I'd been especially keen to checkout the park after I'd heard stories of a secret valley of jurassic-like tree ferns called "Penance Grove", located just a few kilometres down the track.

To avoid another "oh well, it'll have to be next trip as we zoom past the turnoff", I'd left home an hour earlier with the express aim of checking out this oddly named forest of ferns and within minutes of turning off the busy highway, I've pulled up in the in the quiet car park of "Penance Grove".

It really is like entering a hidden world, for the entire glen is dominated by a cathedral of giant plumwood trees (Eucryphia moorei), under which an understorey of tall tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) flourish in large numbers. A well-kept 250-metre boardwalk (first 50 metres is wheelchair friendly) loops around some of the tree ferns and around trunks of the towering plumwoods.

As beautiful and secluded as this valley of ferns is, it harbours a secret, a dark one which led to its curious name. It doesn't take long striding out on the boardwalk before I notice that every second or so fern is peculiarly missing its top. Sadly in 1986 (Monga National Park wasn't formed until 2001) thieves lopped the top off dozens of the ferns, loaded them up in a truck and vanished without trace. It was environmentalist, the late Val Plumwood (her surname is no coincidence – Val changed it to be named it after her nearby property which featured spectacular stands of the rainforest species) who along with Canberra naturalist Ian Fraser who raised the alarm the morning after the raid. "We stumbled on the aftermath of what felt like a massacre... illegal tree-fern cutters had been in the previous night, taking scores of old tree ferns out to sell probably at markets in Sydney; the fresh leaves littered the ground among the cut-off stumps. Tree ferns grow only from the tip, so while the plundered logs would have regrown, the remaining stumps were dead," Ian recalls.

As the interpretative sign in the forest poignantly states, "local folk, saddened by what they found, named this place Penance Grove". The sign also explains "probably the tree ferns ended up in the gardens of folk who knew nothing of this crime … and it's very likely that many of the tree ferns died after being planted in places too sunny for them."

Despite its vandalised state, Penance Grove is well worth a detour next time you are driving to the coast. Soak up the seclusion and marvel at the plant species here, some of which date back millions of years to when Australia was part of the supercontinent, Gondwana.

Monga National Park: From Braidwood travel east along the Kings Highway towards Batemans Bay. After about 20 kilometres, turn right into River Forest Road. After about 2 kilometres, you'll enter the park. Continue on the River Forest Roadd for about 4.9 kilometres, pass the sign to Mongarlowe River picnic area and after 500 metres, you'll see the Penance Grove walking track on your right. Although the road is dirt/gravel it is suitable for 2WD unless after heavy rain.

Tim's tip: On your next trip to the coast, use Penance Grove as an alternative stopover to Braidwood. Allow 20 minutes to wander along the boardwalk and surrounding rainforest. It'll probably take you that long to stop for a coffee and pie in Braidwood, only with this stop you'll get gulps of fresh air and some much needed exercise, instead.

Did you know? Eucryphias are also found in Tasmania, where they produce the famous Leatherwood honey.

Watch out for: Tall pine tree-like moss, called Dawsonia (Dawsonia superba) on the forest floor. They grow up to 50 centimetres in height – the highest of any moss in the world.

Whale seat

Does Sam Bright, of Tanja, have the best whale-watching vantage spot on the entire south coast? If not the best, it's got to be one of the more unusual (and hardest to get to).

When, a couple of years ago, the skull of a humpback whale washed up along a remote stretch of coast in the Mimosa National Park, the quick-thinking whale-watcher, dragged it as high up the beach as he could.

"The part of the skull left by the hinge of the lower jaw makes a perfect double seat," Sam reports.

And he's right, during the week, I rock-hopped to the "whale seat" which is located along the dramatic coastline between Bithry Inlet and Middle Beach and although only sitting in the natural armchair for 15 minutes or so, caught a glimpse of two humpbacks on their migration south for summer.

If you would like to discover more of this spectacular south coast national park then you may wish to volunteer for next weekend's Bioblitz in which expert naturalists will lead more than 40 "hands-on" surveys of the park's flora and fauna.

"The diverse and fascinating coastline give an immense variety of species, both botanic and zoological," explains organiser LibbyHepburn who adds, "our naturalists and scientists and will make this Bioblitz a festival of nature that all the family will enjoy".

There will be a focus on reptiles, amphibians and some of the rarer birds and I especially like the sound of the "canoe surveys of the lagoons and dusk and night-time surveys for possums, frogs and moths".

And who knows, you might even see a whale (or two)!

For more information, contact Libby at libbyhepburn@btinternet.comalcw.org.au

Gordon Fyfe reports that on a recent day trip to Wadbilliga National Park he "had a close [and nice] encounter with a dingo between the large Wadbilliga camping ground and Yowrie."

"There was a tight corner, not too far from the camping ground, and I saw a flash across the road. I immediately thought of a cow, but it was too skinny and too quick," reports Gordon who adds, when we rounded the corner, it was stationary just above the embankment."

Gordonreports that "while we were looking at each other, it frequently took time to raise its head and sniff the air," adding "the fact that it was quite happy to takes its eyes off us, means that it perceived no threat whatever from us, even though we were so close".

Wadbilliga National Park is located about 150 kilometres south-east of Canberra, wedged between the Monaro and south coast. With its steep gorges carved into dramatic granite cliffs, its scenery is often compared to Kakadu.

Contact Tim: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write to me c/o The Canberra Times 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick. A selection of past columns is available at: canberratimes.com.au/act-news/by/tim-the-yowie-man

Last week: Congratulations to June McKenzie, of Fisher, who was the first to correctly identify last week's photo as St James' Anglican Church at Boloco which is located near the corner of Snowy River Way and Maranumbla Road, about 10 kilometres from Dalgety. June, who just beat Ken Charlton, of Ainslie, to the prize, reports that "the church also has a beautiful stained-glass window."

According to Graeme Barrow who snapped the photo on a recent visit, "although the outer doors of the church are left unlocked, after you enter the porch there's another door ... open that and you're confronted with the vertical bars which were installed after the church's organ was stolen".

out the unusual barredentry for yourself, it might be best not to visit after a big lunch. Graeme confesses that he "only just managed to squeeze through the bars".

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am on Saturday, November 1, with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.