Artwork 68 Volcanoes and “Petrified Forest”—Cape Bridgewater, Victoria
Section 33
Plants of Coastal Dunes and Windswept Headlands
Cape Bridgewater, Victoria, Victoria
- 1. Alyxia buxifolia (sea box)
- 2. Apium prostratum (sea celery)
- 3. Sarcocornia quinqueflora (beaded glasswort)
- 4. Tetragonia implexicoma (bower spinach)
from the artist
This was a fascinating place to explore, with many plants and evidence of volcanic activity—note the basalt rocks and volcanic tongue in the ocean amongst the waves and foam. The volcanoes of the surrounding area are part of a newer volcanic province, with the most recent activity just a few thousand years ago (4,300 years ago at Mount Gambier) (Ferret, 2005/2016, p. 137).
In the right foreground of the painting is “beaded glasswort” (also known as samphire) (Sarcocornia quinqueflora). Salt spray reaches this area, so some plants are growing here that would normally grow on salt flats. Nearby is “sea celery” (Apium prostratum). To centre left foreground is “bower spinach” (Tetragonia implexicoma), and to left foreground is “sea box” (Alyxia buxifolia) (Corrick & Fuhrer, 2000).
The spectacular formations known as the “Petrified Forest” were once believed to be the fossilised remains of “Moonah trees” (melaleucas) but are actually solution pipes formed when rainwater trickled through coastal limestone (Lipar et al., 2015).
