Mt Field National Park - 28 December 2009

Panoramas

Mt Field National Park is Tasmania's oldest, and is sometimes just known as "National Park". It is most famous for Russell Falls, nestled in the cool temperate rainforest beneath the mountains, but up higher there is alpine and sub-alpine vegetation in amongst the tarns and moraines that provide evidence of ancient glaciation.

Small tarn in front of Lake Dobson.

 

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Pandani (Richea pandanifolia) and pencil
pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides) (this pandani
is about 2m tall).

Ancient pencil pine skeleton on the alpine
bog, with a backdrop of snow gums.

Small tarn near Lake Dobson. What struck me today was the bleak
grey-greens of the wider views, contrasted with the glorious colours
and softness when you viewed things up close.
How does that happen?

Base of Russell Falls (0.5 second time exposure).

Eagle Tarn, with waratah (red flowers) on the right.

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Water plants growing in the soft mud of Eagle Tarn.

Textures

There were so many beautiful "little things" ...

Bark on a snow gum.

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Fern frond from a tree fern
(Dicksonia antarctica).

New fronds of Gleichenia, one of my
favourite little ferns.

Dead Gleichenia with some new growth. This fern is nice and
mathematical: it bifurcates beautifully, often at 120° angles
(just not in this photo!).

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Moss and lichen growing on an old tree branch.

Leaves of the myrtle (Nothofagus cunninghamii) in the sun;
this year's new growth has that burnished red-gold colour.

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Top of the pandani plant (Richea pandanifolia).

Spiraling ends of the pandani leaves.

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Pandani's annoyingly prickly little brother, Richea scoparia.
Each spiky head is about 5cm in diameter.

Link to a second page of photos (flowers mostly).

Photos taken by Helen Chick.