September 2024

8 September 2024

NATIVE WILDFLOWER WALK

This Sunday, Valerie Atkinson and I led a group of people for a native wildflower walk along the track from Girrahween to Turrella. We began with an introduction to the diversity in shape and size of flowers and leaves, essential for identification. Then we looked at Family – Genus- Species identifying which twigs belonged to the Family of Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Angophora or Syncarpia.

We looked at the 5 month regeneration that has happened since the controlled burn in April, then walked around the oval and the path to Turrella, spotting and identifying plants. There was lots of discussion and cross-pollination of information between us.

Most of us had walked the track before but those who had not were amazed at the bat camp – most of the bats were asleep and not very active – but smelly and noisy. A delight for the senses. After we reached Turrella the group went their separate ways and others climbed Nannygoat Hill.

Maggie Aitken

8 September 2024

HARTILL-LAW BRIDGE UNDERPASS WALKWAY PLANNED

Bush Regeneration, Wolli Creek Corridor

The Wolli Creek Preservation Society met with engineers from Canterbury Bankstown Council (CBCity) for a site meeting at the Hartill-Law Bridge in Bardwell Park to discuss upcoming rehabilitation of the embankment under the bridge. The eroded embankment is in poor condition and the walking trail there is overgrown with weeds, so we are pleased to see some progress at last.

In 2007, the City of Canterbury, in conjunction with WCPS, received a $10,000 grant from the Cooks River Foreshores Improvement Programme for construction of a board walk under the bridge on the northern side of the creek, which would bypass the only road crossing in the 5 km Wolli Valley walking track. This underpass walkway is the missing link in the Wolli Track section of the Two Valley Trail.

But the planned works weren’t carried out until Canterbury Bankstown Council finally scheduled this work for 2022/23 and planning is now underway.

Council will employ contractors to clear the existing weeds like Crofton, Morning Glory and Lantana choking the embankment. Council engineers will rehabilitate the embankment with shotcrete to stabilize the area and improve drainage on and under the bridge to provide some protection from flooding. Horizontal concrete will also be laid at the bottom of the slope to create the underpass walkway.

WCPS also discussed with the Council Bushcare Officers present at the briefing how the work could be carried out with minimal impact on the nearby bush restoration work, which is carried out by volunteers around and in the wetland to the west of the bridge, off Bray Avenue.

Works are planned to commence in January. If all goes to plan, bushwalkers will have pleasant bush tracks leading to the bridge from both sides and the new underpass as a welcome alternative to crossing busy Hartill-Law Ave.

8 September 2024

BUSH FRIENDLY GARDENS – DESIGN STUDENTS HELP

Wolli Creek Corridor

The Wolli Creek Preservation Society is happy to have a group of final year design students working with us to promote bush-friendly gardening to residents living alongside the Wolli Creek Regional Park.

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) runs a Shopfront program which connects students with not-for-profit organisations to work on authentic real-world projects as part of their learning experience.

The students will work with us to develop a video, flyer and online information about the impact gardens can have on the Regional Park.

WCPS President Chris Jordens and I walked with the students from Tempe station through to Girrahween Park. The first stop was to visit Lydia Feng whose small garden is close to the entrance of the Regional Park. Lydia took us through her native plantings, many of them indigenous to the area, and described the results she has had with insects and small birds visiting the garden. She also described the plants she has removed or avoided to prevent them escaping into the bush and becoming pests.

Our walk continued through the Regional Park, giving the students a chance to better understand the beauty and history of the valley, climbing Nannygoat Hill and visiting the bat camp. There were plenty of invasive weeds to show them, and areas where run off from urban stormwater is being managed.

It was great to see young people enjoying the bush and to hear their enthusiasm for helping us protect it.

Susie Cornish

Committee Member