30th Anniversary Clean Up Australia Day Port Botany

Heads of Botany Bay

Cubs Scouts and Fishcare

It was a magnificent Autumn Day for the 30th Anniversary of Clean Up Australia.  Little Bay Scouts, Cubs and one Fishcare volunteer came together under the La Perouse Coastcare banner to clean up around Port Botany – Molineux and Bumborah Point around to Yarra Bay.  In all there were 11 adults (8 females/3 males) and 13 children (5 females/8 males).  Anil from Randwick Council called by beforehand to distribute tickets to a screening of Blue at Randwick Ritz as well as prizes for the cubs.  While there were still a lot of cigarette butts to collect plastic bottles were well down and the few collected were taken away to the return and earn facility.

Rubbish difficult to access between the rocks on revetment wall

Gates at heritage listed Prince of Wales Drive

La Perouse Coastcare in action

Heritage listed Banks’ Wall Port Botany

Banks Wall – popular for fishing

Spearfisher Jack and his prized campervan

From Bumborah Point to Yarra Bay

Dominic in action

 

 

Water testing at Happy Valley 10th November 2018

Sampling

Readings taken today: Phosphate=0.07 mg/L; Dissolved Oxygen low at 3.4 mg/L (35%); Electrical Conductivity (salinity) = 450; pH = 6; Temperature = 17 degrees; Turbidity = 7 FTU; E.coli = 100 colonies per 100ml

Cyathea australis a major feature around the Happy Valley bridge

Piece of iron

Pathway overgrown with Lantana

Old building rubble now exposed in bank

Clean Up Australia Day 2018

Despite winds up to 27 km per hour 24 volunteers from Little Bay Scouting and La Perouse Coastcare had a productive  morning cleaning up Molineux Point, Bumborah Point and Yarra Bay beach and dunes.  Scouts leader Ian brought screens to collect small plastics.  Two Ofo bikes were recovered from the Port Botany Revetment Wall  

 

 

Sicilian Sea Lavender & Kudzu Central Coast Field Trip

On a Weeds Field trip to the Central Coast today to see Sicilian Sea Lavender –Limonium hyblaeum (Plumbaginaceae) –   in situ at Saratoga Nature Reserve before its eradication. This invasive species which destroys native salt marsh species, has already taken hold in Victoria .  Fortunately it has only been recorded in NSW at Saratoga and Lake Conjelligo.  Thanks to Nicola Nixon for organising the trip.

One of the pollinators of Sicilian Sea Lavender

Paul Marynissen talking about Sicilian Sea Lavender at Saratoga Nature Reserve

Photographing mangroves in the new wellies

View from Saratoga Nature Reserve

From Saratoga Nature Reserve

 

Exposed roots of Sicilian Sea Lavender

Checking dune species at Saratoga Nature Reserve

More weed species at Saratoga Nature Reserve

Paul Marynissen talking about Kudzu

Another disturbing incursion has been the Kudzu( Pueraria lobata) observed in a number of locations on the Central Coast and Northern NSW.

 

Clean Up Australia Day 2016

Scouts on Rocks

The weather was perfect this morning  for the annual clean up of  Molineux and Bumborah Points at Port Botany.

Rubbish and Recycling Bags Bumborah

Scouts and Cubs at Bumborah

The Molineux group

Industrial Landscape

Cycling at Molineux

Corellas

On the rocks at Molineux

La Perouse Coastcare at Molineux

Bag from Bumborah

Bag on the beach

Cleaning up butts in the bush at Molineux

Container Ship and Wake through Heads of Botany Bay

 

Testing Congwong Lagoon

Water Testing yesterday at Congwong Lagoon:  Water Temperature 23;  pH  6;  Electrical Conductivity 680;  Turbidity 18; Coliforms 1300 per 100ml;  Dissolved oxygen 4.7 (55%) Phosphate 0.06 ppm.

In 2013 Caltex was responsible for a major oil spill in Botany Bay and in April 2015 undertook  to provide funds for work on the Gross Pollutant Trap that filters stormwater entering Congwong Lagoon.

Photos from yesterday including signs at the entry to the Beach (6 poles but no bike rack).

    

Walk to Henry Head

Seen on the walk to Henry Head today: Woody pears and banksia emerging after recent fires;  Endiandra sieberi (Corkwood) along with tree ferns at Happy Valley creek; Chloanthes stoechadis  recovering very slowly after being cut out in 2006; new sign at the entry to the Orica track to Cape Banks; Endeavour lighthouse and Henry Head fortifications; Hybanthus monopetalus;  Wet n Wild near the Minmi wreck Cape Banks; scenes of Bare Island with Banks (revetment wall)Norfolk Pine Macquarie Watchtower Museum and monument.