Warriewood Wetlands

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We're lucky to live in an area with abundant flora and fauna, and more 

importantly, most of these semi-natural ecosystems have been protected by the 

local council (Pittwater Council, in our case, at Sydney's Northern Beaches). 

Here's an example - the Warriewood Wetlands - just a ten minute drive from our 

place. These are my photos I took in Southern Hemisphere spring some six 

months ago:

From Pittwater Council Website:

Warriewood Wetlands (link)

At 26 ha in size, the Warriewood Wetland is the largest remaining sand plain 

wetland in the northern Sydney area.  It provides a variety of habitats for local 

fauna and at the same time plays a vital role in flood mitigation, nutrient 

recycling and filtering sediments. The wetlands contain several Endangered 

Ecological Communtities.

Bush regeneration and aquatic weed control have been a focus since Council took 

control of the wetlands and a dedicated volunteer bushcare group also 

contributes to its management. An elevated boardwalk has given access to 

previously inaccessable areas of the wetlands and has increased the wetlands' 

popularity amongst walkers and birdwatchers.

History

The Warriewood Wetlands are within the Guringai Homelands. Wetlands are 

important sites due to their resource abundance - both food and materials. Plus 

they are a permanent source of fresh water.  Wetlands often have spiritual 

significance to Aborigines and are included in stories.  Indications of the use of 

this area by Aboriginal People are present in the area sourounding the wetland 

and include Scar-trees.  The wetland is largest remaining sandplain wetland in 

Sydney  and still contains an incredible amount of natrual heritage.

Agricultural activities were an impact on the wetlands from the mid 1800's, and 

lead to significant problems including poor water quality, weeds and feral 

animals.

In the 1960's and 70's, clearing to create windrows, construction of drainage lines 

and a rising main throught the wetlands all had an impact, prompting the 

community to become involved in the worldwide push for better wetland 

conservation.

In the late 1970's, the then Wran Government agreed to let developers build a 

shopping centre on part of the site on the condition that Warringah Council would 

purchase the remainder of the site for retention as a natural area. Dispute over 

what constituted a fair price for the area continued until 1996, when, following an 

18 year long battle by conservationists, the matter was resolved in an out of 

court settlement which resulted in the purchase of the land by Pittwater Council 

for $4.5 million.

The resolution of the issue means that this environmentally sensitive and 

regionally significant wetlands area is now secured and conserved for the 

residents of Pittwater and for the benefit of future generations.

Plants and animals

The vegetation represented in the wetland area is quite diverse and includes 

areas of Swamp Sclerophyll Forest, Freshwater Wetlands and Swamp Oak 

Floodplain Forest, all listed as endangered ecological communities in NSW.

These vegetation communities range from large stands of Eucalyptus robusta 

(Swamp Mahogany), to scrub dominated by Melaleuca ericifolia (Swamp 

Paperbark), reedlands dominated by Phragmites australis (Native Reed) and 

several other herbaceous and graminoid associations adjacent to the main water 

bodies.

The entire wetlands are important habitat for many bird and animal species. Over 

80 bird species have been recorded including the endangered Regent 

Honeyeater, the threatened Goshawk and Powerful Owl, and several migratory 

birds covered by international treaties between the governments of Australia, 

Japan and China. The wetlands are well known by Sydney's birdwatching 

community, particularly in autumn when the Swamp mahogany are in flower.

Several frog and reptile species have been recorded, making the wetland one of 

the last refuges in the area for this type of fauna.

Boardwalk

Prior to the construction of the boardwalk there was no safe access for the public 

in the wetlands.  The walkway network with stretches 2.4km begun in 1999 with 

the first section of boardwalk being put in place followed by further sections in 

2002.  Developers contributed to the construction of the final section of 

boardwalk which was opened in April 2006.

This boardwalk provides an excellent opportunity for the public to enjoy the 

natural attributes of the wetlands and gives bird watchers greater access to enjoy 

their passion. It must be remembered that bikes and dog are prohibited from the 

boardwalk, dogs are prohibited due to the sensitive environment and bikes 

because of the narrow nature of the walkways.