The Editor
Dear Sir,
The article in the ‘Nick of Time’ column by Nick Campbell-Jones in the Friday January 18, 2002 issue of your newspaper discussing the Hammock Hill Nature Reserve in East Bowral does not present all of the facts regarding recent and current developments in this reserve.
He takes issue with the proposed erection of wombat structures, the potential break up of the pathway and the weeds.
We in the volunteer Hammock Hill Bushcare Group are well aware of these problems and have been in continuous contact with Council officers on ways and means of minimising any negative impact on the environment, beauty and recreational usage of this bushland.
First it is necessary to acknowledge the fact that Council has legal obligations under the Section 94 developer contributions legislation and thus are committed to spend certain sums of money contributed by developers and set aside for specified purposes in Hammock Hill Nature Reserve.
Residents surrounding the reserve were unanimous in opposing the original plan to set up an active recreational children’s playground including picnic and barbecue facilities close to the Hammock Hill rise entrance to the reserve. The bushcare group and other residents were successful in persuading Council to alter this plan to a passive educational facility comprising wombat structures for children to play on and around, and to relocate it.
Appropriate shrubbery and informative signage will also be installed around this facility. Council agreed that an active complete playground would be more appropriate elsewhere in East Bowral.
The bushcare group also worked closely with Council in laying out the walking path, the viewpoints and resting benches.
At one stage of discussions it was decided to ‘develop’ a series of grassed walking paths beyond the wombat playground, and throughout the reserve, which would subsequently be maintained by the volunteers of the bushcare group.
For various reasons including safety considerations, Council later decided to upgrade the main tracks to a ‘shoe-walking’ standard beyond the wombat playground.
Although the surface of this crushed sandstone track, now in place, is not optimum for permanent preservation, so far it has survived several rainstorms. We trust that Council will take necessary remedial action if and when required.
Meanwhile the bushcare group volunteers are now appreciative of the reduction in maintenance of this type of track compared to that of a grassed track.
Weed control and regeneration have not yet started on a routine basis, but are planned for commencement in the near future after all construction and development work is completed, to avoid destruction by heavy vehicles.
We will cooperate with Council officers responsible for week control, but will not try to dictate scheduling and procedures to people who have far more knowledge and expertise in this matter than we have. We have been advised that spraying of the blackberries will be done this week.
We note that Mr Campbell-Jones refers to the prior usage of this terrain as cow and horse pasture.
That usage is of course responsible for much of the weeds and the reduction of native flora and fauna. It is hoped that future management of this reserve will help to restore some of its ‘natural’ environment.
Finally, we would like to point out that we have observed extensive and frequent usage of the new track during the past two months by many people in the new Highland Glen and Mansfield Farm residential areas.
These include the young and old, from children with bikes to retirees walking their dogs or out for a healthy walk, plus joggers, mountain bike riders and horse-riders.
We in the Hammock Hill Bushcare Group and neighbours, hope to have a pleasant, peaceful and interesting natural bushland environment in our midst and will continue to work with Council to achieve this goal.
At present the installations are not yet complete and the planned work on planting and weeding have not yet started.
Therefore we believe that any criticism of the activity in respect of Hammock Hill Nature Reserve is premature.
Lou Flower,
Convenor of Hammock Hill Bushcare Group.
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