Red Natal Grass

Red natal grass is generally a short-lived perennial grass (but sometimes annual) forming open tussocks with upright flowering stems that can grow up to 1.2 metres tall. Its open seed-heads are usually a distinctive reddish colour when young, but turn pink and then whitish in colour as they mature (last 3 photos). Its numerous flower spikelets are covered in silky hairs that give the seed-heads a fluffy appearance. The species is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and it's a pest because it displaces native vegetation and prevents the natural succession of native species. Despite this, however, it is widely naturalised in this country. This spotting was made during a cool winter, but the location had a sunny, north to northeast-facing aspect, and the grass covered several exposed sections of hillside that were mostly devoid of large trees, although areas closer to the water were well-shaded. The colour shifted constantly with the light, but it always maintained an element of softness, and the wind added another dimension by creating ripples and waves across the seed-heads. PS: Red natal grass is similar to molasses grass (Melinis minutiflora), also to be found at Enoggera Reservoir. https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/molasses-grass That would be my second ID choice.