'Hidden gems' revealed by fires

The recent Patonga fires have revealed some hidden gems in Brisbane Water National Park that are much easier to access than they were before the fires..

Woy Woy resident Steve Spillard shared photographs of a usually hidden tessellated rock platform just off Patonga Dr on the Umina side before the straight.

"This spot is usually too hard to get to as the bush is so thick but after the fires you can walk in off the road," Mr Spillard said.

Another local, Peter Fisher, also took some post-fire photos and shared them on the Good Old Woy Woy facebook page of "weird burnt landscapes after the fire".

The fire also exposed the many Xanthorrhoea exposed by the fire, photographed by Alan John Cox and also shared on Good Old Woy Woy.

Mr Cox said it was a pitty people had been digging them out.

According to Koolewong resident, Mr Ron Verstegen, most will die if they are removed as they have deep root systems.

"Unless a large chunk of ground is taken with it the plant will slowly die while trying to survive on the stored nutrients in its trunk," Mr Verstegen said.

Website, 21 Dec 2016

Facebook page, Good Old Woy Woy