Mount Buffalo

We've just explored several tracks on Mt Buffalo over two days, checking out the vegetation mainly. The mountain was looking spectacular - the rock formations alone were enough to tempt me to take hundreds of photos. We, members of the Geelong Field Naturalists Club, had a great time.

The bogs, grassy plains and Snow Gum forests were almost completely burnt in two recent fires - in January 2003 and December 2006. Snow Gum Eucalyptus pauciflora, Alpine Ash Eucalyptus delegatensis, and Mountain Gum Eucalyptus dalrympleana as well as the bogs were all badly damaged, especially because one fire followed so closely after the other. Snow Gums regenerate from the base but the Alpine Ash has to grow from seed.

We found a lot of plants flowering and everything appeared to be in good condition, but then we don't have the benefit of local knowledge to compare surveys. I found a lot of insects as well. Birds were very few and far between. Here are a few landscape views. I'll put up some pretty flower and insect photos later.

I hadn't been to Buffalo since I was a teenager. I'm not saying how long ago that was but I'm definitely not leaving it so long between visits again.