March | 2023 | Our Natural World

Having escaped before 5.00am, we were through the city and in Taree by 9.30am today, even before the Taree Regional Art Gallery opened, so we went straight to the Taree Bicentennial Garden (more a parkland along the banks of the Manning River, squeezed in on an isthmus between the main river and what is still called Browns Creek.

That’s when I discovered that the 100-400m lens I brought was the one for the 7D Mark 11 and I had brought the EOS R7 without the adaptor. That lens is useless for this trip. A mere weight in the car! Oh well, scenery shots are what’s on offer.

As we walked along the path, we came to the end and discovered that there was now a new bridge over Browns Creek, linking the parkland to Chatham and to the potential old lands on the river bank that are now occupied by the empty shell of the old Manning River Cooperative Dairy.

One writer on Flickr also wrote:

“Presumably the path will eventually be continued east to the proposed future redevelopment of the old Peeress Butter Factory site fronting the Manning River. That project, which has been in the planning phase for many years, will potentially revitalise the historic Chatham Manning River front and will be known as ‘Figtrees on the Manning’.

In the longer term it will also extend to Taree Recreation Centre at Chatham.”

Apparently, there is also a new walking cycling trail completed in December 2021 which links from under Browns Creek Bridge along the western side of Browns Creek through mangrove swamp forest and rainforest all the way to Muscio Park.

While it was needed and while it is a great addition to Taree, I am not impressed by how it was proclaimed by the National Party!

“The Brown’s Creek Boardwalk and exercise trail in Taree has officially opened, thanks to $50,000 from the NSW Nationals in the state government’s Stronger Communities Grants Program.” (Ref: https://www.nswnationals.org.au/browns-creek-boardwalk-and-exercise-trail-officially-open/ )

Talk about slush fund pork-barrelling! That is blatant!!! In case anyone is aware, it was not their money. It was our money, via our taxes.

The old dairy co-op factory

I have discovered that this derelict area is now called “Figtrees” in the Mid North Coast and it has plans for redevelopment. It is an 81 page Master Plan and it is intended to provide:

“a range of development outcomes including commercial and retail outlets, residential units, modern adaptive reuse of some of the substantial old dairy factory buildings, and a commercial marina. The commercial marina and a proposed ‘boatel’, will encourage

boating use of the wonderful Manning River”[1]

It adds

“A major outcome of this rezoning was to open up the foreshore for public use and to create an off-road pedestrian / cycleway link between the Taree CBD and the recreation / entertainment precinct to the east of this site.

The site will ultimately enable the construction of around 500 residential units and have a range of commercial buildings which can be occupied by cafes, restaurants and other businesses.”[2]

I smell another chance for National Party pork-barrelling.

[1] https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Development/Plans-policies-and-controls/Future-planning/Areas-for-future-development

[2] The first developments are expected to be a vertical retirement village and a micro-brewery.

Having cancelled today’s walk, for fear of my entire party being struck down with sunstroke, I also remembered the advice of my dear, recently recovered friend, Teresa, who told me that “At our age to keep busy is best way to live, enjoy what we can do, I have a friend age 75 had 5 strokes since Covid, she cannot move the left side of her body. Enjoy each day because we do not know what’s round the corner.” Now I read that as saying “you might die tomorrow” so I still had to escape into the bush, even if I retreated inside by 9.30am. By then the forecast temperature was a distinct possibility. At 9.00am it was already 27 degrees!

There was a temptation, I should note. Within a short walk of our unit, inside Royal National Park, along the Engadine Lakes Fire Trail, I had heard that there were orchids and I was determined to find them.

Searching for orchids, especially the Midge Orchids (Corunastylis) lends itself to slow walking. They are small and easily overlooked. When I crossed over the railway into the park, I dropped to a slow crawl and kept my eyes alert by the sides of the path and my ears tuned in to the sounds from above.

Those sounds included Fantail Cuckoo, Red Wattlebird, Crimson Rosella, Striated Thornbills and Grey Butcherbirds but by the time I returned home they faced serious competition from cicadas!

At eye level the first attraction was this Garden Orb Spider (Eriophora sp.), its little eyes looking out at me from its web!

My first Midge orchids were, shall I say, past it! I trust they had lived life like they might die tomorrow. But they were producing their seed, to create the next generation!