#56: Harvey Blue's Article for the Berry Town Crier

There are numerous walking tracks in the bush reserves around Berry. Current “Self Isolation” has made them very popular. The Seven Mile Beach sand track walk that extends from Gerroa to the Shoalhaven River estuary is through unspoiled forest. The part of the walk from the sand track car park North reveals, slightly off the trail, a number of Plumb Pine trees. These stand out against the Angophoras and Banksias of the forest because of their rich green colour and their straight vertical trunk form. They are a very interesting tree. Podocarpus elatus is the only conifer south of Wollongong. They can grow as high as 30 metres with a 500mm thick trunk. Another forest walk less known but significantly more diverse in flora is the Moeyan Hill Reserve. Accessible from Borrowdale Close through to Housten Place. It is 3 kilometres of easy walking. The range of forest species is vast, especially for understory plants. The track is well maintained and slopes gently. There are glimpses of the Cambewarra Escarpment to the West and the Tasman Sea to the East. Coming in from the Borrowdale Close end there are many easily recognised Native Ground Covers, Grasses, Shrubs, Vines, Ferns and Trees. The first encountered; to left- Coffee Bush and Rough Fruiting Pittosporum and to right - Hairy Clerodendrum and Muttonwood, backed by a Maidens Wattle sapling. Ground cover of Native Violet, Blady Grass, Kangaroo Grass and Rasp Ferns make for easy walking. Vines such as Dusty Coral Pea, Round Leaf vine, juvenile Wonga Wonga Vine, Native Grape (Kangaroo Vine), Native Passion Fruit, Wombat Berry all climb or scramble. This profusion of understory plants is framed with giant Turpentine, Blackbutt and local Blue Gum trees. It is possible at times to see the Ironbark Feather Orchid on one of the Royals of the Eucalyptus genus. An Ironwood Thicket is encountered about the midpoint of the trail. This plenitude of native plants continues along the walk as it winds round the hill through the forest. This forest is classified as “Eucalyptus –Turpentine”. It is well worth a visit.

Berry Town Town Crier Contributor: Harvey Blue

Berry Landcare Works with RMS and Fulton Hogan to achieve landscaping with locally indigenous species for the Princes Highway re-alignment. Working Bees for July 2015

by Harvey Blue

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#97 Berry Town Crier October 2019