The natural vegetation of Homebush Bay - Two hundred years of changes

Homebush bay contains some of the best remaining estuarine wetland on the Parramatta River as well as vegetation on shale now rare in the Sydney Region. The conservation value has been recognised by the National Trust, have been set aside as Bicentennial Park, following a Macquarie University study (Anon. 1978). Substantial estuarine wetlands are conserved within this Park though important remnants of the natural vegetation remain unprotected outside this area. This paper described the remaining mangrove, saltmarsh, swamp oak and eucalypt forests of the Bay and the changes they have undergone since European settlement. Homebush Bay is about 12 km west of Sydney on the southern side of Parramatta River and near the geographical centre of Sydney’s metropolitan area (figure 1). Two major creeks drain into it, Haslams Creek from the south-west and Powells Creek from the south. Quaternary alluvial sandy clays cover most of the low lying lands and the river valleys. On higher ground is Wianamatta Shale which weathers to form deep clay soils. The climate and other physical features are described in the Macquarie University report (Anon. 1978), and aspects of the intertidal fauna are discussed in Robinson et al. (1983) and Jones and Frances (this volume).