perimeter predator fence. The area inside the fence was entirely open, some wooded and some grassy. We were able to enter after the sanctuary had officially closed, so it was a private tour at a time when the animals were beginning to emerge for the evening. We saw emus, koalas, kangaroos, two kinds of swamp wallaby, a pademelon, a bandicoot and a potoroo. Both bandicoots and potoroo are small fungivores. Their digging in the soil loosens the soil, enabling better growth for plants. Naturalists believe that the decline in the number of species of this kind, added to the compaction of the soil by hoofed animals like cows and sheep, may contribute to the severity of wildfires in Australia.  

The highlight of the day came towards the end of our sanctuary walk: a second potoroo, this one with a young (1-2 month) Joey that climbed in and out of the pouch incessantly. Even the local sanctuary staff had never seen a potoroo joey before. 

We had dinner at the restaurant of our lodge again tonight.  The restaurant is outstanding.  There are many Greek inspired items on the menu.  Since we ate there for two night we got to sample a few of the fabulous entrees (appetizers) and mains.  There were still a couple items on the menu we wanted to try, but we are leaving in the morning.

Pictured: Southern Brown Bandicoot, Potoroo with Joey, Roos on the trail, Swamp Wallaby