On Sunday, June 29, OFF members enjoyed a morning walk through Poulton Park. With so much to see and discuss, time ran out before we reached Moore Reserve.
We very much appreciated the western side of Poulton Park which, for over 20 years, has been rehabilitated by member Matt Allison and colleagues and is now flourishing with native vegetation. Some fallen gumnuts were collected to help identify the eucalypts and will assist us in the nomination of trees for the significant Tree Register.
We visited the mangrove boardwalk that Kogarah Council (with OFF and Coastcare) built in 2001 and discussed the value of mangroves, and were delighted by a pair of Golden Whistlers foraging in the canopy above us. At the southern end of Poulton Park is a variety of colourful wildlife shelters that Council installed in a naturalisation program amongst native plantings undertaken in part by Bushcare volunteers and the Green Army. They contrast sharply with the adjacent soccer fields of synthetic turf containing rubber crumb.
It was a perfect winter’s day with warm sunshine and a light breeze that heightened our appreciation of one of the lovely parks in our LGA. It’s hard to believe that the rich variety of vegetation along Oatley Bay Creek is so accessible to walkers, being less than 1km from Hurstville Railway Station.