Latham Park is part of what was once the Randwick Rifle Range. Around 1900, complaints and near misses due to “escaping bullets”, helped to push gun practice further from the city. Despite workers, residents and animals being accidentally shot, it took a few years and even legal action before the rifle range was moved to Randwick. It is now home to more leisurely pursuits such as tennis and bowling. More about the history of the area can be found in “Randwick” by Pauline Curby.
The trees you are standing under are Moreton Bay Figs. This species of fig is dependent on a single species of wasp for their fertilisation. The fig is not the fruit, but a cluster of flowers! Its hollow interior is lined with hundreds of tiny unisexual flowers. At the tip is an entrance used by tiny female wasps which are the agents of pollination. The wingless male wasps spend their entire life cycle inside the fig. Figs act as an important food source, particularly for Flying Foxes and Australasian Figbirds, and provide a home for native wildlife. How many nesting boxes can you spot?