The Toonumbar Valley...
Creek's Bend Country Retreat, Toonumbar
Toonumbar National Park - A World Heritage Area
The nearby Toonumbar National Park contains two World Heritage listed subtropical rainforests, the Murray Scrub and Dome Mountain.
World Heritage forests are places of outstanding environmental value - national treasures that should be conserved for all time.
Toonumbar forests contain important examples of ancient plant and animal species, many of which trace their origins back to the ancient super continent of Gondwana. These sites of ongoing evolution and hotspots for biodiversity contain species which are now considered either rare or threatened.
The region is famous for its unique and complex natural environment. The eroded volcanic remains of Mount Lindesay, Dome Mountain and Edinburgh Castle are notable geologic features.
Toonumbar National Park is but a scenic drive from your Creek's Bend Country Retreat accommodation.
The Murray Scrub
The Murray Scrub is a prime example of lowland subtropical rainforest with an abundance of tall figs, palms (Bangalow and Cabbage Tree), large vines, epiphytes and ground ferns. There are many large Strangler Figs, White Bean, Socketwood and Giant Stinging Trees. The bird life of the Murray Scrub is diverse, with an abundance of fruit eating species such as Pigeons and Bowerbirds, and less commonly Wompoo Pigeons. It is possible to hear Olive Whistlers, Albert's Lyrebirds and perhaps the rare White-eared Monarch among the calls of the more common Crimson Rosellas, Satin Bowerbirds, Eastern Whipbirds and Green Catbirds. The Brush Turkey may also be seen by the quieter walkers in the forest.
Early last century the Murray Scrub was selectively logged using bullock teams. Unlike bulldozers, bullock teams leave narrow tracks of compressed soil that allow a full canopy to grow overhead while a semi-permanent track remains. About 4 kilometres of this old track take you on a stroll through a rainforest wonderland. A Brief History Of Toonumbar's Rainforests
Rainforests and the first birds and mammals began to evolve about 120 million years ago; when Australia, Antarctica, South America, India, Africa and Madagascar were joined as Gondwanaland. By 80 million years ago, when only South America, Antarctica and Australia remained joined, marsupials, flightless birds and the Proteaceae plants, including the Grevillias and Antarctic Beeches, evolved.
50 million years ago Australia, Antarctica and South America separated and Antarctic ice began to form, and by 45 million years ago the landscape across southern Australia was dominated by warm temperate and sub-tropical rainforest with some open forests to the north. From about 40 million years ago the climate became cooler and drier and the subtropical rainforests gradually retreated to more favourable regions. Adapting to the drier climate, the Eucalypts and then the wattles evolved from the rainforest.
20 million years ago the Focal Peak volcano, north of Woodenbong in Queensland and the Mount Warning volcano near Murwillumbah in NSW, erupted, spreading lava over large areas. The rainforests continued to contract and erosion of the volcanic soils created the spectacular landscapes seen today. Toonumbar National Park's World Heritage rainforests grow on the rich basaltic soils formed from the eruptions of Mount Warning and Focal Peak.
During the past 2 million years successive ice ages further restricted the rainforests and drove many marsupials, birds and plants to extinction. Tens of thousands of years ago man arrived and his widespread use of fire encouraged the spread of Eucalypts and Wattles throughout much of Australia. When Europeans arrived 200 years ago the rainforests that once covered much of Australia were isolated to pockets on the east coast.
From the early 1800's Red Cedar rainforest timber was much sought after, and by the mid 1800's the Richmond River area in north-eastern New South Wales was providing two thirds of Australia's exports of Red Cedar. An 1861 Act of Parliament opened the rainforests to be cleared for farming. The effect was devastating. The largest area of lowland subtropical rainforest in Australia known as the "Big Scrub" once extended from a few kilometres east of Lismore to the edge of the coastal plain inland from Ballina and the hills overlooking Byron Bay. By the turn of the century the lowland subtropical rainforest of the Tweed Valley was gone, the Big Scrub's original 75,000 Ha was reduced to 300 Ha and cedar getters had moved to Kyogle.
The NSW Forestry Commission was established in 1916 and more rainforests were clear felled and converted to pine plantations. In 1982, what is now the Toonumbar National Park's Murray Scrub World Heritage rainforest, came close to being destroyed when Forestry proposed to log 90% of the canopy to supply concrete form board. Local protests and a narrow decision by the NSW State Government saw the Murray Scrub declared a Flora Reserve. Large areas near Middle Spur road at the head of the Iron Pot Creek were heavily logged during the 1950s and other areas have been logged using the 50% canopy retention method. We must make sure that the remaining areas of rainforest are protected for all time.
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Copyright © 2008 Wayne and Susan Somerville, Toonumbar Via Kyogle NSW Australia.
