NSW WILDERNESS RED INDEX

Published by the Colong Foundation for Wilderness Ltd (September, 1999)
2/332 Pitt Street Sydney 2000 ph 02 9261 2400; fax 02 9261 2144
email keith@colongwilderness.org.au web site colongwilderness.org.au

Wilderness Declared:

Morton National Park;

Wilderness Not Declared:

Morton National Park;

Vacant Crown land;

State Forest;

Leasehold land;

Freehold land;

Wilderness Deleted:

Morton National Park;

DESCRIPTION:

The area is bounded to the north by the escarpments of Bundanoon and Moss Vale and to the south by the Nerriga-Nowra road. The drainage of the bulk of the area is northwards, with Ettrema, Bundundah and Danjera Creeks draining into the Shoalhaven River. Tributaries of the Shoalhaven in the north of the wilderness include Yarrunga, Bundanoon and Tallowa Creeks.

The dramatic scenery of this wilderness takes in part of the southern extremity of the Sydney Basin within the Yalwal Ramp, which rises from near sea level at Nowra and reaches its maximum height of 917 metres overlooking the Nerriga locality. The wilderness south of the Shoalhaven River comprises the higher parts of the Ramp to the west of Nowra, a plateau of Permian sediments, mostly conglomerates, which have been deeply dissected into a series of steep cliff-lined gorges where Permian sandstones and conglomerates have been exposed by the Shoalhaven River and the Ettrema, Bundundah and Danjera Creeks. The gorge country to the north of the Shoalhaven is part of a retreating scarp on the southern edge of the Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone Plateau.

The Permian sediments overlie a basement of highly folded metamorphic Devonian, Silurian and Ordovician rocks, which impart a distinctive character to Ettrema Gorge. In the east, granite intruded these rocks during the Carboniferous and is exposed upstream of the confluence of Yalwal and Bundundah Creeks.

The broad, flat expanses of sandstone which form the plateau of Ettrema are predominantly vegetated with heath and sedgeland, Scribbly Gum forest (Eucalyptus schlerophylla) and Snappy Gum woodland (E. rossii), along with patches of Yertchuk (E. consideniana) and Red Bloodwood (E. gummifera). The Budawang mallee (E. dendromorpha) is also scattered throughout these heathlands in small clumps and bands. The mallee eucalypt (E. sturgissiana) is almost endemic to the heathlands of Ettrema. Silvertop Ash/Black Ash (E. sieberi), common in the northern Budawangs, occurs on the plateau edges, on the knolls of Berry sandstone and in gullies associated with Urn-fruited Peppermint (E. piperita ssp urceolaris). On the steep sides of the creeks of the Ettrema system Sydney Blue Gum (E. saligna), Urn-fruited Peppermint, Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) and Cabbage Palms (Livistona australis) occur in moist and sheltered locations. On the exposed rocky ridges White Stringybarks (E. globoidea) and Ironbarks (E. fibrosa) are most common. On the lower reaches of the creeks on good soils patches of Forest Red Gum (E. tereticornis) and Yellow Bloodwood (E. eximia) predominate. The alluvial flats cut off by meanders along the lower reaches of the Ettrema Creek support tall stands of Rough-barked Apple (Angophora floribunda) and Narrow-leaved Stringybark (E. oblonga).

Small areas of rainforest grow along parts of the creeks, largely on volcanic soils, including such species as Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras), Grey Myrtle (Backhousia myrtifolia), and Bastard Rosewood (Synoum glandulosum). Some of the rainforest species have showed an ability to regenerate after disturbance by fire.

A form of semi-deciduous rainforest vine thicket occurs at its southern limit on south and east facing slopes on the lower Shoalhaven Gorge. These thickets are usually less than four hectares and represent the western limit of rainforest in the Illawarra region. Dominant rainforest tree species are Toona ciliata var. australis, Ficus coronata, F. rubigonosa, Diospyros australis, and Melia azedarach. The wetter northern escarpment area contains some of the best stands of coachwood near its southern limit.

More than twenty rare or threatened plant species occur within the wilderness.

The area has an extensive range of bird, reptile, and mammalian fauna. Significant species include the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) and possibly the Parma Wallaby (Macropus parma). The Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) and the Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus), both listed as endangered in the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, are found in heath communities in the area.

LAND USE HISTORY:

Tallowa Dam

The subsequent Shoalhaven Scheme revealed plans for a dam construction in three stages: Stage One, the construction of a small dam at the junction of the Shoalhaven and Kangaroo Rivers and the construction of the Fitzroy Falls Dam; Stage Two, a dam at Welcome Reef on the Upper Shoalhaven; and Stage Three, a large dam in Morton National Park on the Shoalhaven River superseding the Stage One dam. The scheme was modified to two stages, with the small Shoalhaven dam abandoned in favour of the more major Tallowa Dam.

HISTORY OF CONSERVATION MEASURES:

THREATS:

Although Ettrema is undisturbed in most areas, its wilderness values are compromised by various inholdings and surrounding areas of detrimental land use, as well as by internal and external trails.

Recommendations: Mining is not acceptable in Wilderness Areas and no exploratory or extractive mining should be permitted. Mining inholdings should be added to the Park estate.

Recommendations: Freehold land within the wilderness area should be progressively purchased and added to the park. Where immediate acquisition cannot be achieved, a conservation agreement should be negotiated as an interim protection measure.

As wilderness preservation is essential for long term nature conservation, the Yarramunmun Crown Lands should be added to Morton National Park and declared as wilderness.

None of the above trails offer fire management advantages. The environmental impacts of trails on wilderness areas include: rubbish dumping; soil compaction and erosion; weed introduction and dissemination by NPWS and other vehicles; assisting the ingress of feral animal; enabling arsonist to light wildfires in remote areas; off-road vehicle use; and adverse environmental impacts related off road vehicle use and horseriding.

Recommendations: The protection of wilderness values in fire management plans needs to be a priority. Decisions on damaging suppression practices should be addressed during management planning, not in a fire crisis. Except for fire trails in perimeter areas, trails constructed during fire fighting operations should be closed and rehabilitated immediately following the operation. Maintenance of management trails in wilderness areas does not comply with the management principles laid down in the Wilderness Act. The Ettremma Wilderness Area is currently surrounded by perimeter trails and these should be adequate. The best prescription to avoid fires in wilderness areas is to confine management trails to the edge, to prevent the spread of fire from outside.

Where a fire occurs naturally within a wilderness area it should be suppressed using remote where techniques are feasible. Effective fire fighting in wilderness requires constant aerial or satellite surveillance in bushfire danger periods to enable rapid detection and response. Such an approach eliminates the need for fire towers in wilderness areas. To effectively tackle fires in remote areas while they are still small, more fire fighters need to be trained as ‘smoke jumpers’ and helicopter crews. Where absolutely necessary, helicopter landing areas could be cleared for fire control. External management trails will prevent fire spreading to adjoining areas.

Recommendations: Limiting population increases in Sydney would obviate the need for further dams. Introduction of the user pays principle would discourage current waste of water and lead to a drop in demand. Recycling of water, already an economic proposition for some industrial users, would prevent the wasteful one-way flow of valuable fresh water into the ocean, and reduce the need for bigger dams. Recommendations for alternative ways of meeting Sydney's water supply needs are given by Grunmuller and Bacher (1991) and Macquarie University Graduate School of the Environment (1992).

Recommendations: The gas pipeline should adopt a route through the southern tablelands which avoids areas of National Park and Wilderness.

The Nowra-Nerriga road should not be upgraded to highway standard. The route is sufficient for existing use and must remain compatible with the surrounding wilderness areas.

CONTACT ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS

The Colong Foundation for Wilderness Ltd
2/332 Pitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: Keith Muir (Director) Ph: (w) 02 9261 2400
FAX: 02 9261 2144
e-mail keith@colongwilderness.org.au

The Wilderness Society –
Illawarra Branch
Suite 21 Globe Arcade
Globe Lane
WOLLONGONG NSW 2500
Contact: Paul Dickson 4226 2530
4225 7024
email wollongong@wilderness.org.au

RELEVANT ARTICLES:

Habitat Vol 6, no3, June 1978 p10-15 "Solo in the Ettrema Wilderness"

Colong Bulletin 82, "Wilderness is not for Firebreaks".

Colong Bulletin 125, "Sustaining the Environment"

Colong Bulletin 131, March 1992, p1, "The Wilderness (Declaration of New Areas) Bill".

Colong Bulletin 138, May 1993, p6, "Unwelcome Reef Dam".

Colong Bulletin 154, January 1996, p6-7 "The Abuse of National Parks".

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