Bellambi dunes, which run north from North Corrimal beach, are a great place to spend an hour or two walking and looking at the local plants for garden ideas (or just sheer enjoyment). You can see a huge variety of indigenous plants on the dunes: over 120 species have been identified as growing in the area. Some of the coastal classics on view include:
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| Flowers of the Austral Stork's Bill, surrounded by bracken fern, Blady Grass (Imperata cylindrica) and Snake Vine (Stephania japonica). Image by Emma Rooksby. |
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Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia): as well as handsome strappy leaves, this plan also has
striking seed heads in autumn/winter. Image by Emma Rooksby. |
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| Hibbertia scandens, another local plant known as Snake Vine, will grow happily enough on the ground if it has nothing to climb up. Image by Emma Rooksby. |
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| White correa (Correa alba) has delicate-looking white flowers but is one of the hardiest Australian plants, particularly when grown in its preferred sandy soils. Image by Emma Rooksby. |
These species will all cope with the challenges of the tough coastal environment. There are also some tree species that grow in the hind dunes:
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Handsome fire-scarred trunks of Swamp Mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta). Fires
swept through the Bellambi dunes in 2002, and arson is unfortunately a regular occurrence in the area. Image by Emma Rooksby. |
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| Winter buds and flowers of Swamp Mahogany. Image by Emma Rooksby. |
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| Coastal Banksia (Banksia integrifolia) grows to 15m tall and can tolerate saltspray, so is a very useful plant in coastal gardens. Image by Emma Rooksby. |
The Bellambi dunes host an active bushcare group, and without the help of bushcare would probably be completely overrun with bitou bush, turkey rhubarb and other weeds. We are lucky in the Illawarra that so many people volunteer their time to look after the bush...
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| Looking through Coastal Tea-tree to the ocean...Image by Emma Rooksby. |
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