Mount Beckworth

Just a few kilometres from Clunes on the basalt plains that surround Ballarat, you find the granite tors of Mt Beckworth. Mined, burnt and grazed; this range protects a wide variety of delicate native plants.

this Hardenbergia violacea contrasts with the pale lichen covered rock open country allowed us easy access to the low summit Hugely girthed gum trees hint at the size of the trees before human interference
covered in lichen this granite tor towers above the western track after help from another visitor we found the slaty helmet orchid just like a miniature forest the delicate pterostylis nana orchid was hard to spot!
this insect seems unaware of its sticky fate below the beautiful Drosera petals the delicate shaft of the morel fungus seems almost good enough to eat once unprotected, Acacia cuneata shows its thorny brilliance in early spring

These photographs were taken in early September 2000