For thousands of years, the area now known as the Tweed Valley was the country of the Bundjalung people.
The Tweed River was named by the explorer John Oxley in 1832, and by the 1840s timber-getters were already cutting red cedar trees in the hinterland forests.Eventually most of the rainforests were cleared for cattle grazing and sugar cane growing.
That's what makes Stott's Island, in the Tweed River, so special. It is a protected area of the original rainforests that would have covered the banks of the river on both sides and up into the hills. It is incredibly thick and jungle-like, and from the river, massive fig trees, palms, hoop pine and mangroves keep company with loads of trees I certainly couldn't identify from the tinny. It is amazing to think that this density of vegetation once covered the Tweed's flood plains.
A couple of years ago, we pulled the tinny up onto the island, and attempted to try and beat a track into the bush, but the mozzies forced a hasty retreat!
2 comments:
Hi there - I am organising ATCs and so on - will send you an email soon with ones I have to trade.
Current reading:
I'm reading a whodunit at the moment - David hewson 'The Lizard's Bite' - 4th in a series featuring a Rome-based detective.
Just finished 'The Root of Wild Madder' about a journey amongst Persian and Afghan carpet places, lookign for the meanings of carpets and especially the reds derived from the madder root. Loved it. Am goign to re-read Chritopher Kremmer's book 'The Carpet Wars' too - my sister and b-i-l are doing atrip across Central Asia later this year. I'm dead jealous!
Impressive green in the island. It is amazing to think that this density of vegetation once probably covered most parts of our continents...
Thanks for your visit and comment to Blogtrotter!
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