A disused
Redhead quarry that was once an illegal dumping hot-spot will be transformed
into a haven for native flora and fauna under a major Council rehabilitation
project.
Works have
begun to provide safe access to the 3ha site off Oakdale Road, with the aim of
returning it to its former natural state.
Lake Macquarie
City Council Manager Environmental Systems Tim Browne said more than 4000
trees, 10,000 shrubs and 20,000 vines, ferns and other ground cover species
would be planted across the site.
They include
spotted gums, blackbutts, scribbly gums and smooth-barked apple trees – all
native to the area.
Almost 92,000
tonnes of clean earth will also be trucked in from construction sites across
Lake Macquarie to help fill the quarry void and reshape the landscape to a more
natural form that aids drainage and minimises erosion.
“The Oakdale
Road quarry has been a dumping ground and hooning hot-spot for unauthorised
dirt bikes for many years,” Mr Browne said.
“These
rehabilitation works will help it blend back into the natural environment and
establish new habitats in which native plants and animals can thrive.”
Natural Assets
Officer Brooke Laforest said Lake Macquarie Landcare would provide the bulk of
plants required for the rehabilitation project.
They will be
planted in stages as the site is reshaped.
“The existing
cliff will still be a feature of the site, but earth will be built up against
it to create a more natural final landform that slopes down into the middle of
the quarry,” Ms Laforest said.
Council leased
the site from NSW Crown Lands to quarry gravel for local construction projects,
but ceased quarrying in the 1980s.
Public access
will be restored once the rehabilitation project is completed, expected to be
in 2023 at the earliest.
Mr Browne said
similar works were nearing completion at West McDonalds quarry at Glendale.
That site is earmarked for community use rather than natural bushland.
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| One of the Illegal Dumping Sites in the Quarry |
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| Natural Assets Officer, Brooke LaForest at the Redhead Quarry Site |
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| Aerial View of the Redhead Quarry Site, showing illegal dumping and trail bike tracks |
