Red and White Mushrooms in Manjimup
When I first heard that you could find red and white mushrooms in Manjimup, I always kept my eyes open but didn’t quite believe it could be true. Well it took me four years and perfect timing, and I finally found them!
These mushrooms are known as the Fly Agaric, or Amanita muscaria. They start off as a bold red in colour, then go orange and then brown as they start to die off. They are truly an amazing sight to see in person - straight out of a fairytale! They come to life when the first cold weather starts to hit the region but there is still enough light/warmth in the daytime to draw them out of the ground. It last roughly 2-4 weeks anytime from April to June. We found them amongst the roots of the Chestnut and Acorn trees. There are some at the entrance but if you continue around 500 metres down the path you’ll find another larger patch of trees.
The sight of these mushrooms sent thrills into my children, but also for me as my dreams and imagination sprung to life. I’ve created watercolour paintings of these lovely fungi but it has taken me 38 years to see them in person!
In Manjimup they can be found at a quaint little location called Foresters Wood. (EDIT MAY 2021 - I’ve also discovered they can now be found in the wood of Manjimup Timber Park). To get to Foresters Wood from Manjimup you drive down Graphite Road roughy 15km until you reach the Glenoran fire shed. Turn left onto Glenoran Road. Follow that road past farms and forests, turning right when the road curves and at the end you will find gates to access the stunning arboretum called Foresters Wood.
This area was once the Michelides tobacco farm and it still has old building remnants/ruins. In 1930 the first commercial crop of tobacco was planted which increased over time to 650+ acres. Foresters Wood was established in 1985 as a collaboration between the Institute of Foresters WA Division (IFA) and the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). The vision was to establish an arboretum. The first plantings were to represent the spokes of a wheel with species representing commerce (English Oak), culture (Cedar of Lebanon), legend (European Ash) and literature (Laurel). It has a large range of trees from all over the world and the Institute has since put a focus on planting Endangered species.
In the wood you will also find some Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). They are a trial and it will be interesting to see how large they will grow.
This is also where you can find Karta Burnu, a hut for the Munda Biddi trail. Getting to the hut is tough zig zagging up a hill but the views are amazing and the walk worth it. We did it quite quickly with three kids in tow (3, 7, 10). Distractions of different mushrooms, pine cones and fallen trees certainly helped to distract them.
Foresters Wood is not generally promoted as it does not have any facilities. There are no toilets or rubbish bins, the paths are rough and slippery. A 4wd might find some paths challenging, I definitely wouldn’t take a standard car through the tracks. There are random farm gates to walk through. A small undercover structure has been put up with a picnic table as well as some signage. Generally though if you want to visit, especially in the cooler weather, wear hiking or welly boots and take care that whatever you take into the reserve also leaves with you. it is a lovely place to take a picnic or just take a stroll
Here is one of my artworks inspired by Fly Agaric mushrooms created with watercolours in March 2020 a few weeks before they popped up in Manjimup.
