Forest homes

In this section of path, you may notice the spatial changes that you travel through, from a tunnel of dense shrubs and climbing plants to emerge suddenly into this more open area. Notice how the light changes between these areas, and how each makes you feel. Do you feel cramped or sheltered in the tunnel, quiet or safe? Visible and exposed in the open space, or able to breathe? Would you prefer to make your home in a hollow, or out in the open?

In this area, the big trees that you see around you are Eucalyptus viminalis, or Manna Gum, which is a food source for koalas. You may be lucky enough to see one high in the branches, or hear them.

Notice that you will not generally find Manna Gums in the creek line itself, as they do not like to grow in the wet soil of the gully. These plant preferences and microclimates shape each ecological zone, from canopy to tiny creatures in the leaf litter.

Other creatures make their home in the hollows of trees, from cockatoos and parrots to possums. It has been estimated that it takes at least a century for a tree hollow to form, much longer for a large creature such as a cockatoo.