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Out and About (Tall Tales but Very True)

Rare and Beautiful Orchids (Part 1)

It was the weekend after Ted's Speciosum show (Ted and Winsome Walmsley A.N.O.S. Mid-North Coast Group - Editor), On the Friday night, my wife Anna decided on all the jobs I was going to do for the weekend, then she was going to visit her friend and check on her mother. But as luck would have it, some bushwalking friends on their way back from Kempsey came to stay for the weekend. We decided to visit some of my old sacred orchid bush locations

The dog house where I used to hide from my wife, notice the Den. speciosum on top of the cave?

After a 30 min drive on a rugged bush trail bouncing our heads on the roof of our Hilux, we got to our destination (we thought). I announced to friends “We are finally here, this is the place”. On inspection though, I realised we were only in the vicinity. I was on the wrong track! It’s hard to remember thirty years ago. Murmuring under their breaths (jokingly I think), “Where are all the orchids you said were here, we have come all this way and the "Bush Basher" has let us down!”. The area was a perfect rocky environment for orchids, rock dwelling Dendrobiums and other terrestrials. It was strange, we ventured from the car looked over the escarpment and there was...nothing! I swear to God 30 years ago, these rocks were covered in them. This was embarrassing.

I was not going to give up though, so I scrambled down the bottom of the 40 meter rock face and looked up. To my astonishment, there were hundreds if not thousands of Den. kingianum and many other types of orchids everywhere in pristine conditions, still untouched for hundreds of years! It was better than I remember. For me, this was one of the most beautiful places on our planet, except for Hidden Gully in the Nightcap Ranges (that’s another story).

Den. kingianum never been touched by collectors

The weekend was very successful, my friends got heaps of info and habitat photos.

The moral to this story? If you think you stuffed up, and things go wrong. Don't panic, let no one know, blame everybody else and act very professional, with a bit of luck plus some prayers and miles of scampering around, you will find your treasure!

Den. speciosum var' hillii growing near the Den. Kingianum

Email Mark: strongrow.orchids@gmail.com.

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