Local flora a spectacular sight

By Meg Kennedy

What unique Australian plant looks straight from the set of Jurassic Park, and was once used to create everything from spears, to glue, to gramophone records?
The native ‘grass trees’, which have been part of the Australian landscape for over 20- million years, are one of the most iconic members of the bush – and they’re right in our backyard.
The Brisbane Ranges at Beremboke is a popular destination for bush walkers and features a spectacular display of native flora.
Grass trees are a hardy plant. The can live up to 600 years old, and by examining the size of a grass tree’s skirt, it can be estimated when a fire last occurred.
For Indigenous people, grass trees were used as, and continue to be, an important resource.
Plant ecologist Dr John Patykowski writes articles for The Conversation that the resin secreted by the leaf-bases was used as an adhesive to attach tool heads to handles, and the base of the flowering stem was used at the base of composite spear.
During European settlement, the resin was also used in the production of medicines, as a glue and varnish, as incense in churches, and the production of wine, soap, perfume and gramophone records.
So, if you’re heading for a hike into the beautiful Brisbane Ranges soon, be sure to take note of this particular unique furry fauna around.