Bushland

Banksia

Banksias are found along the east coast of Australia. there are many types of Banksia plants. Some have serrated-edge leaves and others have smooth leaves. Banksias produce large yellow-green seed pods which are made up of numerous tiny individual flowers that often appear hairy due to the retention of old withered flower parts. These flowers attract insects and birds.

Traditionally, the Banksia tree was essential for fire making for the local Gweagal people. The thick bark was used as a base for fires and the 'cobs' or seed pods were used like modern day fire beads to keep the fire burning over long periods.

Wattle

Golden wattle is found throughout south-eastern Australia, especially in the Sydney region. It has long, narrow green leaves and small, ball shaped golden flowers. The Gweagal people traditionally used wattle as a natural soap. Crushing the leaves in the hand, combining with water and rubbing creates a soapy sud. Wattle trees are a calendar plant, as when they are flowering it indicates which fish species to hunt and the migration of whales along the coast.

Bracken fern

Bracken fern is found in most temperate forests throughout Australia. It regenerates quickly after fire. As the older fronds die they form a thick mulch around the base of the fern, preventing other plants from invading it's space.

The Gweagal people traditionally use the bracken fern in practical and medicinal ways. They use the dried, dead fronds as tinder to help when starting fires. The newer, green leaves can be crushed and applied to insect bites and stings to relieve itchiness.

Grass tree

Grass trees are found throughout Australia, especially close to the coast. They have a solid trunk and long, narrow leaves. Grass trees may take several years to flower. Flowers form on a spear-like spike, which can be up to 4 metres long. Flowers are arranged in a spiral up the spike, and produce a great amount of nectar, attracting a wide variety of insects, birds and mammals.

The Gweagal people use the grass tree in a variety of ways. They use the resin (sap) to secure the prongs to their spears and to plug holes in canoes. They use the central stalk to make spears and also as shafts for making fires.

Short-beaked echidna

The Short-beaked Echidna is easily recognised by its sharp spines, short legs and long snout. Echidnas are egg-laying mammals or monotremes and lay one egg at a time. When the eggs hatch the babies are blind and hairless and have to hang onto hairs inside the mother's pouch while they suckle for about 3 months. The Short-beaked Echidna lives in forests and woodlands, heath, grasslands and arid environments. They are found throughout Australia, including Tasmania, although their numbers are dropping due to land clearing.

Common wombat

These wombats are one of the world’s largest burrowing animals. They are equipped with powerful limbs, short broad feet and flattened claws. They are herbivorous and are known to eat grasses, dry leaves and stalks, tree bark and mosses. They are very strong with a stocky, barrel-shaped body, broad head, small eyes, short strong neck and powerful shoulders. Wombats are generally solitary animals, although they sometimes share burrows. They are marsupials and their young develop in the mother's pouch for about 8- 10 months, and then stay with mum for another 8-10 months.

Eastern grey kangaroo

The Eastern grey kangaroo is a marsupial mammal that belongs to a small group called macropods. Like all marsupials, they have a pouch for their young called 'joeys'. For thousands of years indigenous peoples hunted the kangaroo for food and skins. They live in mobs or family groups of 10 or more within their own territory of about 4 to 6 km. The kangaroos have very strong hind legs that act like springs which lets them hop at very fast speeds with little effort. To avoid the hottest part of the day, they usually rest in the shade of tree during the day and come out in the afternoon and night to feed.

Flying fox

The grey-headed flying-fox is one of the largest bats in Australia with a wingspan of over 1 m. It is mostly dark brown, except for a grey head and orange-red fur around the neck. The grey-headed flying-fox spends much of its time hanging from the branches of trees in groups known as 'camps' that can be made up of many thousands of animals. They search for food at night and can travel large distances. They eat fruit from a range of native and introduced species, particularly figs, and for this reason it is sometimes called a fruit bat.

Boobook owl

The smallest owl on the Australian mainland, the Australian boobook is about 30 cm long. It has also been called a ‘Morepork’ or ‘Moepoke’, because of the call they make at night. The boobook generally preys on mice, insects (beetles and moths), as well as smaller species of birds. The boobook is mainly a nocturnal species (coming out at night) and is usually heard rather than seen. The characteristic two-note boo-book call or hoot can be heard up to 1 km away.

Tawny frog mouth

Tawney frog mouths are a nocturnal bird, so they hunt at night. Because of this, they are often mistaken for owls. During the day, they perch on tree branches, often low down, camouflaged as part of the tree. They have very big yellow eyes to help them see at night. They eat insects, worms, slugs, snails, small mammals, reptiles, frogs and other birds .

Channel billed cuckoo

This cuckoo bird is migratory, which means they move around to different places or even countries during the year. They are a 'brood parasite', which means it throws out the eggs of other birds from the nest and lays their own eggs. So the other poor bird has to raise the cuckoos babies instead of its own. Lazy Cuckoo.

Barn owl

Barn owls are a pale white/cream coloured owl with a heart-shaped facial disc. This disk assists the bird in finding food by concentrating noises as it hunts by sound as well as sight. Barn owls like to hunt in open habitats like grasslands, open woodlands and farmland. Like most owls, they are silent flyers and are very skilled at catching small mammals, especially rodents. They will hunt small birds, reptiles, amphibians and sometimes insects.

Lyrebird

The Superb lyrebird is a large brown bird with reddish wings and the bill, legs and feet are black. The adult male has an ornate tail, with special curved feathers that when displayed, assume the shape of a lyre. They are a ground-dwelling species that live in forests, but roost in trees at night. They rarely move large distances and generally stay in a home-range about 10 km in diameter. Superb Lyrebirds feed on insects, spiders, worms and seeds. They hunt for food by scratching with their feet through the leaf-litter. They are expert mimicry birds, which means they mimic sounds they hear around them. Sounds can include things like chainsaws, car engines, dog barks and local native birds.

Kingfisher

The Kingfisher is found throughout coastal Australia, especially along waterways. They inhabit mangrove areas, eucalypt forests, paperbark forests and melaleuca forests. They are approximately 25-30 cm long with a wingspan of 45-50 cms. They feed on small fish, reptiles and insects. They hunt by perching on a low branch and watching for prey. When they spot a suitable prey they swoop down and grasp it in their beak. Kingfishers nest in hollows that they excavate in termite mounds, riverbanks or tree hollows.

Noisy miner

Noisy miners can be found in woodland, open forests, parks, backyards and gardens. Although they are not very big birds, they aggressively attack many other types of birds, including much bigger birds like kookaburras, magpies, and hawks. A lot of other bird species move away when they around. They live, hunt and feed in large family groups or colonies, They have a grey body, black cheeks with a yellow bill, legs and patch behind their eye. They eat nectar, fruits and insects, and sometimes even small reptiles and amphibians.

Kookaburra

The Laughing kookaburra is one of the largest birds in the Kingfisher family. It has an off-white belly, brown barred wings and a reddish barred tail. The Laughing Kookaburra is not really laughing when it makes its familiar call. The cackle of the Laughing Kookaburra is actually a territorial call to warn other birds to stay away. They feed mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans, although small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds may also be eaten. Larger prey is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch.