Bush Regeneration at Wollamai Point

Points covered:

• Where is Wollamai Point?
• Why is it significant?
• What are the short-term and long-term aims for this site?
• What is the funding situation?

Words to know:

• CYNANCHUM ELEGANS - a rare and endangered species of climbing plant.
• ENDEMIC - native to one area or continent only.
• COASTCARE - a federally funded program promoting a co-operative approach towards managing coastal areas.
• GREENCORPS - a federally funded program that trains young people in bush regeneration techniques.
• REGENERATION - natural regrowth of native species.
• REVEGETATION - replanting native species that are not regenerating.

Wollamai Point is a small council reserve located on a headland on the northern shore of Lake Illawarra at Berkeley, Wollongong, New South Wales. It is an island of bush, locked in by the lake and urban development. It is a well known recreation area with a walkway, cycle path, picnic spot and magnificent views of the Lake and the escarpment.

Wollamai Point is a significant part of Lake Illawarra's catchment and contains a wide range of species from the original vegetation cover of dry rainforest, known as Berkeley Brush. This type of rainforest is endemic to the Illawarra, and contains rare and endangered species, such as Cynanchum elegans. The restoration of this site is a means of re-establishing part of the Lake's natural catchment.

There is a high level of biodiversity at Wollamai Point, with over 100 indigenous plant species. However, in some cases, there are only one or two individuals of a species, meaning that the prospect of extinction at this site is quite high. There are also many weeds infesting the place, such as Morning Glory, Bitou Bush and Lantana.

The short-term aim of bush regeneration at this site is to remove and control weeds in order to allow regeneration, and to revegetate where necessary. The long-term aim is to assist the area to become a viable self-sustaining native ecosystem, requiring minimum maintenance and providing maximum benefit to the flora and fauna communities.

Since 1996, Coastcare has provided funding for qualified bush regenerators to manage weeds, facilitate regeneration where possible and revegetate the most degraded area of Wollamai Point. In the summer of 1997/98, a Greencorps project trained there for 14 weeks and the Lake Illawarra Authority provided $11,000 to enable bush regenerators to maintain this regeneration project. However, the future of such pockets of urban bushland is often uncertain because restoring a rainforest is a slow process requiring constant maintenance to make sure weeds don't re-establish themselves and to ensure the rainforest becomes self-sustaining. The funding to support this long-term process is never guaranteed.

Lynne Kavanagh
Budjong Creek Landcare Group