Fel Laughter
The Needles … a majestic mountain walk just 10 minutes drive from Maydena along the Gordon Dam road … 
It only takes 15 minutes to get some gorgeous views of the Upper Florentine Valley and the Thumbs (Mts) and of Tyenna Peak.
It takes an hour to get to the highest Needle (1050m asl ) in the stack and the views are grand!
But alas the view here includes the first clearfell in the Upper Florentine valley. From here you can see that the Upper Florentine Valley is surrounded on 3 sides by World Heritage Area by the fact that it is also bounded on those same 3 sides by buttongrass.
The Upper Florentine Valley is not only a precious part of this breathtakingly beautiful world class mountainous scenery but it is an old growth forest that is a main part of the habitat for this region.
It will be a great loss to the integrity of this World Heritage area and to its biodiversity.
Just a further 5 minutes drive along the road and you come to the new logging road into the Upper Florentine. A quick 5-minute walk along this logging road reveals ancient myrtle trees, giant Eucalypt trees as well as thriving rainforest species. It feels like you are inside a giant cathedral.
It is also the place where the very last Thylacine was captured.
How can we destroy such spectacular scenery and important habitat?
Photo 1
Mt Wright in the background and the first clearfell in the upper Florentine in the lower right corner.
Photo 2
The Upper Florentine Valley in the centre of the button grass slopes.
Photo 3
One of the Needles.
Photo 4
The view from the first Needle looking towards the Thumbs with the Upper Florentine old growth forest in the centre.
