This wet wintery morning the stroll is in the Rock Garden.  Just now the only other inhabitants are a very wet kangaroo and a few hungry Eastern Spinebills.  To arrive at the Rock Garden, take the road on the far side of the Rainforest and turn right at the intersection with the Main Path.

1. At the base of the stairs, Grevillea lanigera [Sections 15c,15h] is a dense semi-prostrate spreading plant well covered with its pink- cream flower clusters.
2. Ascending the stairs and opposite, Correa ‘Ivory Bells’ [Section 15d] is a dense rounded shrub clad with many tubular cream flowers.
3. Crowded beside it is Banksia spinulosa ‘Honeypots’ [Section 15d], an upright shrub bearing many honey-coloured cylindrical upright flower spikes.
4. The large spreading shrub displaying its many open white flowers is Grevillea monticola [Section 15d].
5. Hypocalymma xanthopetalum [Section 15f] is a low spreading shrub with tiny yellow frilly flowers edging its branches.
6. Around the corner Hibbertia serpyllifolia [Section 15f] is a small upright shrub with open yellow flowers.
7. Nearby Micromyrtus hexamera [Section 15g] has long arching branches clad with tiny white flowers.
8. Behind is Grevillea ‘Little Jessie’ [Section 15g], a shrub of medium size that has cream flowers with bright red styles.
9. At the base of the stairs, Westringia glabra [Section 15a] is a long spreading shrub dotted with small mauve flowers.
10. Beside the ascending stairs Grevillea ‘Mason’s Hybrid’ [Section 15h] is a grand old spreading shrub beautified with large terminal red flower spikes.
11. Edging the upper road, Scaevola albida var. albida [Section 15h] has small mauve fan- shaped flowers.
12. Follow the small downward path between the grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii [Sections 15, 14]) to where Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 15l] is a dense hedge with large green-yellow flower spikes rising above the foliage.
13. At the corner Banksia spinulosa ‘Birthday Candles’ [Section 15l] is a dwarf dense shrub bright with golden flower spikes.
14. On the opposite corner Grevillea maxwellii [Section 15p] is a semi-prostrate plant dense with divided leaves and dark red flower clusters mostly seen below the foliage.
15. At the centre of this garden is Hakea obtusa [Section 15p], a large spreading shrub with many long branches terminating with a mix of leaves and colourful pink-cream globular flowers attached to the stems.
16. Edging the opposite path in a pot, Verticordia pennigera [Section 15r] continues to bear tiny pink frilly flowers.
17. Close by the vivid purple hibiscus-like flowers of Alyogyne huegelii ‘Westcoast Gem’ [Section 15r] are prominent on its long branches.
18. Returning to the top of this path and worth viewing near the seat past the sun dial, is a Grevillea sp. [Section 14] creeping between the rocks. It has dense fine leaves and small toothbrush-like flowers coloured red and yellow.
19. Follow the narrow path from the sundial downwards.  It winds between numerous specimens of a Thryptomene sp. [Section 15r] with long arching branches clad with pale pink flowers and also passes Baeckea crassifolia [Section 15r], a small dense shrub vivid with deeper pink tiny flowers.
20. In front of the waterfall and pools, Guichenotia ledifolia [Section 4] is a dense rounded shrub clad with downturned cup‑shaped mauve flowers.

A great walk!

Barbara Daly