On the 11th November I participated in a service at the Stanthorpe Museum to honour those who had fallen in all wars and for the opening of a new display dedicated to Stan Halloran, who had been a spitfire pilot, based in England during the Second World War. He survived, married an English woman and came home to the Granite Belt where he and his wife continued to serve their community.

11th November, 2010

After this solemn period of observance the crowd were invited to inspect the extensive historical collection of the museum and enjoy lunch and fellowship together.

Tucker time

This is a historical museum dedicated to saving and displaying the way things were for future generations.

I only had time that day to browse through the Shepherd’s Hut, moved to the Museum from Ballandean Station.

Shepherd's hut

When I was a child our property had a slab hut constructed in this manner from roughly hewn slabs of hardwood timber. It still stands today at a historical display in the Bunya Moutains National Park. Our hut did not have a protective veranda roof like this hut from the Ballandean Station .

In the early days of settlement many areas of Australia were developed as sheep properties for the production Merino wool. This wool was then transported by bullock wagon to the cities, river ports and later to the rail heads. It was the construction of railway lines and the introduction of refrigeration that changed areas of Australia from sheep grazing to cattle production. Until that time cattle were often only worth the value of their hides and tallow, both of which could be transported by bullock wagons.

The hard country west of the granite country of this region is known as traprock country, where the shale type rock is close to the surface. This feature seldom allows the growth of abundant feed for the sheep. Yet this country, due to the hard life experienced by the sheep, produces some of the finest micron wool in Australia.

Eucalyptus hardwood tree stumps

It was a lonely life for shepherds who often lived alone in these slab huts as they minded flocks of sheep in the days before fences. It was also their responsibility to protect the sheep from predatory dingoes or wedge-tail eagles.

Dead eucalyptus trees frequently served useful purposes, as displayed in this photo. A hollow stump could be a repository for a washbowl, whereas the holes cut with stone axes by Aboriginal people to gather honey from the native bee nests, could be used as mail boxes.

Wooden stool

Often country homes only had  a couple of chairs. Many times as  a child I sat at our dinner table on a wooden stool, frequently being reminded by my father not to slouch, but to sit up straight.

The hearth

No shepherd’s hut would have possessed this amount of pots. Perhaps they had nothing more than kerosene tins in which to boil their water or to stew their mutton. Dampers made in the ashes of the fire would have provided a substitute for bread.

Kerosene tins boiling water.

This photo was taken at the Jondaryan working museum during a Heritage Festival in 2005, but I’m inserting it here to show how the kerosene tins were used for many purposes, including the washing of clothes. Smaller tins with wire handles were called billies. Water could be boiled in these over an open fire for tea when out during the day. Tradition had it that after the tealeaves were dropped into the hot water, the billy was then swung over your head. Gravity held the hot water in place and settled the tealeaves on the bottom of the billy.

Oilskin coat

In cold, wet weather the shepherd would have worn an oilskin coat like this one. Later the famous Australian brand, Drizabone – Dry as a bone, raincoats were produced and worn by country people all over Australia. Sadly, in recent years this iconic coat became fashionable and the brand name was bought by an overseas manufacturer.

Rough furnishings

Beds were often rough frames of wood with canvas strung between each end.  Wagga rugs were used as bush blankets. These were made from corn, sugar, flour and chaff bags – whatever type of material was available, and sewn together with a packing needle and string. Lter they were stuffed with any material which would provide insulation from the cold. Seldom did any of the shepherds have wives with them, but as later settlers moved into the region and established such homes, hessian chaff bags or calico flour bags also provided the fabric for them to create curtains for privacy.

Meat safes

In mychildhood of the 1940’s-50’s many Australian country homes were without electricity and used such safes as these to keep food cool and away from the flies. Made of metal or wood, they had tin or wire mesh to allow the penetration of fresh air. They were frequently hung or placed on verandas. Cooked meat or a baked custard could be placed in these safes to cool or for storage away from all types of vermin. It was not uncommon to see a standing safe with the four table legs sitting in tins of water to protect the contents from crawling ants.

A canvas water bag

Canvas water bags like these were also hung on verandas in the shade to keep water cool, clean and readily available for drinking.

Canvas water bag

These smaller bags were used when away from the house to carry fresh drinking water. They could be attached to the harness of a horse, hung under a wagon, or from the branch of a shady  tree.

Furniture

In those years there were no cardboard cartons and most groceries were delivered in wooden or tin containers. Food and fuel, like kerosene for the lamps, had to be bought in large quantities and stored for months. These containers were never wasted by the settlers who used them to improvise furniture and other fittings.

Furniture

Biscuit tins, butter boxes, bushel and half-bushel cases and various other packing boxes were all put to use for display and storage in the homes of early settlers.

More furniture

When we moved to live near the Bunya Mountains in November 1944 we had the good fortune to move into a large, high set, solidly constructed house. At the same time my mother’s brother, Jack Kennedy, purchased a small dairy farm over the hills from us. The Kennedy family home was of much poorer quality and constructed in two portions. The bedroom section were divided from the slab kitchen by a covered walkway, probably both to prevent the possible spread of a fire, but also to get away from the summer heat.  In those days such kitchens were pleasantly warm in the winter, but horribly hot in the summer. My Aunt’s kitchen fascinated me as the cracks of the slab walls had been papered over with old newspapers from the 1930’s. These were the war years when paper was rationed, so I seldom saw a book or newspaper. Although I couldn’t read, this exposure to the printed word and old photographs intrigued me.

Fay

As I emerged from the Shepherd’s Hut another museum visitor saw me taking photos and offered to take a photo of me. That day I was wearing poppies on my raffia hat and a skirt made from a poppy print, a costume I had created a year ago to wear when showing visitors through our Remembrance Field.

The Remembrance Field 11th November, 2010

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

I have always had an interest in history so when writing Wildflowers, wilderness and wine, which details our way of life on the Granite Belt of southern Queensland, I researched district history to provide useful background material. Wildflowers, wilderness and wine may be obtained via the Internet on http://www.australia-book.com.au or http://stores.lulu.com/strictlyliterary

My love of history is also revealed in my writing about Eberhard’s early years 1926-1950 in Germany in THE FORGOTTEN ONES, a book I am publishing on http://fayhelwigauthor.com

When we purchased this farm in 1992 the small cottage that was to become our home and which was later extended to provide guest accommodation had no garden but was surrounded by native Eucalyptus, wattle and T-trees.  The house had been constructed in the midst of a clump of Eucalyptus trees. We brought in a bulldozer to clear ground for our guest wing and at the same time thinned the trees on our northern side to allow in more winter sunlight and the establishment of gardens. We allowed the tall Eucalyptus trees at the front of our house (the eastern side) to remain. I insisted on the total removal of all the trees on our western side because I knew that Granite Belt storms came from the west and I saw those trees as a possible threat to our home. Sure enough the first vicious storm we had came from that direction in 1994 and threw the roof of our cold room onto the roof of our house. Plus it belted us with hail. But no, no tree came crashing onto our roof.

Next, in 2001 a small tornado approached from the west but once more our house suffered no damage although five large Eucalyptus trees in our front garden were broken and tossed across our front fence and car shed, damaging both. Fortunately our car was not at home as I had taken two WWOOF girls on an outing. Only Eberhard witnessed the devastation as it happened.  I addition to destroying five Eucalyptus trees in our front garden that storm smashed five similar trees  outside our front garden.  This tornado came like a bouncing ball, destroying those ten trees and then bouncing off to tear a roof from a shed near Glen Aplin. The damage to our garden was immense and I had to establish another garden, minus the advantage of shade trees. My friends tried to offer me consolation for the loss of my beautiful garden, saying, “See it as a challenge.”  I needed time to grieve for my loss.

Patches on a tree trunk

By 2005 it was only tree trunks like the one above that revealed where once  shady trees had sheltered our front garden. By 2010 these stumps have been totally covered by green vines or hidden by spreading conifers and no one now visiting our garden is aware of the damage it experienced.

In 1994 I planted Radiata pine trees along our northern garden boundary, where already there were a several eucalyptus trees. These quick growing pines soon reached the height of the neigbouring Eucalyptus trees. Between these trees and the house I established a number of deciduous, Northern Hemisphere trees. My aim was climate control. Close to our northern veranda I placed low growing conifers or deciduous trees. Behind them I positioned the taller growing deciduous trees. Finally, against the fence I grew an evergreen hedge of cotoneaster shrubs under the taller Eucalyptus and Radiata pines. As climate control this provided our garden and house with cool green and shady growth during the summer months. Then as autumn arrived we enjoyed the colour presented by the leaves of the elm, oak, ash and maple trees. Following leaf drop, the winter sunshine poured onto our northern veranda.

I was happy with this portion of my garden until February 2008, when another narrow tornado like storm came from the north. These little tornadoes twist and break trees in their path, sometimes leaving a trail for a mile or two.

February storm

This shocked me. As I considered the broken Ironbark Eucalyptus trees along our entrance road and the two Radiata pine trees thrown onto our Remembrance Field, I realized that had the tornado struck our garden immediately to the north of our house, several Eucalyptus and Radiata pine trees could have fallen across our garden, breaking down the deciduous trees and damaging our house.

Downed Radiata pine trees

I knew we were no longer safe in thinking that storms only approached from the west. I decided to eliminate the risk.

McNicholl Brothers had come with their a crane and excavator to remove the broken trees from our garden in 2001, so I asked them to remove the trees threatening our house, but to try to do it without damaging the garden.

Removing Radiata pines

While one man manipulated the excavator his brother stood in the bucket to be raised high into the tree where he applied a chain around the trunk of the tree and partially cut the wood with a chainsaw. He would descend and the arms of the excavator would reach up and grip the tree trunk. As the machine reversed the tree would break and be lifted up and over our fence and shrubs.  In the same way lower pieces of the tree trunk were removed.

Tall eucalytus tree

Next to be removed was this tall Eucalyptus tree on the lower side of our gate way.

The excavator was then shifted to the other side of the gate to remove two more Radiata pine trees and a large Peppermint gum.

Three more trees removed

This completed the removal of the trees along the northern fence, but there were still trees to be taken from the area between the fence and the house.

Internal trees

Fallen giant

Chainsaw work

Open view

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

The men then had to remove the largest of all the trees, a huge Eucalyptus that towered over the garden, but was too far from the fence for them to lop with the chainsaw.

I was amazed by how neatly they felled that tree to drop along a pathway they had already cleared of trees, so that only one of the deciduous trees, a Scarlet Ash, lost a branch.

Finally the men using chainsaws cut the big log into segments and lifted it over the fence with the jaws of the excavator.

In recent years many new people have moved to live on the Granite Belt, delighted that they can construct their homes in a wilderness setting amongst granite boulders and well grown Eucalyptus trees. I am concerned that such new residents see these trees as good trees, without recognizing they could be dangerous trees, exposing their homes to damage from wind storms or the horror of a bushfire.

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I recount watching a bushfire roar through the tree covered hills of the Granite Belt. See http://www.australia-book.com.au to read more.

I love trees and have been fascinated by them since childhoold. I remember giving a lecturette on the subject of Eucalyptus trees when at the Yamsion primary school.  I recognise people should not build their homes in dangerous locations.  Presently I am sharing with you for free chapters of another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones where I discover the beautiful forests of Germany. http://fayhelwigauthor.com

Weeping Willow - Stanthorpe

It is winter now on the Granite Belt and most of the Weeping Willows have dropped their leaves.

This is a tree much favoured around the world for its lush green foliage. It is frequently planted in parks. But, in Australia it is  classified in some areas as a noxious weed.  Read what I have say about these trees and please add your comments.

The Willow tree originated in China and spread via the Silk Road to Egypt and through Europe to reach England.

The Weeping Willow is a beautiful tree to use for large yards and has a number of interesting aspects. You might be surprised to learn it is a medicinal tree as well.

The Weeping Willow tree is a member of a family of trees and scrubs that contains over three hundred and fifty different varieties. The varieties of willows have many widely different characteristics, but they are all remarkably alike in many ways. Most of them occur in moist soil in cooler climates and mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Willows are remarkably fertile trees and easily cross fertilize between species. These occur naturally or as the result of deliberate cultivation.

The Weeping Willow is what is called a cultivar. This is a type of tree sharing similar characteristics that results from the cross fertilization of two species. In the case of the Weeping Willow, the original “parents” were the Chinese Peking Willow and the European White Willow. The Chinese Peking Willow hangs straight down, whereas the Weeping Willow has a wider canopy.

Chinese Willows at Lijiang China

Weeping Willows, like most willows will easily take root from cuttings or fallen branches. There is a story that the English poet, Alexander Pope, once begged a twig from a packet of twigs that were sent to a certain Lady Suffolk from Spain. He planted this twig and it grew and thrived. The legend claims that every Weeping Willow in England today is a direct descendant of this original twig.

Weeping Willows are often planted along waterways because their thick roots form a protective barrier against erosion from the activity of the water.

Willow tree in waterbird habitat

However, these beautiful and popular trees are not always welcome World travelers. Weeping Willows were extensively planted along Australia’s waterways, but were recently declared an “invasive weed” by Australian authorities who are attempting to replace them with native species.

The most interesting thing about the Weeping Willow and its willow family cousins is it medicinal history. Cultures as far back as Mesopotamian recognized and wrote about the medical uses of willow bark. Early American cultures also discovered that willow bark had medical uses and the most common one was in the relief of pain and inflammation. In the 18th Century, the active extract in the bark was isolated. It was a substance called salicin. When salicin is in solution in water it is very acidic. This acid is called salicylic acid. Just before the start of the 20th Century, a chemist created a substance based on salicylic acid that was not as tough on the stomach. This substance was ultimately named aspirin. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Weeping-Willow—An-Overview&id=774589

In a politically correct environmental way of thinking the Weeping Willow trees should be removed from all National Parks. Yet, since the time of settlement of Australia these trees were often planted for a purpose – to soak up water and to prevent erosion. There are people who believe that the dreadful landslide which claimed lives at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains National Park resulted because Weeping Willow trees were removed from a wet site above the ski resort, which then allowed water to build up and cause the slip.

Upright growing willows

In my garden I have preferred to grow another of the willow cultivars, this tall upright species.

When we first moved to The Granite Belt in 1992 several of these trees had been planted at The Bramble Patch Berry Gardens. In recent times I have observed that a row of these trees near the shop were reduced to fence height.  The trunks sent out masses of side shoots and now this is an attractive thick hedge, which no longer drops leaves on the roof of the shop.

I planted my row of trees to soak up moisture from a drain and allow them to grow tall as they also provide wonderful afternoon shade for the rear of my vegetable garden during our hot summer days. Where mine are situated, leaf drop is not a problem.

Weeping Willow clump

This is an example of Weeping Willows forming a clump in a waterway of The Granite Belt.

In such a situation they are surely a weed, encouraging blackberries, honeysuckle, privet and other weeds to grow amongst them. It is for such reasons that environmentalists consider they should be removed from all Australian water courses. It is also thought that they contribute to flooding by hindering the flow of water in our streams.

There is a different point of view. Such trees as this clump of Weeping Willows do serve a useful purpose. Last year when reading Peter Andrew’s book Back From the Brink, it made me take a good look at their benefit to the environment. See posts on the subject of shade and erosion in my archives for November 2009.  Peter maintains that until the colonial settlement of Australia our rivers spread out their water and ran above ground in times of flood, thus allowing water to soak beneath the surface of the soil and gradually move down to the lowest point. Following settlement and the clearing of land around watercourses the storm rain was forced into channels, cutting its way into ever deeper streams, thus forcing water into rivers, resulting in the severe flooding we encounter today.

Peter maintains that trees like the Weeping Willows not only hold the soil to prevent erosion they encourage grass, weeds and other debris to build up thus once more forcing flood waters to spill out over the land where it can soak into the subsoil while silt adds fertility to the flood plains. Furthermore Peter said that we should be growing such shady trees as Weeping Willows beside our dams and watercourses to shade our waterholes and thus prevent summer evaporation. He maintained that their roots would suck up much less water than would be lost to evaporation on a sunny day. During the cooler months of the year these trees loose their leaves and their growth becomes dormant, at which time they require no water.

What do you think? Are the Weeping Willows which have been introduced into Australia and now flourish along the streams of The Granite Belt a weed? Should they be removed?

For further information concerning environmental concerns about the willow trees here is a site offering extensive information. http://www.hoadley.net/cremer/willows/docs/WillowInBiodiversity.pdf

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I share other insights concerning the National Parks and wilderness areas of the Granite Belt. See http://www.australia-book.com.au to read more.

Presently I am sharing with you for free chapters of another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones where I recount conversations I had with Eberhard concerning his early year in  Germany. http://fayhelwigauthor.com

To some people any tree is a good tree. They know that trees take carbon dioxide from the air and return fresh oxygen. For this reason they call trees the ‘lungs of the world’. They know that through evaporation trees add moisture to the air, which in turn leads to rainfall. Trees also green our view.

In years gone by the forester of Europe was a highly regarded man for it was his duty to ensure that forests were replanted and managed in such a way that there would always be a supply of timber and firewood. However, in Australia in the past twenty years the Forestry departments appear to have lost out following a propaganda campaign instigated by urban people who believe that no tree should be culled. State governments have created more forests and National Parks, but not provided more money for the management of these areas, thus allowing weeds and feral animals to flourish. State governments have created new laws pertaining to land clearing and under such acts as the Remnant Vegetation Act stopped people like Eberhard and me from management of land that we had purchased in 1992. Although we own our land and pay rates on the whole area, we must now be unpaid caretakers of this portion of our property. Many other country people were similarly affected and none of us were ever offered any compensation for this land grab.

This map shows our property, but two thirds of it is shaded. That two thirds supposedly represents remnant vegetation. We can not remove any trees from this area which means we can not use it for agricultural purposes. We put our 14 hectare property up for sale last year and held a widely advertised auction sale in October, but received no bids.

Why? Probably because this land is no longer available for agricultural purposes.

But what are these wonderful trees that must be preserved?

Eucalyptus trees

Various trees

These are trees selected from the book Wildflowers of the Granite Belt.

Not surprisingly, many of them are eucalyptus trees, commonly called Gum trees.

Individually these trees are valuable to the ecology of a district, but when something triggers them to grow in a manner never seen in Australia until about a hundred years after white settlement one must wonder if it is advantageous.

What triggered these trees to grow like weeds? The explanation is that the introduction of the European honey bee pollinated all the blossom of the then thinly spaced eucalyptus trees. There was a large quantity of fertile seed, resulting in the development over the past century of thick stands of weedy looking trees.

Protected trees

This stand of spindly eucalyptus trees are on the portion of our land which is now protected as remnant vegetation.

Such thickets of trees pose a grave threat when the land is not managed properly and can result in devastating bushfires.

Bushfire

So, in writing about the Wildflowers of the Granite Belt I would classify many of these remnant vegetation forests as a proliferation of woody weeds spreading like a cancerous rash across the country. Yet this statement is somewhat like kicking a sacred cow, as so many people who don’t have to live with such dangerous forests believe they are essential for the well being of the human race.

Among the trees shown on the page labeled ‘Various trees’ is the Black Cypress pine, Callitris endicheri.

Black Cypress Pine

We have several of these tidily shaped trees on our land. They are much slower in growth than the eucalyptus varieties and are destroyed by bushfires, unlike the eucalyptus which over thousands of years of Aboriginal burning adapted to fires.

Thus these Black Cypress pine trees are in danger of elimination as they can not compete for space against the eucalyptus varieties and are destroyed in the bushfires fueled by the thick stands of eucalyptus trees.

On these two pages of Wildflowers of the Granite Belt only one tree is singled out as a weed species. It is the introduced Pinus radiata – commonly called the Radiata Pine. This tree originated in the Caribbean and was brought to Australia as a plantation timber. A large forestry of Radiata pines was established on the Granite Belt at Passchendaele early last century. These trees thrived and when young are an attractive shape. It wasn’t long before residents of the Granite Belt were planting small forestry plantations, or windbreaks of these trees on their land.

When we bought our farm in 1992 there were a few young Radiata pine trees on our land. I liked the bright green foliage and bought extra young trees from the State Forestry Department to plant on our land in 1993.

Radiata Pine trees

I wished to green our winter view, provide shelter and future timber. As the trees matured the large black cockatoos have come to feast each year on the pine cones. Many Australian birds have adapted quickly to eating the grains, nuts, cones and fruit brought to Australia by the settlers from the northern Hemisphere.

As yet, I have found no self-sown Radiata pine seedlings on our land, but young Radiata pine trees are thriving along the verges of the New England Highway and other district roads. Presently they are small trees competing for space amongst the other woody weeds growing unchecked on this State and Council managed land. I believe more should be done now to thin all these trees, (not only the pines) or within another ten years the Councils will have a major job clearing fallen trees or overhanging branches from the highway and roads.

What a wonderful resource these woody weeds could be if the road sides of the Granite Belt were thinned back to a few, well spaced,  mature trees. Small Eucalyptus trees, radiata pines and other woody weeds shredded for wood chip could provide a financial resource for our shire councils instead of being allowed to grow until destroyed by bushfires. What do you my readers think of this suggestion?

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I recount watching a bushfire roar through the tree covered hills of the Granite Belt. See http://www.australia-book.com.au to read more.

Presently I am sharing with you for free chapters of another book I have written called The Forgotten Ones where I discover the beautiful forests of Germany. http://fayhelwigauthor.com

It appears to me that there are a number of reasons why so many garden favourites have become flowering weeds of the Granite Belt. One of these reasons is that we have so many fruit eating birds. These are the birds of the rainforest of the Great Dividing Range like the Satin bower bird. These birds build their bowers for courtship and next in the rainforests to rear their young, but they overwinter in the gardens of the Granite Belt. Every year flocks of these birds arrive in my garden in March and will not depart until September or October.

Bower of the male satin bower bird

I photographed the bower with blue treasures near the main picnic area at Girraween National Park.

The adult male has striking glossy blue-black plumage, a pale bluish white bill and a violet-blue iris. Younger males and females are similar in colour to each other, and are collectively referred to as ‘green’ birds. They are olive-green above, off-white with dark scalloping below and have brown wings and tail. The bill is browner in colour. Young males may begin to acquire their adult plumage in their fifth year and are not fully ‘attired’ until they are seven.

Male Satin bower bird

When these birds arrive in my garden they quickly eat any remaining fruit on fig and persimmon trees. During the winter they feast on the red berries of the cotoneaster shrub which means I then have seedling weeds of the cotoneaster appearing elsewhere in my garden, but I haven’t yet seen the cotoneaster become a district weed on the Granite Belt. I have seen the cotoneaster spreading along the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, where no doubt the birds spread the seeds from the gardens to the forest range. The nurseries of Australia no longer sell cotoneaster plants. These birds and other fruit eating birds also eat any other form of berry fruit.

Another reason we have so many introduced flowering weeds is that there is many patches of overgrown country along the Severn River which flows through the Granite Belt, plus all the gully tributaries. I was delighted when we arrived on the Granite Belt 18 years ago to discover so many ornamental garden plants growing wild along our frontage to the Severn River.

I promptly headed out with a mattock to dig up rooted portions of a beautiful little pink rambling rose.

Wild rambling rose

I planted a whole edging of these roses, but within a few years I had dug out all but one of these plants, as they quickly became a thorny nuisance. Also, they only flower for a short time and are then prone to mildew on the foliage. Like all roses they produce rose hips which are eaten by the birds. Once established along the river or amongst the hills of the Granite Belt these roses spread to become a tangled heap of briers.

Wild blackberries

A similar thorny pest are the fruiting blackberries. We immediately poisoned all the blackberry clumps on our land as they provide covers for the burrows of wild rabbits, also prolific in this district. Yet each year I must be vigilant as I will always find more thorny seedlings.

From the river I brought back to our garden another wild flowering weed – the sweet smelling  Japanese honeysuckle.

This is an extremely vigorous, twining vine. Introduced from Eastern Asia and Japan as an ornamental species, its invasive tendencies lead to widespread infestation of forest edges and disturbed sites. It grows as a thick ground cover or a dense shroud over supporting structure, including other plants. The fruits produced are attractive to many birds.

Japanese Honeysuckle

I planted several of these rooted pieces along a southern veranda to green my winter view from our kitchen. It thrived and the perfume each year gives me great pleasure. However it must be cut back regularly as its long branching tendrils would soon spread over a much greater area.

Another wild plant appeared as three seedlings in my garden, which I recognised in their infancy as the Virginia Creeper. It is a North American climber called Parthenocissus tricuspidata.

Virginia Creeper

It is a vigorous climber with glossy green foliage in the summer months and scarlet leaves in the autumn. I transplanted these volunteer seedlings to an eastern veranda where they have thrived. They have insignificant greenish yellow flowers, followed by bunches of blue black berries resembling tiny grapes.  The vines look spectacular at the moment but will quickly drop their leaves after the frosts arrive.

Autumn foliage

When the stems of the plant are pulled off a wall or fence, the sucker discs remain. They permanently mark the surface and look ugly. The plant is vigorous and must be kept under control. It is especially important not to let it climb up under the eaves of houses. I cut mine back before these photos were taken as they had reached the roof guttering. Pruning is not necessary except to control size. Although my plants grew from seed left by birds, plants can be grown from semi-hardwood cuttings in summer and autumn, or hardwood cuttings in winter.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

One of the things I did when writing Wildflowers, wilderness and wine was give details of name and planting requirements of the plants mentioned. To read more about this book about a year of our lives on the Granite Belt go to http://www.australia-book.com.au

If you enjoy my non-fiction writing style you can follow me on http://fayhelwigauthor.com as I reveal the story of Eberhard’s youth as he told it to me while we were holidaying in Germany.

Cotoneasters (pronounced co-tony-asters) or Firethorn. These two shrubs are spectacular in cooler climates during the winter months when their bright bunches of red and orange berries catch the eye. These bushes are unnoticed other than as green hedges until the cooler months arrive. Suddenly their berries ripen and bring colour to our winter views here in the cool mountain highlands of the Granite Belt of southern Queensland.

I was unfamiliar with these plants until November 1979 when I visited friends on the east coast of the USA. Al and Martha Lager owned a home at Saratoga in the hills overlooking Silicon Valley south of San Francisco. What an eye-opener that visit was for me as their region was in full flush with deciduous trees showing the glory of autumn colour. Their home was set into a hillside and the whole steep slope at the rear of their home was covered by Pyracantha – the Firethorn plant.

Californian firethorn

I was so impressed by the sight of this colourful, sprawling plant totally covering the hillside that I decided to grow two plants in my then garden at Dalby. The shrubs thrived, but I quickly realized they were thorny monsters unsuitable for a home where children might hit a cricket ball under their foliage. I dug them out!

In 1987 when Eberhard and I were living in Toowoomba and he was manager of the Club Restaurant at the University of Southern Queensland, we often went walking on the outskirts of the city and again I discovered some beautiful specimens of Pyracantha.

Arthur Chapman photo of Toowoomba Firethorn

In Toowoomba or here on the Granite Belt I have only seen  isolated shrubs, nothing like the displays I saw in California, or the hedges I later saw on the New England Tableland of New South Wales. The soil of this high plateau surrounding towns like Glen Innes is fertile and for generations has been famous for production of fat lambs. It is also cold country where it is not uncommon for winter snow falls. The early settlers planted hedges of Pyracantha – the Firethorn bush to contain their flocks of sheep and also to provide shelter breaks from the cold winds.

Firethorn berries

As one would expect the birds of Australia appreciated the introduction of this new berry to their diet and then began to spread the the plant as a thorny weed. Here on the Granite Belt I have seldom seen a Pyracantha shrub in a home garden and I have never seen a hedge of the Firethorn, but at this time of the year I do see the brightly coloured berries as they announce their presence on shrubs growing along the verges of the New England Highway and local roads. Recently, I discovered a small, self-sown Pyracantha plant beside our front fence, near the garden gate. It certainly can’t be allowed to continue to grow in that position. I am considering my options to transplant it elsewhere so that it will not become a thorny nuisance.

When we bought our farm at Glen Aplin I was delighted to discover a well established Cotoneaster shrub near the northern corner of our house. To my great surprise I soon found self-sown seedlings in the composted leaves under this shrub. What I was to learn is that it is difficult to propagate plants from these berries unless they go through a fermentation process, but once they have passed through the gut of a bird they germinate readily. Yet, I have never seen Cotoneaster plants growing wild on the Granite Belt. I believe that this is due to the harsh weather conditions and the porous, decomposed granite soil. It is only in the gardens of the Granite Belt where there is moist mulch under existing shrubs that Cotoneaster seedlings will germinate.

Cotoneaster hedge

I transplanted these self-sown seedlings to form a hedge the length of the northern fence of our garden. As winter approaches these berries will ripen and become a source of food for birds, especially the Satin Bower birds.

Bright red cotoneaster berries

Every year when setting our dinner tables for Christmas in July feasts I have gathered a basket of these berries, plus green holly leaves, green pine needles and brown pine cones from our Radiata pine trees to combine with red candles to create red and green Christmas style table decorations. I must add that although I have one large holly bush, which provides leaves for these decorations, the holly berries are the first to be eaten by the birds and I have never been blessed with holly seedlings. 

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

You can read more about our Christmas in July, German Christmas feasts filmed for SBS TV Food Lovers Guide to Australia in my book Wildflowers, wildnerness and wine now available on http://www.australia-book.com.au

It was Eberhard’s mother who taught him German cooking. You may read about his early life in Germany in my weekly posts on http://fayhelwigauthor.com

These grasses are hardly wildflowers but I found them in the booklet Wildflowers of the Granite Belt under the section of introduced weeds.

Wildflowers of the Granite Belt

When you look at a photograph like this, what do you see?

Storm brewing on the Granite Belt

Do you see a storm brewing?

Do you see a restless horse pacing the fence?

Do you see the thick blanket of eucalyptus trees on the hills.

Do you see the grass and recognise the variety?

Or do you just see a tranquil country view?

I can look at a view like this and see many things. In particular I see that there are no cattle grazing on this green grass and I ask myself the question, “Why?Why do people grow grass if not to feed it to grazing animals. Is it possible that this particular grass is a variety that animals will not eat?”

Did you ever think that grazing animals my be choosy about what grasses they are willing to eat?

Grass on our farm

This is a view of grass on our land where a herd of cattle have been grazing for two years. Clearly they have chosen not to eat this grass variety. It is African lovegrass.

African lovegrass or Weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is an introduced grass of generally low palatability and great genetic variability. It has colonised many roadsides on lighter soils and can be an aggressive invader of disturbed or unhealthy native and sown pastures in many districts of south-east Queensland. Where there are limited amounts of the plant, its spread should be minimised using suitable management practices.

Lovegrass

African Lovegrass is a native of East Africa from Tanzania to Capetown. It was introduced into Australia early this century as a contaminant in pasture seed and as a potential sown pasture.  The grass and some of its related species are grown as pastures in some less fertile and arid areas of Africa, south-central United States and Argentina. However intensive management is needed to obtain best production from the plant in regions where it is climatically adapted.

African lovegrass is a perennial from sub-tropical environments, particularly areas with significant elevation. It grows from 0.5 m to 1.2 m tall; stems are slender or robust and erect or weeping in habit. The leaf is thin up to 0.3 cm wide, and grows to over 50 cm long. The leaf is variable in colour from bluish to green and curls at the tip when dry.  As the plant grows it forms a solid tussock with each stem having a round, straw-coloured base. It has a dense mat of surface roots that anchor the plant very firmly. As the plant ages the inner stems of the tussock die off leaving dead un-productive stem and root material in the centre of the plant. Seeds are formed on a grey, much branched head. They are 0.5 to 1.5 mm in length and tightly packed into flattened, overlapping groups. The plant is mainly summer growing but in Queensland it will go to seed at any time of the year after rain, providing temperatures are high enough. Autumn and spring growth is quite vigorous where moisture is available.

In Queensland the plant has been recorded in the pastoral districts of Leichhardt, Darling Downs, Southern Downs, Burnett, Port Curtis, Wide Bay, Maranoa, Moreton and Warrego. It is most common in the uplands of the Great Dividing Range south of Gayndah but has potential to spread more widely. It is found in many habitats and is becoming increasingly common on roadsides before spreading into grazing paddocks and abandoned cultivations. It can grow in lighter soils of low nutritional status with low phosphorus and in very acid conditions. The seeds are spread by water, animals and as a contaminant in seed and soil. By far the most common means of spread in Queensland seems to be by roadside slashing, earthworks and motor vehicles.

African lovegrass is palatable to stock when young but it soon runs to seed and forms a tough closed tussock. The leaf of the plant is fibrous and difficult  for stock to digest once dry. In fact the leaf from some types is used in weaving and basket making in Africa. Unless African lovegrass is slashed or burnt the stem and leaf will not be utilised by stock except under heavy stocking rates or where there is no pasture choice. Being a prolific seeder the plant soon develops a large viable seed bank in the pasture making it difficult to eradicate and very competitive with all other pasture species. It seems unable to persist in drier climates west of the Darling Downs.

There are no easy control methods for the plant.

Whiskey grass at Das Helwig Haus

And when you see a field of russet coloured grass like this on the Granite Belt during the autumn and winter months, what do you see?

Do you ask yourself why no animals are grazing on it?

Do you see it as an introduced weed?

It is always difficult in the grazing situation to determine when a plant should be classed as a weed.

The classic definition of a weed is a plant growing out of place.

Whiskey grass arrived in this country not long after first settlement (as it was used for packing American whiskey bottles hence the name) and never considered a problem.

One of the other common names for the plant is Poverty grass, as it has been mainly found only growing in poor soils along roadsides and railway embankments.

It appears that this is no longer the case, as in recent years Whiskey grass has been spreading into pasture areas.

No doubt this has been partly due to the fact that competition has been reduced because of the drought.

Whether it keeps spreading or not only time will tell, but it is widespread on the Granite Belt.

Whiskey grass weed

Both African lovegrass and the Whiskey grass had infested our property long before we bought this farm in 1992. I look at this Whiskey grass at this time every year and think what a wonderful resource it could be if only we knew how to utilize it. The grass is as soft as raffia, which is obviously why it was originally used as a packing material.

Any ideas, anyone?

Meanwhile each year, as cattle will not eat these two grasses, we are obliged to burn our land at the end of winter to prevent summer bush fires.

Controlled burn by the Rural Bushfire Brigade

In my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine I describe what happens when a bushfire burns through such grass country in October, destroying homes and taking a life.

Go to http://www.australia-book.com.au for further information.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

If you enjoy my account of life on our farm on the Granite Belt you may also enjoy my account of a holiday I spent with Eberhard in Germany. While we strolled the countryside and I took photographs, Eberhard recounted how he had spent the first 24 years of his life. It was such a great story that I am now sharing it with you via weekly posts on http://fayhelwigauthor.com ENJOY!

During these autumn and winter months many of the introduced shrubs growing wild along the banks of the Severn River provide berries now for Australian birds who have multiplied largely due to the weedy nature of these shrubs. Birds like the Satin Bower birds now have a winter source of food.

May view of the Severn River

It is only possible for me to access the river bank at this one place where we cleared the rubbish many years ago to allow family, guests and friends to go fishing. Now farmers are prevented from clearing trees on their river frontages by the Queensland Native Vegetation Act. What this means is that plants like blackberries, Willow trees, honeysuckle, brier roses and and Privets now flourish in these regions providing cover for wild pigs, foxes and rabbits. No one manages these areas to prevent their degradation.

Amongst the worst of these garden shrubs are the two Privets - the broad leafed and small leafed Privet.

Green berries on the large leaf privet

I frequently have to weed out both varieties of Privet from my garden where the Satin Bower birds have deposited the seed.

Fine leaf privet bush

This is an example of a small leafed Privet happily growing into a bushy shrub on the boundary fence our neighbour on the northern side of our river frontage. In the summer it is a mass of small white flowers giving off a heady fragrance. This plant was commonly used in home gardens of towns like Stanthorpe and often trimmed into neat hedges.

Privet and honeysuckle

No fires have burned through the neighbouring farmland on our southern boundary in recent years, thus all the hardy weeds have flourished in this region. Because they form part of the thick undergrowth beneath the eucalyptus trees they struggle upward for light and become straggly in shape.

Tall broad leafed privet

The Privet carries huge volumes of berries, which after they ripen to a deep purple are enjoyed by the birds. Towns like Stanthorpe are now offering two native trees for every Privet removed from home gardens

Berries of the small leafed privet

Bunches of berries on a large leafed privet

Such thick undergrowth along the river banks provides not only shelter for native animals for ferals animals. The morning that I took these photographs I saw evidence of where wild pigs had been rooting up the ground on our farm.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

To read more about our way of life check out my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine which you may read about on http://www.australia-book.com.au

If you enjoy my photography and casual way of writing you will also enjoy the photographs I include on http://fayhelwigauthor.com where I am posting weekly a book I have written about a holiday I spent in Germany with Eberhard. As we strolled the countryside he shared with me his youthful experiences.

Golden Coreopsis

It was largely due to the spread of this perennial plant, a native of the prairie grasslands of the USA, that farmers feared the introduction of the Flanders poppy into the Granite Belt district and opposed my proposal for a Memorial Drive linking Amiens, Messines, Bapaume, Passchendaele, Bullecourt, Pozieres and Fleurbaix where people along this route could grow the poppies to bloom for 11th November.

The farmers said, “We have enough flowering weeds in this district!” They pressured the Stanthorpe Shire Council  to veto my proposal. I took the heat out of the issue by establishing a field of Flanders poppies on our land as a Remembrance Field to prove that the poppies were unlikely to spread in the same manner as the Coreopsis.

I knew that the Eastern Rosella parrots ate the seed of these flowers and then via their droppings, spread that seed across the district. I knew that the Coreopsis was a perennial plant of the prairie grasslands of the USA and was therefore adapted to grow in grass country.

Farmers can easily cultivate out Coreopsis seedlings from any agricultural field, but the Coreopsis is a perennial plant that has adapted to grassland. Therefore the roots will remain alive after the leaves have been eaten by livestock or burned during annual burning of grassland.

A controlled winter burn of grassland

This is the way the dry grassland appears in August or early September when we undertake a controlled burn with the assistance of the Rural Bush Fire Brigade.

Then, God willing, the spring storms arrive and green grass grows.

Blue sky and golden coreopsis

Almost over night the view changes to reveal the blue skies of spring and the golden Coreopsis flowering across the grassland. These flowers are no problem for the graziers whose cattle and sheep consider them just another nutritious form of herbage, but they are spreading into the National Parks and competing with indigenous wildflowers in the Girraween National Park.

Yet, from a tourism perspective the site of these Coreopsis flowing across the Granite Belt in November and December is a tremendous draw card as little girls are posed amongst the flowers.

Picture postcard pretty

This little girl was born on the 11th November and for a number of years her parents brought her to see the Flanders poppies in our Remembrance Field.

There is something special about photographing little girls amongst flowers.

My granddaughter Rachael

This photograph of me with my granddaughter Rachael, hugging her teddy bear, appeared in local newspapers in November 2007 to promote our Remembrance Field of Flanders poppies.

So what do I think about the Coreopsis?

I laugh when shops  in Stanthorpe try to sell the seedlings as a garden plant.

I don’t like to see them invading National Parks.

I don’t consider them as any threat to farmers or graziers.

I do see them as a plus for tourism on the Granite Belt and believe more should be done to promote them and other introduced wildflowers. I was at a wine tourism conference  where the discussion focused on district branding. Recognising the value to tourism of wildflowers and that we had so many of them on the Granite Belt, plus four wilderness national parks which are famous for their native wildflowers, and all the wineries, I proposed using the words Wildflowers, wilderness and Wine. Instead the district went with a promotion called ‘Wake up to the beauty of it’.  I then used my suggestion as the title for my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine about a year on the Granite Belt.

Book cover

To obtain Wildflowers, wilderness and wine go to my new website http://www.australia-book.com.au where you will be able to read more details.

Have you discovered my new blog? It is called http://fayhelwigauthor.com and I’m using it to publish another book in the travel genre. It is the story of my husband’s early years in Germany, from 1926 to 1950 when he arrived in Australia. The story is told as he relates it to me as we holiday in Germany.

Eberhard and I purchased our property at Glen Aplin in the cool mountain district of southern Queensland known as the Granite Belt in 1992. At the time we established Das Helwig Haus B&B there were only 12 accommodation providers and 12 wineries. Now there are more than 60 wineries and hundreds of accommodation houses – B&Bs, motels, cottages, chalets and cabins. The latest addition to our competition takes the form of the Harrington Glen Rattler, a distinctive, refurbished 75ft Melbourne Train Carriage.

In my book- Wildflowers, wilderness and wine – I recount the arrival in the district of Harry and Glen Ireland and their establishment of the Harrington Glen Wines amongst the vineyards of the Glen Aplin valley.

Glen Aplin valley vineyards

To get your perspective in this photograph, Harrington Glen Wines is situated at the end of the avenue of green poplar trees. Das Helwig Haus B&B is across the valley within the large dark forest of trees.

The statue of the three maidens, supposedly the three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, is positioned within the circle at the end of the driveway.

Harrington Glen Wines

Harrington Glen is situated at 88 Townsend Road, GLEN APLIN QLD 4381

Not content with producing award winning wines, Harry and Glen undertook another project last year to provide the Granite Belt with what they have called the most unique style of accommodation available in the district. If you have ever wanted to sleep in comfort in a train that didn’t sway and rattle, now is your chance.

I will let the photos tell the story.

The Rattler

Serene bedroom

The kitchen

Dining Room/Lounge

The covered deck overlooks the vineyards

An autumn view of the winery, vineyards and golden poplar trees

I have taken you on a train journey, or at least a photographic journey through a train that will accommodate 3 couples in Queen sized bedrooms with individual suites.

Wines from Harrington Glen Wines will be offered with hors d’oeuvres from Thunderbolt Farm at the public launch of my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine on Tuesday 28th July beginning 6.30pm at the Stanthorpe Art Gallery.

My book cover

Das Helwig Haus B&B owned by Eberhard and Fay Helwig is situated at Glen Aplin, near Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt of southern Queensland, Australia.

This is a region noted for summer stone-fruit, autumn apples, winter  Christmas in July dinners and a spring Remembrance Field of red Flanders poppies.

Fay has published a book called Wildflowers, wilderness and wine.

It is available on the Amazon.com website.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ACXQ0M/sr=8-1/qid=1244294755/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1244294755&sr=8-1&seller=

http://stores.lulu.com/strictlyliterary

http://books.google.co.uk/