Author’s ‘labour of love’ now in bloom

SHARREN Wong had been volunteering in the Cattana Wetland for about a year when she first thought about writing a book.

“I wanted to learn more about tropical trees so I started taking photos and trying to identify everything I came across,” the Palm Cove debut author said.

“My field is botany and I was really embracing my botanical roots.

“I soon realised that other people had similar interests and might benefit from my research and the idea of a book was born.”

Four years after the seed was planted it bloomed into A Walking Guide to the Trees of Cattana Wetlands.

“Tropical botany is completely different. The trees up here are just so different to anything you’ll encounter in many other parts of the world,” Ms Wong said.

“The uniqueness is what attracted me to the project.

“Cattana Wetlands is not a natural forest but it has the potential to provide all of those wonderful experiences for those who can’t get into the natural forest.”

Ms Wong described the book as a “labour of love” which had taken her about two years to write.

“It’s a bit of a daunting task when you’re not used to doing it,” she said.

“The best feeling was when I sent it off to the printer and told them to go ahead with the print. And when it arrived back it felt like, this is actually real now.”

The book, which focuses on flower, fruits and leaves because that’s what can been seen on the canopy floor, features more than 90 species and Ms Wong said it was for anyone who had an interest in knowing more about the tropical trees in the Cattana Wet- lands and around Cairns.

The back page folds out to reveal a “mud map” of the area including lakes and tracks.

“It has a brief history of the area and how it has been developed into an amazing asset for the people of Cairns and visitors from all over,” she said.

It can be found at Cairns Books in Cairns Central, Collins Booksellers Smithfield, Nextra Clifton Beach and the Palm Cove post office.