I thought it about time I visited Bidjigal Reserve again near west Pennant Hills. The reserve is in upper tributaries of Darling Mills Creek, which flows south to join Toongabbie Creek, and the combined creeks form the Parramatta River. On previous visits, on two trips walking all the way down Darling Mills Creek to Parramatta, I had thought the valley offered good habitat for fungi, and I had recently seen good fungi from photos taken in Bidjigal Reserve posted by others on Facebook.
I caught a train to Beecroft, then a bus from the station to the Richard Webb Reserve on Aiken Road. I then followed a fire road down to Darling Mills Creek. Further downstream, I noticed a nice waterfall, that will be worth returning to for some photos in higher flow. Further along the fire road, I left it and followed a track that went along the creek, crossing it and then continuing to the junction with Excelsior Creek. It was Excelsior Creek that I wanted to check out. I turned off and followed a track upstream. Like nearly all remnant bushland along valleys in Sydney, there are tracks that follow a sewer line.
This bushland is very pleasant walking. Unfortunately the creek looks very polluted, and there is also a lot of rubbish in the creekbed.
Not far up the creek is a large pool with an interesting rock feature just upstream.
I am not sure if this is the Platypus Pool or something else. Its spot that I will need to return to for some photography in a higher flow. At one point, I left the main track and flooded an older track up the creekbed. It led to an interesting cave. It featured some Aboriginal style handprints.
They looked quite recent. At the far end of the cave were lots of large moths.
Now for the fungi. I had to look hard, and I did spot a fair bit, but not some of the ones I was after.
Perhaps Entoloma sp. –
Tremellodendropsis pusio –
Russula rosea –
Discinella terrestris –
Hygrocybe miniata –
Clavulinopsis amoena –
Not sure what these are –
Cortinarius sp. ?
Hygrocybe reesiae –
Clavulinopsis amoena –
Clavulina subrugosa –
Russula sp.
Mycena sp.
Rimbachia cf. bryophila –
Clavulinopsis corallinorosacea –
Cortinarius sp. –
Cortinarius sp. –
Ramaria sp. –
Perhaps Inonotus albertinii –
Clavulina subrugosa –
Russula persanguinea –
Hygrocybe miniata –
Russula persanguinea –
I walked up and down the tracks several times, stopping in at Eric Mobbs Reserve for lunch at a picnic table. I exited up a track that took me right up tp the headwaters of Excelsior Creek and caught a bus from Blacks Road back to Beecroft Station. Thanks to Michael Hilling for some tips on good locations in the reserve.