Poona, a friendly town and a place of natural beauty.

Whilst holidaying at Poona take in some of its natural beauty; follow its nature trails and see flora and fauna at its best. Being native coastal country be wise and use sun and insect protection.

Section A - The Foreshores

• It all starts with a pleasant stroll (1.5 klm) along the foreshore from the caravan park to the Point. On this easy walk you will take in the views across the Great Sandy Strait to Fraser Island. Take a break under the big Moreton Bay Fig on the Point.
• A turn to the west and you will have another easy walk along Poona's northern section. On this section of foreshore you will be looking north on the Strait to Reef Islands & Stewart Island and to the left our sister community of Boonooroo.

Section B - Ramsar Wetlands

• Continuing on the foreshore walk (not far past the last houses of Outridge Ave) you will enter a significant part of the Great Sandy Ramsar Wetland. The Ramsar site is world recognised and a protected area. In this particular area it is a haven for migrating shorebirds with many species to be seen.
• This part of the shoreline is a lot quieter than the eastern foreshore, and for the extra effort of walking the sand/mud flats, you can usually find interesting shore birds. They tend to have fixed sites for their high-tide roosts, only really accessible from the water, but at low tide forage all over this. Observing from the track, or the flats adjacent to it, isn't as rewarding.

Section C - The Melaleuca Wetland

• Directly behind the the above section is a wetland area and a drawcard for the fauna. It's a photographer's outdoor studio.

Section D - The Melaleuca & Wallum Circuit

• This circuit is the centre-piece walk because it's accessible from the Outridge Avenue car park; it gives access to the estuary shore; it borders the freshwater wetland on the south, and a bit of the salty inlet, as well as the tidal lagoon near the start.
• The track also runs partly along the crest of a low stony dune, which is thought to be a relic of an old shoreline from the previous interglacial period. Plants are interesting and varied.
• Again relatively easy walking and particularly early and late in the day you will be amazed at all the wildlife.

Section E - The Back Circuit

• This walk continues through the Wallum and Melaleuca areas but can be wet under foot, particularly following rain. Again worth the effort for the bird life is abundant.
• Halfway along this back circuit is a laneway leading to a future stage of development (to the north) and this is a good place to see a variety of song-birds - several honey-eaters, fairy-wrens, finches, whistlers, thornbills, gerygones, fan-tails, and more.

Section F - Poona's NW Circuit

• A quite area and another spectacular walk in a paperbark woodland, with ferns and horse-tails & swamp banksias. It can get wet, but not as much as the circuit D. Because it doesn't get the breeze, mozzies can be a problem. You can get there by cutting across from the power-line easement, or by walking through the empty precinct, or from the Morganville track.

Note: at the present time much of this area is closed with the section being developed for housing.

Section G - Fields of Wildflowers

• This is an easy walk turning off the Poona Rd just as you enter the township. The walk follows the power line easement and is noted for its spectacular wildflowers particularly in early spring. This walk can take you right through to the foreshore to the north. The area two thirds along the easement, on the eastern side near the little creek, is well regarded for its birdlife.

Section H - The Streets of Poona

• In addition to those dedicated trails a walk around the streets (Pelican to Livistonia and onto Snapper Drive or even continuing to Cockatoo Cresent) you will often encounter feeding kangaroos as well as many local bird species.

Click for a larger image

Coordinates have been taken from Google Earth and are provided as a general guide.

Flora & Fauna of Poona

Clicking on the above link provides a list of local flora and fauna along with a number of photographs of bird species in the area. The listing is provided by the Qld Government's Online Wildlife Service and local photography compliments of Dr John Price, Judy Sumner & Craig Whittaker.