At the left of this path through
Irrawong Reserve,
Total Earth Care have removed
weeds and planted native plants.

Total Earth Care Pty Ltd specialises in regenerating areas of bushland that have been disturbed. This involves studying the area to determine the most probable original ecosystem and designing a program of activities that over time will allow the development of an ecosystem approximating the original. Seeds and cuttings are taken from the native plants in the area and raised in the nursery, ready for replanting.

Houses are built right next to
the Warriewood Wetlands in
areas that used to be part of the Wetlands.

The owners of properties in the
areas that used to be Wetlands
would not appreciate the original flooding regime of the
area to be re-established.

In many cases, and certainly in the case of the Warriewood Wetlands, conditions have changed to an extent which would not allow for the original ecosystem to be completely re-established.

In the Warriewood Wetlands, for example, there is now a weir at Garden Rd which prevents salt water and tidal rise and fall to influence the Wetlands west of Garden Road. Large areas of the original Wetlands are now drained and built on. Measures have been put in place that prevent the original seasonal flooding of the Wetlands. Therefore, replanting needs to be planned to match the current situation.

Behind Andrew the dead lantana is up
the tree to a height above his head. The lantana has been poisoned and cut at
ground level.

However, for 13 years now Andrew McGahey has been working in the Warriewood Wetlands and, since 1991, his team at Total Earth Care P/L has also been steadily eradicating weed and replanting grasses, trees and water plants that belong in this area.

The Irrawong Reserve area along Mullet Creek from the Wetlands to the little waterfall is Water Board reserve land in which items such as sewerage drains have been established. Pittwater Council manages this reserve for the Water Board.

One resultant problem is that in times of heavy rain, the sewerage pipes overflow and empty nutrients and pollutants into the Wetlands.

Andrew explained that where machinery has turned earth upside down, there is not the appropriate soil structure for seeds of native plants to germinate and grow. Weeds however, can quickly become established and make it even more difficult for native plants to thrive.

Pittwater Council have made
paths and boardwalks that
allow people to appreciate
the beauty of this area without unduly disturbing the bushland.

Lillies, balsam, coral trees,
and other exotic plants grow from seed washed or blown in from gardens or cuttings thrown over fences.

We asked Andrew a few questions and he answered :-

1. Are there any endangered plants or animals in the Warriewood Wetlands?

Yes, we have bandicoots that get caught by cats, foxes, ferrets and dogs.
There are migrating birds like the Swift Parrot, the Top Knot Pigeon and the Powerful Owl that are quite rare.

 
This cat picture is from Encarta.

2. Are there any pests in the Warriewood Wetlands?

Yes, there are rabbits, horses, dogs, foxes, cats and escaped ferrets (they escape sometimes from the house of a vet who keeps ferrets next to the marshland.) Rabbits make burrows and eat a lot of grass and small trees. Horses' hooves dig up the ground. Their droppings are unnaturally nutrient rich and are full of seed that germinates in the wrong places. Dogs, foxes, cats and ferrets eat small mammals and baby birds. 

 This fox picture is from Encarta.  

 
Part of the Wetlands
near Katoa Close

3. How long have you been working in the Warriewood Wetlands?

About 13 years.

3. How many hectares do the Wetlands cover?

About 26 hectares.

Looking across the
Warriewood Wetlands
from near Katoa Close.

4. How much of Warriewood Wetlands is covered in water?

That varies with the rainfall. It used to also vary with the tides but not now that there is a weir at Jackson's Road. Part of the Wetlands is always wet.

It used to be all water back in the time when Bayview Lake and Narrabeen Lake were joined.

Phone:
Fax :

9979 8812
9979 8813