Dandenong

Not the Australian folk song about the wreck of the Dandenong, but the Dandenong Ranges, a set of low mountain ranges east of Melbourne. We were taken there yesterday by Chun Wai’s friend Hon Yan and his wife Claudia. Chun Wai knew Hon Yan growing up in Malaysia (swimming buddies are friends for life, apparently). He and Claudia have been very generous with their time since we’ve been here, and spent the entire day with us yesterday.

We started by driving up into the hills and having a lovely brunch, and then we went for a walk among the tall gum trees.

Chun Wai and Hon Yan

In muddy places, the path is kept dry by long strips of bark — in this case it was one continuous strip, as long as a plank of wood.

Gum trees and tree ferns

The forest was dominated by tall gum trees and tree ferns. The trunk of a tree fern has a central region composed of rhizomes that grow vertically and is surrounded by a thick mantle of frond bases and fibrous roots.

tree fern

Some of these trunks are slow growing, typically 1–10 cm a year. They can grow as tall as 20 meters/60 feet.

At the top of the trunk, the growing tip, tightly curled young fronds slowly unfurl as they reach the adult stage. These delicate fronds grow out in an umbrella shape, some reaching several metres in length.

Claudia listening for lyrebirds

Claudia was hoping we would see a lyrebird. Apparently there are many in the forest but they can be elusive. Chun Wai and Hon Yan saw two, but by the time Claudia and I got there, they were gone. We did hear and see many cockatoos (they are very noisy and agressive, and feeding them is banned) and also a kookaburra, which we didn’t see. Kookaburras can also be aggressive when hungry. Claudia told us a story being on a picnic in the Dandenongs, when a kookaburra stole sausages as her son was bringing them to his mouth. It was so fast that none of them saw anything but a dark blur.

Someone’s nest had fallen from a tree

Photo: Me, Claudia, Hon Yan, Chun Wai

Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden

After a stop for tea, we went to the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden which features an incredible rhododendron and azalea garden.

There was an amazing variety of blooms, and many of the bushes were huge.

Here we did see a lyrebird and had a chance to watch it for several minutes.

View of the mountains. A few weeks previously all the low azalea bushes were covered with blossoms.

A new garden area is being developed, called the Chelsea Australian Garden at Olinda. The original ‘Australian Garden’ was the first Australian entry to win Gold and Best in Show at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. The garden is being rebuilt, over 20 times larger. It features 15,000 plants from over 400 native Australian species, and includes rare and endangered species such as the Wollemi Pine. It also promotes biodiversity, creating habitats for native plants and animals.

After our lengthy amble through the garden Hon Yan and Claudia took us to their house where they shared some homemade plum brandy! We toured their garden where they have hundreds of orchids, quite a few of which have won awards. I forgot to take pictures. They have also managed to find room in their tiny space for at least 10 fruit trees, which produce everything from plums to persimmons.

We then were treated to an amazing Greek dinner in Glen Waverley. All the exercise and good food contributed to an excellent night’s sleep. Perhaps we are past our jet lag!

Phone Update:

The phone is making steady progress and is now in Honolulu. Yesterday’s update from DHL showed it arriving on Monday November 6 at my cousin Kate’s house in Williamstown. Since I wasn’t sure she’d be home, I was able to go to DHL’s website and shift the delivery location to a locker near where we are staying in Glen Waverley.

Later in the day DHL updated the delivery date to Wednesday November 8. At that point we will be in Williamstown, on the opposite side of Melbourne. Luckily I was able to call DHL and reroute the package back to the original destination. What will be next? Any bets?