• The Glen
• Still Creek
• Burnum Burnum
• Potential Routes
• Loop Walks
• Canoe Routes
• Exec Summary
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
Community Loop Walks -
A Vehicle for Local Environmental Stewardship
|This section of the report looks at how the two main spine trail proposals, The Woronora Way and the Woronora/Georges Link might be integrated with public access to and from the residential suburbs, through the development of circular or loop routes for each community.
It goes on to examine ways in which the community based loop track projects can strengthen people's ties to their surroundings, improve quality of life, increase people's appreciation of and desire to conserve remaining natural areas, and promote the long term sustainable management of these areas for future generations.
Value of Loop Walks
Loop walks are important as they provide access for walkers with small children, limited time or poor mobility, or those who rely on public transport. They also provide school groups with a good circuit for educational purposes.
Value of the Woronora River to the Community
As the population of the Sutherland Shire expanded in the last fifty years, the settlement pattern has extended westwards, consuming all but the remaining ridge top bushland of the lower Woronora catchment.
As a result the Woronora River, its tributaries and surrounding bushland are an increasingly important and essential community recreational, educational, and heritage resource. The River and creeks are integral to the natural processes and functioning of the ecosystem.
Estuarine waterways, riverbeds and shorelines create essential habitats for flora and fauna including seagrass meadows, saltmarshes mangroves and estuarine vegetation communities including the endangered Sydney Coastal Riverflat Forests. These communities support a diverse range of animals including fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other invertebrates, as well as shore and migratory birds.
The freshwater river and creeks and riparian vegetation provide habitat for a range of mammals, birds reptiles, fish, amphibians and invertebrates.
Vegetation within the catchment forms extensive bushland fingers into the Woronora, Mill and Still Creek valleys that are critical fauna and flora corridors. These areas function as refuges to a variety of species when other areas such as the Royal and Heathcote National parks are burnt. Swamp wallabies, eastern grey kangaroos, sooty owls, powerful owls as well as more common species of mammals and birds are known to move between burnt and unburnt areas. Appendix 8 shows a table of threatened and significant species occurring in the Woronora catchment.
The conservation of the catchment is acknowledged in several planning instruments, (including the Sutherland Shire Council's Local Environment Plan 2000 and Draft LEP 2003), and supported actively by the National Parks Association of New South Wales. The Upper catchment has increased protection in the form of Heathcote National Park and the Special Area lands managed by Sydney Catchment Authority.
The Greenweb Initiative
Sutherland Shire Council has identified and acknowledged bushland areas of high conservation value and included them in the SSC "Greenweb". The objectives of the strategy are:
Objectives 10 and 11 are consistent with the aims of the Great Kai'mia Way project.
- To identify, conserve and enhance biodiversity, environmental health, natural health and landscape amenity.
- To maintain and enhance the unique bushland character of the Shire.
- To protect habitat from degradation caused by inappropriate use and management.
- To create and conserve core habitat areas for the conservation of native flora and fauna.
- To create and conserve wildlife corridors between core habitat areas for the movement of flora and fauna.
- To encourage natural regeneration and encourage planting of native vegetation on public and private lands.
- To maintain and enhance aquatic ecosystems.
- To maintain and enhance and protect riparian vegetation for its contribution to water quality.
- To assist the council with implementation under its obligations under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
- To provide for public access to publicly owned bushland.
- To facilitate pedestrian movement through the Shire via a network of green corridors.
- To identify options for funding of biodiversity conservation measures.
- To conserve and enhance links with bushland and corridors in adjoining local government areas.
The River, its tributaries, bushland reserves and open space are extensively used by the residents of Sutherland Shire and visitors for a variety of recreational purposes. Also there are several kilometres of interface between urban areas and Crown Land within the catchment that allows access for passive recreation for residents. Several foreshore reserves provided with seating, tables and BBQ facilities encourage picnicking and recreation facilities, including sports ovals and community halls are located along the foreshores.
Boat ramps provide public access to river for boating, fishing and canoeing at Jannali Reserve, Prince Edward Park, Menai Road and from Como (located in Scylla Bay, Georges River). A public jetty is provided at River Road Woronora.
Fishing and swimming
Swimming and fishing are popular forms of primary contact recreation in the saltwater and freshwater sections of the Woronora river. There is an amateur swimming club in Como Pleasure grounds using tidal baths and an in grounds pool, and a life saving club based at Prince Edward Park.
There are a number of small existing tracks and fire trails, some formalised by SSC or local bushcare groups, but many tracks are isolated linear routes to vantage points for example, and overall there is a lack of formal access, lack of linkage and lack of promotion of walks.
This problem was highlighted in the 1995 Sutherland Shire Open Space and Recreation Needs Survey (SSC). Strong support was given by surveyed residents to improving access with walking tracks/boardwalks. Bushland regeneration was also high in the list of priorities. The survey also found that bushwalking was the most popular activity, chosen by 70% of all respondents.
There is a general lack of cycling facilities in the valley, in part due to the terrain and steep access to the foreshore. However there are linear cycleways: across Como bridge, on the Menai plateau between Menai Centre and Illawong High School, across the new Woronora Bridge as well as cycle tracks for youngsters located in parks at Sutherland and Engadine.
The natural and cultural resources of the Woronora valley are important for community education purposes. Students from primary, secondary and tertiary education facilities as well as scouts guides and community groups utilise waterways, bushland, wetlands and other natural areas to study a range of topics including: ecology, botany, fauna, soils, geology, geography, history, Aboriginal culture, pollution, fire, etc.
Community education promoting the value of bushland and waterways and raising awareness of the impacts of urbanisation, including pollution, weed invasion, erosion and feral animals is also achieved through the Bushcare Program run by SSC.
Over 40 Bushcare Groups involving local volunteers are actively working in the study area, to rehabilitate several kilometres of creeks and unnamed watercourses. The construction and maintenance of walking tracks to promote improved public access and protection of vegetation is often accomplished through bushcare projects.
Appendix 9 provides a list of Woronora Foreshore Reserves and features of interest.
The Circular Route Concept in the Woronora
The key to developing the Woronora Way and the two rivers Link is through a chain of pedestrian loops "owned" by the communities through which they pass.
|Characteristics of the Loop
There are 8 common characteristics identifying these initiatives and they provide a tentative guide to the sustainable development of future loops in the valley. These are:
- Developed by local people for local people
- Celebrating culture, heritage, environment and community
- An educational and recreational resource
- Linking suburban centres to bushland and the Woronora River
- Linking schools, shops and other amenities
- Linking train stations and bus routes to the River
- Making the best use of existing routes
- Way marking to aid navigation and enjoyment
H - Como Heritage and Environment Trail (CHET)
J - Jannali and Bonnet Bay
K - Sutherland & Woronora
L - Loftus
M - Woronora Heights
N - Yarrawarra
P - Engadine
Q - Heathcote
R - Barden Ridge
Potential Loop Projects
The logical way forward is to build on the CHET initiative and apply the loop concept to the suburbs of Jannali and Bonnet Bay incorporating sections W1- A2 to A4 of the Woronora Way spine trail.
In all 11 loops are discussed - refer to list below. The maps show suggestions only, subject to amendment by the communities themselves. They offer routes of varying length and difficulty:
- Short neighbourhood walks on level plateaux 1-3km
- Longer combination walks of streets, bushland reserves, river foreshores of 2-6km
|They provide opportunities to tell the stories of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal occupation of the Woronora catchment, interpret its natural values and ecosystem biodiversity.