Balls Head Reserve
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WAVERTON BUSHLAND REMNANT TITLE : Balls Head Reserve INTRODUCTION Balls Head Reserve is situated on a prominent headland at the tip of the Waverton peninsula. It is bordered by the ocean, Woodleys Marina and the Coal Loader (no longer in use) to the north. The Maritime Museum is situated in bushland on the eastern shoreline of Berrys Bay. The dominant vegetation association is Open Forest (10ag) Angophora costata (Smooth- barked Apple) and Corymbia gummifera (Blackbutt) community with Closed-forest (10ag) on the western facing slope. The entire area is approximately 10.2 hectares. The composition of vegetation is variable in the centre of the Reserve due to the parkland/bushland situation that existed in the past. Exotic and non-indigenous trees and shrubs have been planted along the edges of Balls Head Drive and throughout Balls Head Reserve. These plantings are now surrounded by the mature and regenerating native vegetation. Weeds are scattered throughout but are particularly found on the edges of the bushland, along the bush tracks and on the western slope where Pittosporum undulatum has flourished. Bush Regeneration activities are carried out by the Councils Bushland Management Team, the Friends of Balls Head Bushcare Group and Contractors. The bushland forms an important link to Waverton Park and the privately owned bushland of HMAS Waterhen. This Reserve is one of the most highly utilised bushland areas in North Sydney, with wonderful views of the harbour and the city. Tracks are numerous throughout. This factor alone is adding to high weed maintenance activities. Leisure and recreation activities are diverse and wide ranging. Site History Balls Head Reserve contains many Aboriginal sites including archaeological deposits/middens, art sites and rock engravings. These Aboriginal cultural sites have been identified and are recognised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Despite the fact that most ceremonial sites were usually found more inland, it is thought that Balls Head Reserve was a site where men came to perform sacred corroborees to honour their ancestors of the Dreamtime. AWomen and uninitiated youth were not permitted in the area on pain of death @(Latona, 1981). The successive generations of Aboriginal people had a deep respect for the area, living in natural harmony with the environment for many thousands of years. Named after Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, Commander of the ship ASupply @ in the First Fleet of 1788, Balls Head was the original foreshore land included in the large Wollstonecraft Estate which remained largely undeveloped at the turn of the 20th century. Much debate did take place in the early part of this century to use the location for commercial and/or residential purposes. Public protests by local citizens, North Sydney Council, Wollstonecraft and Bay Road Progress Associations to the State Government resulted in fourteen acres being declared public open space and recreation in the 1926 with a further four acres added in 1935. In 1931 the Balls Head Beautification Committee was formed and a tree planting program was undertaken to replace native trees destroyed by past clearing and firewood seekers. Balls Head Reserve contains many European Cultural Sites which are submerged in the rich history of the area. These sites are primarily associated with mid-nineteenth century shipping and can be found along the south-east foreshore of Balls Head Reserve south of the Maritime Museum. 1 The network of numerous tracks which traverse through the bushland were designed and upgraded with directional signage installed in 1993. The formal crushed sandstone pathway was designed to provide wheelchair access to viewing areas of Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House on the western side of Balls Head Reserve. Due to constant use and continual weathering the original track which was installed in 1991 and is scheduled to be resurfaced in the near future. Contract bush regenerators have worked in Balls Head Reserve since 1980 and continue to regenerate the eastern, western and southern sections of bushland between Balls Head Drive link road and the foreshore area. Works over the years have included major primary, secondary and maintenance weeding practices which continue to this day due to the constant pressures upon this highly utilised land parcel. The Friends of Balls Head Bushcare Group was formed in 1987 and the dedicated members of this team meet every Thursday. A supervisor from the Bushland Management Team meets with the group every week. The Bushcare Group have been involved in many projects including rehabilitating bushland around an Aboriginal engraving, primary, secondary and maintenance weeding; planting, spraying, erosion control and mulching. The Bushcare Group who have successfully regenerated much of the western side of Balls Head Road aim to meet up with the regeneration activities of the bush regeneration contractors above Berrys Bay north of the Quarantine Depot. North Sydney Council Bushland Management Team visits each bushland reserve on a weekly rotational basis. Balls Head was regenerated by the Council =s Bushland Management Team for approximately 4 weeks in 1998. Other special programs have been instigated throughout 1998 such as the placement of sandstone for traffic control and erecting temporary fencing to allow for natural regeneration to re-emerge without disturbance in high traffic areas. These activities are an addition to the four weeks spent on bush regeneration at Balls Head Reserve. BACKGROUND Reserve Summary Area of Reserve 102 090 m 2 Level of Degradation: <10% 76 303 m 2 10-30% 13 732 m 2 31-60% NIL >60% 12 055 m 2 Length of Boundaries 3 988 m No. of Properties Adjoining Bushland 2 Length of walking tracks 2 991 m 1.0 FLORA 2 Refer to Map 1 - Vegetation Communities for location details. Balls Head Reserve consists of 3 remnant vegetation communities which are part of the Sydney Sandstone Complex - Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest (10ag) as indicated by Benson and Howell, 1994. The vegetation is symbolic of the North Shore and consists of areas of Open Forest/Woodland on the eastern facing slope with a Kunzea ambigua (Tick bush) dominated zone upon the shallow soils to the north and Closed Forest on the western facing slope. 1. Angophora costata (Smooth-barked Apple) and Corymbia gummifera (Blackbutt) Open Forest/Woodland on the eastern facing slope of the Reserve with an understorey of Glochidion ferdinandi (Cheese Tree) , Grevillea linearifolia (White Spider Flower) and Lomandra longifolia (Mat Rush) . 2. A Low Closed Forest dominated by Kunzea ambigua (Tick Bush) with stunted emergent trees such as Eucalyptus punctata (Grey Gum) and Allocasuarina littoralis (Black She Oak) found on shallow soils high on the western slope. The understorey is dominated by Lomandra longifolia (Mat Rush) and Pteridium esculentum (Bracken Fern). 3. Ficus rubignosa (Port Jackson Fig) and Pittosporum undulatum Closed Forest on the lower western facing slope with an understorey of Notolaea longifolia (Mock Olive) , Poa affinis and various native fern species. Nearby Parks and Verges containing Remnant Vegetation Waverton Peninsula It has been proposed in the Waverton Peninsula Masterplan that sections of native bushland will be rehabilitated and reinstated along the ridgetop zone above Berrys Bay. The creation of this corridor will provide an important link from Balls Head Reserve to Waverton Park. Native canopy species may include Banksia integrifolia (Coast Banksia) and Angophora costata (Smooth-barked Apple). Low growing native species will also be planted along part of the foreshore zone. For further information see: Waverton Peninsula Masterplan Waverton Park Waverton Park was dedicated to North Sydney Council by the Government in the 1940's. The Waverton Progress Association and a petition signed by 250 local residents were the driving force behind this area being saved from urban development. The area provided for recreational and open space needs and considerable improvements were made over a period of years after the war. Waverton Park contains a few remnant canopy species including areas of Open Forest/Woodland dominated by Angophora costata (Smooth-barked Apple) and Closed Forest dominated by Ceratopetalum apetalum (Coachwood) and Glochidion ferdinandi (Cheese Tree). Weed trees are numerous in both areas and include species such as Camphor laurel 3 (Cinnamomum camphora) , Large Leaf Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) , Small Leaf Privet (Ligustrum sinense) and Pittosporum undulatum . The understorey is mostly degraded in both communities. The most common weed species here are Asparagus Fern (Protoasparagus aethiopicus) , Wandering Jew (Tradescantia albiflora) and seedlings of weed canopy species. For further information see: Appendices 4 - Table 1: Classification information on vegetation communities. Section 3 - Native plant species list for Balls Head Reserve. 1.1 Marine Plant Life The perimeter of Balls Head Reserve has a marine influence. There are stretches of sandy beach in amongst the scattered areas of exposed sandstone and cliffs of the foreshore on the eastern side. The diversity and abundance of plant species found along the beach edge are low. On the western side the foreshore has a sharp distinction - where bushland meets the sea. The waters surrounding Balls Head Reserve are part of a large Intertidal Protection Area (IPA) for Sydney Harbour. For further information see: The Department of Fisheries, Wollstonecraft. 1.2 Weed Assessment Refer to Map 2 - Land Management Issues for the location of Weed Zones for Balls Head Reserve. The majority of weed species invading Balls Head Reserve are annual weeds and lawn grasses from the BBQ areas. Many of the canopy and midstorey weed species such as Large Leaf Privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) and Lantana (Lantana camara) were removed many years ago. Pittosporum undulatum is successfully colonising the lower western facing slopes of the Reserve. A few of these trees have been incrementally injected to allow other native species to emerge however the slope is quite steep and this is a risk to the safety of the bush regeneration staff.