Palms and others on my way through Australia

[Ben1]

Hi guys, 

 

last year in August I asked here for some help to find a volunteer job at a nursery in North Queensland. Micheal (aussiearoid) was so kind to sent me contact details for a nice family owned nursery and this is where I spent the last 3 months. On Wednesday I will leave and travel from now on southwards so I will see Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide (and of course some places in between). From Adelaide I will also fly to Alice Springs and afterwards to Darwin at the end of my trip. On my way back to Germany I will have a few days stay in Bangkok where I intend to visit the Chatuchak markets and then I'll meet a member of a German forum who lives in Pattaya and he'll show me a few days the great Nong Nooch!

In this thread I'd like to show you different palms and others as well as different sceneries and I hope you'll enjoy it!

 

I started in Cairns where I stayed for four days before I started working in a nursery. Flecker Botanic Gardens in Cairns:

[Neil C]

Sounds like you are having a great time and now the fun traveling begins. You are here at a great time of the year. What plants was the nursery producing...anything interesting?

 

Regards Neil

[Ben1]

Rainforest between Cairns and Kuranda

Barron Falls

 

[Ben1]

Here some impressions of the nursery. The property is really huge and it adjoins directly to tropical rainforest!

@Neil C: the nursery is producing a very wide range of different plants but I would say the widest range is in different gingers (zingiber, alpinia, etlingera, costus), cordylines, heliconias and fruit trees/ shrubs. 

Edited September 26, 2016 by Ben1

[Ben1]

Some pics of Mission Beach which I took close to the beach

[Ben1]

I also had the great pleasure to meet Micheal (aussiearoid) and to have an eye on his amazing plant collection

such an incredibly flawless and healthy johannesteijsmannia magnifica 

 

[Ben1]

tahina 

cocoa (theobroma)

 

[Monòver]

Wow, this is amazing!!!! Thanks for the pictures!!!

[Kim]

Absolutely fabulous!  So many gorgeous plants!  The Joey is top notch!  thank you for posting.

[Palm Tree Jim]

Great pictures.....and the diversity of plants is also incredible!

[User00]

Great gardens and SOO tropical 

[Tropicgardener]

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2016‎ ‎9‎:‎39‎:‎29‎, Ben1 said:

Here some impressions of the nursery. The property is really huge and it adjoins directly to tropical rainforest!

@Neil C: the nursery is producing a very wide range of different plants but I would say the widest range is in different gingers (zingiber, alpinia, etlingera, costus), cordylines, heliconias and fruit trees/ shrubs. 

I know what Nursery you were at  ........... Are you coming through Airlie Beach? Some nice palm gardens here.

[Kennybenjamin]

I have sent you a pm Ben, happy to help you if I can while your in Brisbane

[Ben1]

On 29. September 2016 um 21:17:49, Tropicgardener said:

I know what Nursery you were at  ........... Are you coming through Airlie Beach? Some nice palm gardens here.

Hello Andrew, 

 

yes, I will also have a stop-over at Airlie Beach (now east coast trip without a sailing tour to the Whitsundays ) and I still remember of your friendly offer to visit your garden! 

the only reason why I didn't contact you yet is that I don't know yet when exactly I will be there. But it will be within the next 5 weeks. So if your offer is still valid (???) I would drop you a message as soon as I know the time....

Thanks!

[Ben1]

17 hours ago, Kennybenjamin said:

I have sent you a pm Ben, happy to help you if I can while your in Brisbane

Thanks a lot, so did I 

[doranakandawatta]

Is this Licuala ramsayii?

Thanks

[Cindy Adair]

Wow! I think from the stunning plants that you featured that I would like the climate there too.

I knew when I saw the Darwin area in my only trip to Australia (IPS post tour June 2016) that I needed to return and see more of Australia!  

On September 26, 2016 at 7:08:33 AM, Neil C said:

Sounds like you are having a great time and now the fun traveling begins. You are here at a great time of the year. 

 

Regards Neil

Neil, Is your vote for September/October for timing of a trip? 

So much I want to see of the world!

Nice also to see how many of the IPS/PT initiated information has helped you in your journey, Ben, with lots of friendly generous people in this group.

Thank you for taking the time to post all your excellent photos of some of my favorite plants!

[Ben1]

Some pics taken in Townsville 

nicely growns cycads next to the sidewalk

Queens Gardens

More to come....

[Tropicgardener]

20 hours ago, Ben1 said:

Hello Andrew, 

 

yes, I will also have a stop-over at Airlie Beach (now east coast trip without a sailing tour to the Whitsundays ) and I still remember of your friendly offer to visit your garden! 

the only reason why I didn't contact you yet is that I don't know yet when exactly I will be there. But it will be within the next 5 weeks. So if your offer is still valid (???) I would drop you a message as soon as I know the time....

Thanks!

Yes no worries at all, just let me know when you are coming through....... I can also show you some palms in habitat around here if you like

 

[Ben1]

At the moment I'm on the LOVELY Magnetic Island  

 

[Ben1]

16 hours ago, doranakandawatta said:

Is this Licuala ramsayii?

Thanks

I'm unfortunately not an expert that's why I didn't "name" anything. But I guess you are right as they are native here and I found them almost everywhere in the forests here...

[Ben1]

5 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

Wow! I think from the stunning plants that you featured that I would like the climate there too.

I knew when I saw the Darwin area in my only trip to Australia (IPS post tour June 2016) that I needed to return and see more of Australia!  

Neil, Is your vote for September/October for timing of a trip? 

So much I want to see of the world!

Nice also to see how many of the IPS/PT initiated information has helped you in your journey, Ben, with lots of friendly generous people in this group.

Thank you for taking the time to post all your excellent photos of some of my favorite plants!

Yeah it's really awesome to visit some private gardens here and it's always interesting to meet the people who take care for it. I'm really grateful for that!!!

I only saw a small part of this country so far, but I would already recommend it to everyone who has the opportunity to visit it! 

The right time to visit Australia depends very much on which part of the country you would like to see and I read that there is always the right time to visit one/some parts but never the right time for the whole continent at the same time. But I'm sure that our Australian members can give you much better information about choosing the right time of the year...

[Ben1]

52 minutes ago, Tropicgardener said:

Yes no worries at all, just let me know when you are coming through....... I can also show you some palms in habitat around here if you like

 

That would be amazing! Im really looking forward to it!

Thank you so much!

[Ben1]

Last Tuesday I visited the Palmetum of Townsville. Unfortunately the rainforest part (which I guess would be the most interesting one???) was closed due to issues with fruit bats....

 

The other parts where still definitely worth the visit! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ben1]

 

the end of a Giant 

 

at the first glance this Palm appeared to me like attaleas but actually it is Scheelea cephalotes 

 

 

Biggest beccariophoenix that I've seen in real so far

 

 

the following two palms weren't tagged but for me the seem to be Lodoicea maldivica. What do you think?

 

[Ben1]

dictyosperma album var. conjugtatum 

Nypa fruticans 

[Ben1]

I continue with the xerophytic part 

[Ben1]

And some more pics of Magnetic Island 

Rock wallaby

now back to plants (sorry for off topic)

on Saturday I will leave this beautiful island and I will go to Airlie Beach. I'm really looking forward to see the whitsundays B-). 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

21 hours ago, Ben1 said:

 

 

 

Anyone know the id on this palm? I've never seen anything like it before. 

[Ben1]

 

7 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Anyone know the id on this palm? I've never seen anything like it before. 

I actually read the tag if this Palm but unfortunately I can't remember property. 

Think it was a livistona soecies though...

 

The fine leaves and the skinny trunk were quite remarkable.

[Daryl]

Great photos Ben...Keep them coming!

The Livistona looks like L.inermis from the N.T

 

regards,

Daryl

 

[Ben1]

Hey guys,

some more pictures from what I've seen the last few weeks. 

End of October I had a sailing trip to the whitsundays archipelago. Besides of a few snorkel opportunities the visit to the whitehaven beach was the emphasis of the trip. 

After I got back to Airlie Beach I had the great pleasure to meet Andrew. We had a walk through the Conway National Park (Kingfisher Circuit). It was a really nice landscape with a "rainforesty" vegetation. Lots of palms and also native gingers, ferns etc. 

Very interesting looking flower. Don't know what the plant is called though.

Afterwards we visited a garden of a friend of Andrew who migrated to Australia many years ago. Originally he comes from Germany :). The garden was absolutely amazing. Loads rare plants!

First time that I saw a strongylodon macrobotrys flower in real. The color is so amazing; almost unreal 

Andrew, thank you so much for taking your time to show me around. I really appreciated it and it was nice to meet you!

[Ben1]

My next stop was Hervey Bey. On my day of arrival I visited the botanical garden. Apart from the small Asian styled section it wasn't something special. 

At the edge of the botanical garden there was a tiny building: the orchid house. The $ 2,50 admission fee was definitely worth it. The small building was loaded with flowering orchids, that were taken from the greenhouses they normally are to put them on display. 

On the next day I went to Fraser Island 

Maheno ship wreck 

Eli Creek 

Lake McKenzie

The next few days I spent in Rainbow Beach, named after the different colors of sand you can find at the beach

Sunset on Carlo sandblow 

Nice (I guess???) hyophorbe verschaffeltii

Next stop Noosa:

Noosa National Park

Hell's gate

Everywhere here on the Sunshine Coast platyceriums pop up on rocks or trees

Buderim Forest Park

Nice nusery in Buderim

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Beautiful!

[annafl]

Wow!  Thanks for posting!

[Ben1]

Hi guys,

high time for a update of my trip. 

In February I've been to Brisbane and also met Ben (aka Kennybenjamin) and could visit his 2 gardens and his great nursery. (Thanks again for showing me around, I really appreciated it!). Unfortunately I can not show you pics of that, as my "camera-to-iPad" adapter is broken. 

Therefore the following pics were taken with my phone. I apologize for the poor quality! 

Springbrook Nationalpark 

Yesterday I arrived in Sydney and today I visited the royal botanical garden. Unfortunately the greenhouse with some tropicals is closed during weekends. 

Variegated Brugmansia

Phoenix with split stem

 

 

[Ben1]

Iresine herbstii 

Nothing special but I like coleus :)

Nicely grown specimen(s) of rhopalostylis baueri

Cocothrinax crinita

[Ben1]

Tacca chantrieri

Flower of a tree

Nice caltheas 

Next week I'm gonna visit Melbourne....

Edited March 25, 2017 by Ben1

[annafl]

Wowza!  Love this thread!  I so enjoyed the photos.  Thanks so much for posting!!!

 

[Ben1]

Last week I've been to Melbourne 

Floral clock

Conservatory 

Of course I've also visited the botanic garden 

Hedyscepe c. ?