#2172 - Allocasuarina verticillata -
AKA worgnal, shingle oak, coast she-oak, river oak, salt-water swamp oak, and Casuarina verticillata. The specific means 'forming or having whorls'.
A small tree endemic to SE Australia, usually growing to between 4 and 10m. It usually grows in grassy woodland, sometimes in pure stands and sometimes with eucalypts, but is also found on rocky sea coasts, coastal shale, and on dry ridges inland.
Apparently chewing on the foliage stimulates saliva flow, if you're crossing dry country, and the young cones are edible or at least chewable. The timber has been used for tool-making, boomerangs, and other purposes by our indigenous peoples, and the mature cones (as in the photo) as children's toys. The cones are also the favoured food of Glossy Black Cockatoos in some areas, which is convinient because Glossy Black Cockatoos nest in the reserve.