A good starting point to learn about identifying fungi is to use the PUBF Field Book and the PUBF Recording Sheet.

A note on field books or guides:

1. Since there is a low level of knowledge about Australian fungi all guides only detail a small representation of our fungi. Many Australian fungi are unique so international guides have limited use. Only some Australian fungi are the same as those in overseas countries. Even fungi that closely resemble European or North American fungi are often different species.
2. Do not expect to be able to key out and/or put a name on every fungus. Comprehensive, accurate descriptions and keys are not available for most Australian fungi. Also, many Australian fungi are yet to be discovered and named, and so there are no published data about those.

When using a field book take note that:

1. Colour and size of fungi vary according to environmental conditions and are not always reliable characters for determining differences between species.
2. The same species can look slightly different depending on location too. So it's best to use a guide with fungi depicted from your local area.
3. Shapes and forms of fungi vary and may not always fall into discrete categories and may sometimes overlap the defined boundaries of genera and species.

Use the blank Field Recording Sheet to assist you in keeping accurate and informative records of the fungi you find.