Welcome to Yugambeh country..
I am here in Australias south east queensland in a small valley called currumbin.
This property is nestled on the brim of one of the largest calderas in the southern hemisphere and is a rainforest habitat tipped with rocky hills and edged by white coastal sands.
I live about an hour from here, this is my place of work.
Today i stand with these beautiful trees.
The grass tree is a very special tree both to the indigenous and to this land. They are a tree that thrives in a fire prone habitat, so much so that after a bush fire or cultural burn they will be one of the first trees to show green.
These trees are very stoic and have a distinct place in local culture - as such i don't have the privilege to speak of all of their magic in full, i do however honour their gifts and if you have met one you would likely feel a similar reverence.
Among many other uses, their sap which is often exuded after bushfires has been used as a primitive glue, binding spear and arrow tips are a good example of its specific and useful nature.
The sap smells amazing!
It comes out after a fire and form these beautiful balls at the bottom of the trunk.
This is sacred stuff and i am always respectful when collecting. Only taking what comes off easy and never taking too much.
One of the local cows stops to say hello.
When these trees die they leave behind a beautiful broken down pile of mulch.
Long story short, i am here tending a paddock. If i were the ultimate caretaker of this place i wouldn't have livestock here... these trees are too special.
Alas... my job currently is to fertilize this grass so today i spread 600 kg of organic chicken manure over the entire lot.
Unfortunately... these trees are sick, they didn't come here naturally, they belong a couple of hours further inland and have been planted here by people as a private collection.
The picture below shows one of many issues growing these special trees in humid environments instead of their natural habitat where they are rockier, drier and more fire prone..here they are vulnerable to things like pytophera and crown rot, but in the picture below you can see bunches of yellow cases. The old shells of larvae that have infested this tree and killed it.
And so, in passing...
I honour these sacred and powerful trees.
It is a sorry sight to see them here,
they stand like lost kings...protectors of a land that isnt their's.
I pay my respects, i say sorry and i give my thanks
For their special gifts.
