You probably haven’t taken much notice of our logo and what it represents.

Of course it features the colours of the sun – the beach, the sea and the sky.  It also shows Castaways Creek flowing into the sea just north of the Resort from the Noosa National Park. 

What some of our international visitors may not know is that it also features the flower of one of Australia’s common native plants – the Banksia – which occurs throughout the local bushland.  We also have several large specimens in our gardens.

Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae.  These Australian wildflowers are popular garden plants and are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting heads which are made up of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of tiny individual flowers grouped together in pairs.

Banksias were named after Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), who, in 1770 on Captain Cook’s voyage of discovery of Australia, was the first European to collect specimens of these plants.

When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up to 30 metres tall. They are generally found in a wide variety of landscapes; sclerophyll forest, (occasionally) rainforest, shrubland, and some more arid landscapes, though not in Australia's deserts.

Heavy producers of nectar, banksias form a vital part of the food chain in the Australian bush. They are an important food source for all sorts of nectariferous animals, including birds, bats, rats, possums, stingless bees and a host of invertebrates. Furthermore, they are of economic importance to Australia's nursery and cut flower industries. However these plants are threatened by a number of processes including land clearing, frequent burning and disease.  A number of species are rare and endangered.

Many species flower over autumn and winter with flower heads ranging from yellow to red. The fruits of banksias are hard and woody and are often grouped together to resemble cones (which they are not as­ true cones are produced only by conifers).

The fruits protect the seeds from foraging animals and from fire. In many species the fruits will not open until they have been burnt or completely dried out.

The specimens at Castaway Cove are Banksia integrifolia or Coast Banksia - a hardy tree that grows very well in coastal areas and can tolerate salt spray. Plants may grow to 25 m, but are often smaller. The dark green leaves have a silvery underside, which adds to the beauty of the foliage. The pale yellow flowers open from late summer to winter.