Freshwater Beach Southern Headland – A Tangled Weed-infested Mess gradually being recovered.
Decades of weed growth, which Council Officers thought was too overgrown to be redeemed, is steadily being removed by a dedicated team of Freshie volunteers under the auspices of the Friends of Freshwater. Countless hours of labour have been put into this project at no cost to the ratepayer.
Along the way the volunteers have uncovered some pleasant surprises.
Including: –
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- A cascading waterfall running down to the Beach previously hidden by weed growth
- A distinctive carving on a rock face done in the 1980’s by the Northern Beaches “Phantom Carver”, Mick Leslie. Previously hidden by weed growth
- A network of sandstone terraces running across the site
- A variety of flora and fauna, including blue tongue lizards that had been threatened by the weed dominance.
Much of the infestation arose around a large colony of Phoenix Palms, which Council has classified as a noxious weed because of its dangerous bacteria laden spikes. The canopy of these Palms overshadowed native plants and trees. Our volunteers have very carefully removed more than forty of these and the associated climbing weeds that hang off them.
There is still a fair way to go, but the volunteers are in for the long haul.
