Chapter Four |
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W6-D6 - Georges River National Park Link |
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| Sub-section |
| Start and finish |
Bottlebrush Place to Georges River NP North (via Alfords Point Bridge) |
| Distance |
2.5km |
| Grade |
2-3 |
Time |
1.5hr |
| Main features |
- Georges River National Park
- Elevated panoramic views of Mill Creek
- Georges River foreshores
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| Description |
40% on streets, 30% on FT, 10% through corner of NP, 20% pedestrian walkway over bridge |
| Facilities |
- Pay area
- Casuarina Rd Oval and Reserve
- Bench seats.
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| Opportunities and constraints |
- Interpret the journey of Barden/Mill Creek - lookouts
- Biodiversity, Cultural, Historical, Geographical Education
- Consult residents regarding on-street sections of route
- Local area studies for 10 schools in local area
- NPWS Consent Required for 150M new section of track
- Safety Issues at link to Ped. Bridge RTA consent
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| Actions Required |
- Construct access link from Stringybark Place onto footbridge
- 2 ACPs - Gates, Stiles, Barriers, Fencing
- Information and Safety Sign at both ends of ped. bridge
- 5 x waymarkers
- Educate Trail bikers
- Promotional and Curriculum material
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| Current Status/Zoning |
- Georges River NP/RTA road corridor
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| Priority |
B |
| Estimated cost |
$25k |
| Stakeholders Community |
West Menai and Barden Ridge PRA, Menai High School, Alfords Point PS, NPA, Illawong and Alfords Point Progress Assoc. Menai Wildflower Society |
| Agency/Land Manager |
SSC, DIPNR, NPWS, RTA, NPWS |
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Rationale:
The proposed Burnum Burnum Track ends beside the community fire control point alongside Bottlebrush Place in Alfords Point, close to a bus stop and potential transport back to the start. The return journey on foot or by bicycle utilises Brushwood Drive then Old Illawarra Road cycleway to Hall Drive Reserve, completing an 8 kilometres loop via Buckle Reserve.
To complete the Woronora River to Georges River link the following route is suggested from Bottlebrush Place to the north side of Alfords Point Bridge. |
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The suggested route for this section skirts around the top of the escarpment between Bottlebrush Place and Stringybark Place, along the interface between a section of Georges River National Park and ridge-top houses.
The advantages of this route are that:
- Apart from a 200 metres section (see below), it utilises existing street pavements and connecting fire trails
- The terrain is relatively flat
- The surface is sealed or compacted
- It affords panoramic views of the National Park, Georges River, Mill Creek estuary, and Little Salt Pan Creek
It connects to an access track leading down to the river at Mickeys Point
Georges River National Park - Issues to Resolve
The Park conserves 354 hectares of steep sandstone terrain with forested hillsides and plateau areas, which are found on either side of the river and its tributary creeks at Alfords Point, Illawong, Padstow Heights, Lugarno, Revesby and Picnic Point.
As well the Park offers southern and south-western Sydney a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including picnicking, boating, fishing, and bushwalking. Its varied landforms, remnant vegetation and proximity to urban areas makes it a valuable resource for environmental education.
Vegetation communities within the park provide native fauna with refuge from adjacent urban development. These include wet and dry sclerophyll forests along the valley slopes, heathlands and modified grasslands on the plateaux tops and extensive wetlands and mangrove stands along the foreshores. The Park contains a number of Aboriginal and historic sites that are of local significance. These include rock shelters, hand stencils, stone walls and foundations. |
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| The main constraint to the preferred route W6- D6 above, is the missing link which would allow access on to the existing pedestrian walkway across Alfords Point Bridge form Stringybark Place. This would facilitate access down into the Padstow Heights section of Georges River National Park and is a crucial link to the Georges River Way section of The Great Kai'mia Way. (see Chapter 3) |
The project team advises that a 200 metres section of bush track should be built along the southern edge of the National Park and across RTA land to a rock platform adjacent to the pedestrian walkway on Alfords Point Bridge.
From the rock platform a flight of 6 steps and a short 1.5 metres bridge be constructed to join the walkway. This necessitates the removal of a portion of the existing walkway balustrade wide enough to pass through, and the installation of safety balustrade to both sides of the proposed structure, because of the length of fall down from the bridge exceeds 2 metres.
The estimated cost of the track, walkway link and safety measures is $30,000. This is a vital strategic link in the Great Kai'mia Way, facilitating access across the river, linking the north and south of the National Park. Currently the bridge walkway is unused because there is no safe pedestrian link from the southern approaches. Only very experienced cyclists are likely to use it veering off the highway where vehicles are traveling at speeds in excess of 100. |
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| Action - It is suggested that a working group of appropriate officers from The National Parks and Wildlife Service, Roads and Traffic Authority and Sutherland Shire Council, together with the National Parks Association as well as members of Illawong and Alfords Point Progress Association evaluate the proposal and allocate resources as a high priority (A - within 2 years) within the action plan for implementing The Great Kai'mia Way. |
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• The Glen 
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre | Suite 4 (1st Floor), 2-4 Merton Street, Sutherland NSW 2232