One of my favourite trees for our district is Eucalyptus woodwardii.
Native to Western Australia, this species comes from dry inland regions with low rainfall, open sunshine and well-drained soils — conditions not unlike our own here in St Arnaud. Perhaps that’s why it settles in so comfortably and performs so reliably in our climate.
With our hot summers, modest rainfall and often gravelly or sandy soils, it proves itself year after year. It establishes readily, grows quickly, copes well with dry conditions and tolerates frost without fuss.
Its growth habit is both upright and gently drooping, giving it a graceful yet sturdy presence in the landscape. The large, glaucous grey leaves — beautifully powdery and bold — stand out against our dry country backdrop.
Then come the flowers — big, brilliant yellow blossoms that light up the tree and provide valuable nectar for pollinators. At a time of year when colour can be scarce, they are a real highlight.
What I admire most is its toughness. It is truly a no-nonsense tree: resilient, adaptable and dependable. For St Arnaud gardens and landscapes, Eucalyptus woodwardii offers that rare combination of strength, beauty and practicality.
It may hail from Western Australia, but it feels perfectly at home here.
Carol.
- Jun 14, 2025
Updated: Jul 24, 2025
åIt’s on again- the season turns
Out on Border Track today 13th July 2023 to check on orchid cages and re-emergence of plants, I found a very early Long-leaf Early Nancy (Wurmbea latifolia).
This is an ordinary Early Nancy- female plant- note the purple band.
Below is the very early Early Nancy- Wurmbea latifolia (today) with female flowers- no purple band.
Also flowering was Clematis microphylla.
Like Wurmbea, this species has separate male and female plants so the 3 that I know of out here in the National Park are either too far apart to pollinate or are all of the same sex . I have never found either seed or new plants- a case for a bit of a replant to boost the chances.
Near the last of the orchid cages was a small colony of Pterostylis robusta, protected from the busy mouths of the wallabies by fallen branches.
Large Striped Greenhood,
On 7th July my Golden Wattle was flowering-this is about the earliest I have recorded.
That’s all from Carapooee West and the Kara Kara National Park north end
Anne.
- Dec 22, 2019
Updated: Feb 9
As you travel down Centre Rd from St Arnaud you notice the lack of understorey vegetation in many places.
Trees, yes, although few are older than 90 years due to extensive felling for timber up until the late 1990s.
A few are thick with Golden Wattle and Grey Everlasting; these are areas that have been burnt over the last 20 years.
Monitoring by the Club over a 10 year period showed little increase in the species in the burnt areas,a total of maybe 5, including Gorse Bitter-pea and a couple of lilies while the unburnt sides contained up to 30 floral species.
Despite over 100 years of sheep grazing (up until 1996) mining and timber felling and the grazing pressure from increasing numbers of kangaroos, small patches of quite rich floral diversity can still be found.
One such patch on Shearing Shed Rd is on the top of an ironbark ridge and small treasures such as Blue Pincushions, Blue Finger Flower and Grass Triggerplant and are abundant within maybe, a 4 acre plot.
Blue Finger Flower Cheiranthera cyanea- the fingers refer to the arrangement of the stamens- like a hand.
This plant of the Goldfields is nowhere common now.
Blue Pincushions Brunonia australis
A Raspwort species - I don't know which- easily overlooked as it is quite small but the hot pink flowers are intriguing
Grass Triggerplant- Stylidium graminifolium- rare now on the Range, it can be seen in greater numbers in the Wax Garden
Of course, Bursaria is flowering madly- I always think of it and Buloke Mistletoe as the Christmas Bushes of the Box-Ironbark forests.
Sweet Bursaria Bursaria spinosa with its seed capsules forming
Another small patch of rich diversity can be found on Centre Rd south of the Aliens' Camp Rd intersection.
Here, under straggly and dying Red Stringybarks (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha) a vast horde of Rosy Baeckeas (Euryomyrtus ramosissimus)ramble down the hillside
in company with many small peas, lilies and the red form of Common Correa(Correa reflexa).
Rosy Baeckea
Red form of Common Correa
Along with the Wax Garden, View Point and another small patch on Boundary Rd, these tiny patches have survived.
Better management, protection and a helping hand is called for to allow them to survive and re-seed the bush in time.
Christmas greetings from all our Club members- may you all have a happy festive season and return to 2020 reinvigorated and refreshed.
Mugga Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) in a member's garden this December, attracting birds, insects, gliders and possums although not all at the same time.
