This walk follows a path with maybe not so many flowers but it is quite pleasant.

1. Plants in pots outside the Visitor Information Centre include Rhododendron viriosum, attractive with its orange-red bell-shaped flowers, and the Sturt’s Desert Pea, Swainsona formosa, with its bright red dark-centred pea-shaped flowers.
2. Along Banks Walk a small tree, Corymbia ‘Summer Red’ [Section 174] bears clusters of bright red flowers.
3. At the next corner, Crowea ‘Festival’ [Section 174] is a small open shrub bearing pink star-shaped flowers.
4. Take the road on the far side of the Rainforest Gully to view Grevillea bipinnatifida ‘Jingle Bells’ [Section 124], grown as a standard with red pendulous flower spikes among the crinkly leaves.
5. Around the corner Grevillea ‘Goldfever’ [Section 124] is a small spreading shrub scattered with apricot-coloured flowers.
6. Close to the corner Scaevola albida [Section 124] is a dense groundcover profuse with tiny fan-shaped pale blue flowers.
7. Take the road to the left to view a group of Correa ‘Canberra Bells’ [Section 119], the flower selected to commemorate Canberra’s centenary (as illustrated above).
8. Follow the nearby path opposite to view Callistemon citrinus [Section 9], a group of large shrubs profuse with crimson bottlebrushes.
9. The next left path passes close to Callistemon citrinus ‘Firebrand’ [Section 9], a low spreading shrub with loose bottlebrushes.
10. The next path passes Chittick, Lambertia inermis [Section 27], a large shrub with few orange tube flowers radiating from a common centre.
11. At the corner of the Main Path to the right, Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 30] is a prostrate plant bearing lemon upright cylindrical flower spikes.
12. Numerous banksias are now bearing immature flower spikes. This group of Banksia conferta [Section 25] is tall and slim with yellow-cream flower spikes.
13. Opposite, Banksia spinulosa [Section 27] is a small dense shrub with prominent dull gold upright immature flower spikes.
14. At the next corner is Grevillea ‘Lady O’ [Sections 26, 24], with bright red flower clusters on this low spreading shrub.
15. Returning along this path to the left, Banksia robur [Section 25] is a large spreading shrub with large leathery leaves. The bottle-green flower spikes fade through light green to a lemon colour with age before finally turning charcoal grey-brown.
16. Deua Flame, Grevillea rhyolitica subsp. rhyolitica [Section 25], is also a large shrub bearing red spider-like flowers.
17. Grevillea diminuta [Section 25] is another large shrub with strands of rust-coloured flowers dangling from the branches.
18. Almost opposite, Banksia aemula [Section 24] is a large dense shrub with many lemon flower spikes.
19. Edging the road, Thomasia petalocalyx [Section 25] is low and dense, sprinkled with small pink downturned flowers.
20. Past the zebra crossing, Westringia glabra [Section 6] is a medium open shrub bearing small mauve flowers.
21. Correa alba [Sections 7, 107] has a covering of white star flowers over the dense shrub.
22. Cross the road to the entrance of the Brittlegum Lawn to view Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ [Section109] edging the lawn. It has large terminal loose red flower heads.

The Rainforest could be a cool relaxing route back to the Visitor Centre.         

Barbara Daly