Report of Motor Bus Excursion to Waterfall 
Gully on November 4 , 1950 
By O. D. WAITE 
Leaving Choat’s bus at the Waterfall 
Gully Look-out. members walked about one 
hundred yards along the Mount Barker Hoad, 
to a track which winds its way along the hill- 
sides and down to the Waterfall Gully Re- 
serve. It was late spring, and though there 
are usually some surprises in the Gully, mem- 
bers were not quite prepared for the sight 
that met their gaze. The track, which is 
very good for a considerable distance, leads 
back at first to near the foot of Mount Lofty 
Summit, the vicinity of serious bushfires in the 
previous summer. The fires had descended to 
the gully and for a distance of about a mile and 
a half had burnt out the undergrowth, large 
shrubs and small trees, leaving the wild- 
flowers to flourish and to flower riotously. 
There was a mass of colour for as far as one 
could see along the gully. Predominant was 
the pale mauve of Dichopogon strictus with 
its loose racemes of delicate flowers, on long 
pedicels, waving gracefully in the breeze. In- 
termingled was Burchardia umbellata with 
erect stems and umbels of large white 
flowers. Stylidium gramini folium was 
there with spikes of pink and white flowers. 
Members were shown the interesting move- 
ment of the column, from which movement 
this plant gets the common name of 
“trigger plant.” Spyridium, Hibbertia, 
Senecio and Olearia grandi flora made a great 
display. Eight varieties of orchids were 
noted, the interesting and rare Thelymitra 
fuscolutea being among the number, but as 
the sky was overcast, this orchid was not 
seen to full advantage as it only shows its 
speckled beauty in full sunshine. A large 
clump of Lyperanthus nigricans was seen. 
This orchid spends much of its life under- 
ground, seeming only to appear after a fire. 
The flowers had all dried black. On the 
banks of the little stream which runs 
through the gully, the blue native iris 
(Patersonia glauca) was flowering. The slop- 
ing banks of the stream were lined with 
maiden hair fern (Adiantum aethiopicum) . 
Near the tops of the hills bordering the 
gully there were fine specimens of Xanthorr- 
hoea semi- plana. No doubt the area visited 
will again be covered with shrubs and small 
trees as fire is favourable to the seeding of 
many of the native plants, particularly Lep- 
tospermum, Hakea rostrata and H. ulicina as 
they have hard, woolly follicles which split 
after the application of heat. 
A number of members who had travelled 
up from Burnside were met along the way 
and the whole party assembled at the pic- 
turesque vicinity of the Second Fall to 
examine and discuss specimens. 
At the top of the Second Fall there were 
some fine plants of Blechnum capense and 
coral fern ( Gleichenia circinata) . The re- 
turn journey was made along the main Water- 
fall Gully Road. Some hardy and adven- 
turous spirts left the main road and took the 
track constructed by Sir Samuel Davenport 
many years ago. From the hillsides along 
the track, wonderful panoramas are gained 
of the surrounding hills and countryside. 
A little valley was crossed which should be 
pretty at any time of the year, dotted as it 
is w T ith hawthorn bushes. The track comes 
out at Beaumont, within sight of the Burn- 
side tram terminus. 
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