Wollongong - City of Weeds

Have you ever thought to observe how weed-ridden and poorly maintained the urban areas of Wollongong are? As you approach Bulli Pass and Mount Ousley, main entry points to our city, they are replete with stands of lantana and other noxious weeds. With very few exceptions, no effort is ever made to clear the heavy weed growth and to replace it with native groundcovers and other, far more acceptable and aesthetic species.

Have you checked the ugly, unfettered weed growth at the entry and exit points of Sea Cliff Bridge? Weeds also proliferate along the guttering on the bridge itself.  It has been like this since very shortly after the bridge was opened. For one of our most publicised landmarks, the lack of even minimal maintenance and landscaping are a disgrace.

Coming off the bridge, “scenic lookouts” are prominently advertised. Have you checked these as you have driven past or stopped at one? They are a disgrace by any standard – poorly surfaced, weed ridden and generally unkempt and neglected. On either side of the road from Sea Cliff Bridge through to Scarborough, significant growth of lantana and other noxious weeds proliferate, as they do overlooking Coledale’s beaches, North Austinmer Beach and at Bell’s Point, another scenic lookout, and this is only the northern gateway to our city.

You don’t have to move far off the main thoroughfare to witness uncontrolled weed infestation along numerous sections of urban streets. Our creeks are being strangled and blocked along most of their length by heavy and uncontrolled weed growth. This causes sediment aggregation and build-up of debris which compounds flooding problems. Have a look at any section of any creek, including those that can be viewed from main roads, and you will see what I mean.

With Remembrance Day not far away, one of the most blatant and disgraceful cases of neglect is Wollongong’s “Memorial Drive” along the length of the Northern Distributor. At least eleven species of weed can be viewed close up as one queues in the ever-worsening traffic snarls along the section of road between Bellambi Lane and North Wollongong. Prominent amongst them are the ubiquitous lantana and abundant crops of the noxious balloon vine (Cardiospermum grandiflorum). These weeds between them disperse millions of seeds each year into surrounding areas. To be fair, one of the four main sections has recently been cleared and planted by the RTA, but the other three sections remain a disgrace, as they have for years. The actual signs which designate each section as “Wollongong Memorial Drive” are surrounded and half covered by weeds. If the responsible authorities are not willing to properly maintain this (attempt at a) memorial to those who gave their lives in war, then they should decommission it forthwith.

The Northern Distributor exits at one point into Porter Street where large signs to our University, TAFE, and Botanic Gardens are normally obliterated by heavy weed growth, including one of Australia’s most noxious climbers – the aforementioned balloon vine, and weeds spill over onto the roadside. Recently, some of the signs have been further obliterated by graffiti which has remained untouched for many weeks.

I often compare our city entry points, median strips and roadside landscaping with those of other towns and local government areas both here and overseas. Wollongong fails miserably every time! Even our immediately adjoining areas – Shellharbour City and Sutherland Shire – are well presented, and relatively weed-free, whereas Wollongong – the City of Weeds – is being strangled by its “official flower”: Lantana camara, a weed of declared national significance, and its noxious cousins.

Local tourist authorities and media need to bring pressure to bear on the City Council and RTA to take urgent and continuing action to clear and beautify our local highways and byways and our creek catchments or they will continue to decline and whatever pride we have left in this potentially great city will be further eroded.

John Roach

Restoring his tattered reputation

Mr Oxley, an accountant by profession, only has to produce the minutes of the meetings he held in his office with people within council and those from outside etc while he was general manager. He should be able to produce records of all receipts and financial transactions here and overseas trips down to the last single cent.

As the previously published picture in the Mercury showing him posing naked for a calendar shows, he should having nothing to hide to validate his claims in restoring his tattered reputation.

Alan Bond

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