Wolli Creek Regional Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wolli Creek Regional Park |
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Sandstone Outcrop along Two Valley Trail.
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| Type | Nature reserve |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nearest city | Rockdale |
| Area | 50 hectares (120 acres) |
| Operated by | NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service |
| Status | Open |
The Wolli Creek Regional Park is a special green space covering 50 hectares (120 acres). It's like a big nature reserve right next to Wolli Creek in the Wolli Creek Valley. You can find it between Bexley North and Tempe in south-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The park was created in 1998 by the NSW Government. This happened because many people in the community worked hard to save the area. They wanted it to be protected and for the M5 East Freeway to be built underground. Some parts of the park are already set up and managed by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. This includes areas like Girrahween Park and Turrella Reserve.
When the park is fully finished, it will be easy to reach by public transport. It will have nice picnic spots for families and amazing views. You'll find bushland, cool sandstone cliffs with walking tracks, and different types of plants like heathland and woodland forests. It's also a fantastic place for birdwatching, even though it's close to busy city areas.
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How People Changed the Wolli Valley
Before Europeans arrived, the Wolli Valley was home to the Bidjigal clan. They used the bushland for food and shelter. After European settlement, the land was used in ways that changed the animals and plants. Trees were cut down to make space for farms, like orchards and dairies.
Later, industries that made things like tallow (from animal fat) also used the land. In 1882, the Illawarra railway was built. This changed how Wolli Creek flowed and caused more flooding. A sewer system for Sydney's suburbs started being built in 1890. People also quarried stone in some areas, using the sandstone for local buildings. All these activities changed the land, water flow, and plants in the park over time.
A Green Oasis in the City
Wolli Creek Regional Park is located in a busy urban area with houses and businesses. Some parts of the park are very steep, so they weren't good for building houses. This meant the native bushland was left untouched. A railway line runs next to the park, and Sydney Airport is only 1 km away. This means you might hear planes and trains while you're there.
Wolli Creek itself is not part of the Regional Park. The surrounding city areas can affect the park. Things like weeds, stormwater runoff, rubbish dumping, and animals that don't belong there (like foxes) can cause problems.
Protecting Nature in the Park
The Regional Park has different types of natural areas. These include bushland (some of it very healthy), wetlands, open grassy areas, and mangroves. It also has endangered saltmarsh communities. The native plants here are what's left of the plants that grew in Sydney before European settlement. This kind of bushland is very rare in inner-city Sydney.
To protect the park's nature, it's important to know what plants and animals live there. In the past, only quick surveys were done. Now, volunteers can help by looking for different animal and plant species.
Breaking up natural areas into small pieces is a big threat to nature. This park is like an island of nature in the middle of the city. Connecting parks and reserves with "habitat corridors" (like green pathways) helps animals move around. This stops species from disappearing from local areas. As the park's habitat gets better, and more green connections are made in Sydney, more animal species might be found here. The park's future plans will focus on keeping and improving its amazing nature. It's important to work with nearby landowners to connect the park to other natural areas.
The NPWS is working hard to restore and improve the park's natural systems. They want to protect the good habitats and provide safe places for animals. They also make sure that all park activities cause the least harm to animal homes. This regional park is a very important safe place for nature, and there's still much to learn about it!
Amazing Plants of Wolli Creek
The park is home to about 360 different types of native plants. One special plant found here is the Tassell Sedge (Carex fascicularis), which is not common in the Sydney area. In 2015, new Woody Pear (Xylomelum pyriforme) seedlings were found, showing that these rare trees are growing back!
Here are some of the plant communities you can find in the park:
Eucalypt Woodlands
This type of forest is found at Girahween Park. It has tall trees like Smooth-barked Apple, Blackbutt, Sydney Peppermint, Red Bloodwood, and Turpentine. Below these trees, you'll find smaller plants like Banksia, Teatree, and Sunshine Wattle. On rocky areas, you might see thick groups of Tick Bush.
Closed-Forest Community
This dense forest grows next to Wolli Creek in the western part of the park. It's known for trees like Coachwood and Water Gum.
Mangroves and Saltmarsh
These special plants grow on the banks of Wolli Creek downstream from Turrella. Saltmarshes are very important and are listed as threatened.
Freshwater Wetland
One small wetland area still exists upstream of Hartill Law Avenue. However, it's being taken over by weeds. Most of the plants along the freshwater parts of Wolli Creek are not native species.
Threats to Native Plants
The wetland saltmarsh areas are in danger from growing mangrove plants and the effects of city life. Weeds are a big problem, especially near Wolli Creek. They take over from native plants. Some harmful weeds include Wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis), Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), and Lantana (Lantana Camara). These weeds can smother native plants and trees. People are working slowly to remove these weeds as part of the bush regeneration efforts.
Caring for the Bushland
Volunteers from the Wolli Creek Preservation Society help look after the park's plants along Wolli Creek. They do things like bush regeneration, which means helping native plants grow back. The park has many different native plants and animals, including birds and Grey-headed flying foxes. It's also a great place for locals and visitors to enjoy nature.
Animals of Wolli Creek
Amphibians: Frogs
Frogs around the world are in trouble. Surveys in the park showed that many common frog species that should be there are missing. Fewer than half of the original frog species are left, and seven species have disappeared from this area. One of these is the Green and Golden Bell Frog, which is an endangered species in NSW. It's no longer found here because its habitat was lost.
The park's wetlands are not in great shape, with lots of mud and thick plants. This favors the Brown Striped Marsh Frog, which has taken over from the Green and Golden Bell Frog. The Green and Golden Bell Frog needs deeper water with fewer plants around the edges. Other frogs found here include the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog, Peron's Tree Frog, Green Tree Frog, Common Eastern Froglet, and the Brown Striped Marsh Frog. More studies are needed to find out if other frog species live here or if the Green and Golden Bell Frog has returned from nearby areas.
Reptiles: Lizards, Geckos, Dragons, and Skinks
You might spot several types of reptiles in the park. These include the Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard, Jacky Lizard, Eastern Water Dragon, and Broad-tailed Gecko. Several types of skinks are also still here, like the Bar-sided Skink, Eastern Water Skink, and Copper-tailed Skink. Both grey-brown and yellow dragons have been seen near Nannygoat Hill.
Snakes
The Red-bellied Black Snake is the only snake species seen recently in the park. Other snakes like the Black-bellied Swamp Snake and the Eastern Brown Snake were seen in the past but not lately.
Turtles
The Eastern Long-necked Turtle is the only turtle species found in the park. These turtles can live in city waterways because they like shallow water and can move across land after it rains. Baby turtles have been seen far from the creek, but they sometimes struggle to move through the introduced Kikuyu Grasses. Even though these turtles can move around, they are losing their homes as cities grow. Their future in urban Sydney is uncertain due to habitat loss and dangers like predators.
Mammals
The Common Brushtail Possum and some small bat species, like Gould's Wattled Bat and the Common Bent-wing Bat, seem to be the only native mammals left in the area. In 2007, a camp of Grey-headed Flying-foxes was set up on the south side of Wolli Creek. This area is not easy for people to reach. The camp started with about 1,000 bats, but by 2016, up to 20,000 bats might be there at different times of the year.
The Grey-headed Flying-fox is listed as a vulnerable species. Because their natural homes are being destroyed, more bat camps are appearing in cities. This can sometimes cause problems with people due to noise and damage to fruit trees.
Sometimes, signs of Long-nosed Bandicoots have been seen in the Wolli Valley, but their presence hasn't been fully confirmed. This species is endangered in NSW. A group of them lives in suburbs near the park. They are threatened by foxes and dangers from city life, like traffic.
Introduced Animals
Animals like foxes, cats, rabbits, house mice, and black rats have been seen in the park. These animals were brought here by people and have changed the natural community over time. Some native animals and plants may have disappeared from the park because of these introduced species. Foxes are a big threat because they hunt native animals.
Birds
Many bird species that live in the eucalypt woodlands of southern Australia are decreasing in number. This is due to things like clearing forests, breaking up habitats, and making them less healthy. These problems make it hard for birds to move between different areas, compete with other species, and find food. Efforts to restore the bushland can help some common birds, but birds that need old, mature trees might not recover as easily.
This Regional Park is an important pathway for birds moving across Sydney and for those migrating north and south. New birds that are now breeding here include the Nankeen Night Heron and the Variegated Fairy Wren.
Rare Sightings: The Powerful Owl
It's rare to see a Powerful Owl in the park. An adult owl was spotted soon after the grey-headed flying fox camp was established. It's thought that only about 120 adult Powerful Owls live in urban Sydney. The park's habitat and mammal populations are improving, so it's hoped that a pair of these owls will soon breed here. Powerful Owls mostly eat large mammals that live in trees, like the Common Ringtail Possum and the Grey-headed Flying-fox. They also eat some large birds. The Powerful Owls in Sydney often nest near walking paths and have successfully raised chicks even in busy areas. They prefer native trees but will also use some weed species. To protect the Powerful Owl, we need to know where they live and if their numbers are changing.
Fun Things to Do
People who love bushwalking and birdwatching can enjoy the valley by using the Two Valley Trail. You can also visit reserves like Girrawheen Park and Turrella Reserve for picnics and other fun activities. You can get to the park from nearby streets and railway stations at Tempe, Turrella, Bardwell Park, and Bexley North.
Images for kids
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Bush regeneration Bray Avenue, Earlwood, NSW.
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Bush regeneration planting site along Wolli Creek, Turrella Reserve.
