Wildlife corridor created at arboretum

A wildlife corridor has been created at the Pearl Beach Crommelin Native Arboretum with local food trees for the grey-headed flying fox and the koala as well as the local bird species.

The corridor was developed with Gosford Council and the Sydney University landscape school program and was designed and planted by the arboretum committee.

A number of different eucalypt species were planted along with fruit bearing trees such as blueberry ash for the satin bower bird and grey gum for the koala population.

The committee also recently installed an understorey corridor of native flowering shrubs including bolwarras, celerywoods and narrow-leaved red-orange plums, with fencing to stop wildlife from eating them.

The Crommelin Native Arboretum was established over 34 years ago as a native botanical garden and is managed by a local volunteer committee, according to committee president Mr David Singleton.

The arboretum had some of the last remaining burrawang shrubby woodland in NSW and was continually visited by garden clubs, university students, locals and visitors from around the world, he said.

"One of the aims of the Arboretum is to promote and encourage conservation of native trees and shrubs at Pearl Beach and to increase the use of indigenous native plants in the village," he said.

"Some plants are grown in the arboretum shade house by volunteers and have been propagated from stock currently growing in the arboretum, as plants grown from healthy local stock have the best chance of success."

The arboretum has a number of theme areas including an open area, a riparian walk, The Pleasance, The Windbreak and now a wildlife corridor.

The open area located in front of Crommelin Cottage has a number of eucalypt tree species from around NSW including a large Sydney Red Gum.

The riparian walk exhibits both rare and common rainforest species collected from northern NSW and southern Queensland.

The Pleasance also has rainforest species including hairy rosewood, magenta lillypilly and rusty plum.

These have been planted around the edges to form a theme of shade and tranquillity, said Mr Singleton.

The Windbreak was planted to combat the hot westerly winds that were affecting the trees planted in the open area.

This area comprises quick growing flooded gums and brush box and some locally common yellow bloodwood.

"Over the years, many thousands of trees have been planted by the volunteers in the arboretum's 5.5 hectares," said Mr Singleton

"New tree labels are now being installed to help identify some of these mature and/or interesting trees," he said.

Email, 19 Jan 2011 David Singleton, Crommelin Native Arboretum