ANPS revisits Kambah: Buds, flowers seedpods (and a helicopter)

Today the ANPS Wednesday Walkers revisited Kambah Pool, but headed South to Red Rocks.  I took a lot of photos, so this might be slow to load!

There were few flowers around so I started taking photos of buds.

A view has been expressed that Brachyloma buds are actually more attractive than the flowers! 

 Acacia rubida was very evident.

When we got down close to the Red Rocks Gorge A. doratoxylon was quite evident.  This is the only ACT member of the genus with rod shaped flowers.

 This is of course the season for Cryptandra buds..

 .. while Eucalyptus dives was up in the air.

 Cassinia longifolia was looking unusually attractive for a species sometimes known as cauliflower bush

 and Pomaderris augustifolia looked like a Pomaderris (nudge nudge, 'nuff said, know what I mean?)

There was a lot of Grevillea juniperina along the track, most still in bud.  This was the biggest sample I saw in this condition.

Roger has advised that is is probably a gall - ie insect damage. Imagine what it could look like if the "florets" all came out like this - seen closer to the river! 

Here are a few more flowers, beginning with Leucoshrysum attenuatus

 Chrysocephalum semipapposum

 A rather interior snap of Melichrus

A few plants still had their seed pods, such as Bossiaea buxifolia

 Cassinia quinquiferia

 Allocasurina verticillata

 and, right down by the river, Callitris endlicheri

 There were few photogenic fungi around today,

 and this Scarlet Robin was the only bird photographed.

 A few happy snaps of the Gorge.  Firstly from above

 and then these from River level.

As we got back out of the gorge we became aware that one of those who didn't descend was yodelling down to the effect that they needed some help.  It emerged that one of the group - hereafter known as 'Dorothy': thanks for the pseudonym Michelle - had taken a tumble and injured herself.   She couldn't walk and the group couldn't carry her back 3.5km without assistance. So I got on the mobile to 000.

After a bit of back and forth I spoke with Craig from Southcare who was coming to help us.  Here he is checking out the situation from his workplace. 

 

Here he is putting the workplace in the right place.

Here are he and his colleagues putting "Dorothy" in the right place (ie within the workplace), with a bit of help from a couple of ANPS members (the ones not wearing flight suits).

Note the amount of strapping on the foot in the stretcher.  

As far as we are aware "Dorothy" was safely in Canberra Hospital some good time before we got back to  the cars.  Certainly the professionalism of the Southcare crew and their medical staff was excellent. Many thanks guys.

The late news is that "Dorothy" has a break on one side of her ankle and ligament damage on the other. She has spoken to a member of the group since and is in as good a shape as could be expected.  Probably lucky she flew in a chopper rather than a tornado.