Tyms Lookout Hike

Back to walks page - Ngarkat Conservation Park

Summer can be very hot! Take lots of water!

Keep this guide handy as you walk along Tyms Lookout Hike. As you come to each numbered post, on page 13, look for the corresponding explanation below.

Site 1

If you thought that only humans built highways, think again! Crossing over the trail at several points are animal highways through the bushland. Kangaroos, Emus, echidnas and other animals use these tracks to move quickly through thick vegetation. Keep a look out and you may see some of their tracks in the sand.

Site 2

The mallee contains endless colours, shapes and textures. Many eucalypts are found in the park such as the Ridge-fruited Mallee Eucalyptus incrassata, Narrow-leaved Mallee Eucalyptus leptophylla, and the trees surrounding you, the Brown Stringybarks Eucalyptus arenacea.

The Slaty Sheoak Allocasuarina muelleriana, is an unusual tree. It has separate male and female trees. Male trees have long, rusty pollen spikes, and female trees have small, fluffy red flowers, which develop into woody cones. Another unusual feature is the ‘foliage’, which is actually hundreds of segmented stems. The tiny leaves form a fuzzy ring around the joints between each segment.

Site 4

Have a seat. Take some time to listen to the sounds around you. The mallee is home to many species of bird from the gigantic Emu to the tiny Weebill. Try to find the birds by listening to their calls. They may be on the ground, darting from shrub to shrub, perching in the tree canopy, or soaring high up in the sky.

Site 5

Nectar offers an irresistible reward to the mammals, birds and insects, which pollinate mallee plants. The key to reaching the nectar is to have a mouth or body to fit the flower. Some nectar feeders, such as New Holland Honeyeaters have become specialists in collecting nectar.

Site 6

The broom-like shrub around you is called Silver Broom Baeckea behrii. It is found in many areas of Ngarkat Conservation Park. During spring its white flowers add to the mallee’s magnificent wildflower displays.

Site 7

The Yacca Xanthorrhoea caespitosa, has almost as many names as it does uses. Also called the Grass Tree or Blackboy, its sap has been used in explosives, while its sap has been used in explosives, while local Aboriginals crushed the seeds to make flour.

Site 8

Banksias are common throughout most of Ngarkat. These native plants produce many nectar rich flowers that turn into hard woody cones. The seeds within these cones are not released until the cone is burnt by a bushfire.

Site 9

Eucalypt trees amazed early scientists. Instead of shedding their leaves, they shed their bark. Different types of bark have lent their names to different groups of eucalypts such as the stringybarks, ironbarks and bloodwoods.

Site 10

The small shrub around you is the Green Tea-tree Leptospermum coriaceum. When it flowers, the landscape becomes carpeted in white.

Site 11

Take care as you hike through this area to avoid the long, sharp needles of the Porcupine Grass Triodia scariosa. The long pines of the Porcupine Grass provide protection for mammals, lizards, birds and insects. Some of these animals are only found under triodia hummocks.

Site 12

Take a rest and enjoy the view over the park.

Site 13

Wildfires are often thought of as leaving a trail of death and destruction. However, many Australian native plants have ways of oping with fire and some, such as the banksia, rely on fire for its survival.

Site 14

Early settlers attempted to farm the Ngarkat area, however, low nutrients and unstable soils meant that these attempts were unsuccessful. Parks such as Ngarkat conserve most of the remaining mallee vegetation in the area.

Site 15

As you return to the car park, keep your eyes open for tracks and traces of animals that have passed before you. Footprints, tracks, droppings and scratchings are all signs that these animals are all around you.

For Access Conditions, times and permits

Department of Environment and Heritage Information
(08) 8204 1910 ~ website