Fig Tree Walk

Location: Imbil State Forest, South East QLD
Date: 11th October, 2014
Distance: 1.1 km (circuit)
Time:  40 min

I have vivid childhood memories of boardwalks covered in stinging nettle leaves winding between towering, high rooted figs. These images seem to have left a lasting impression upon my mind, and only today was I finally able to match a real place to those memories, some decades later, when I stumbled across the Fig Tree Walk at Imbil State Forest.

Driving further north and inland from Kondalilla Falls, in an attempt to distance myself from the trail runners and cyclists, I came upon the eastern reaches of the Conondale Ranges. I stopped at a picnic area and soon found myself crossing a bridge to begin a short circuit walk.

Fig Tree Walk begins on the other side of the river

Just a few steps into the rainforest and I was suddenly transported back to my childhood! Stinging nettle trees and Moreton Bay figs still line the paved track that meanders through the rainforest.

Although it was the middle of the day, shaded under the rainforest canopy I was quite cool. I'm sure you could do this walk in about 10 minutes but I sat down to have my lunch and simply enjoy the sounds of birds calling and leaves falling endlessly from up above. Sometimes I wonder how so many leaves can be falling... surely those trees will run out of their leaves quickly at that rate.

I also had my first (recent) encounter with the sounds of a wompoo pigeon. Their characteristic "wommm-POO" calling sounds so much like a human, I kept looking around to see if there was some dope trying to make stupid bird noises up ahead. Turns out they actually sound like that.

This fig's extensive root system protects the underlying creek (currently a dry gully) from erosion

One of many, many birds I saw scurrying around on the forest floor on this short walk