Sheltered valley

Large Paperbark trees in Sheltered Gully near BronteThe hilly landscapes of Bondi and Bronte have a number of areas that could be referred to as small sheltered valleys or gullies. They are protected from the coastal influences that limit the success of tree planting; receive greater water run-off; have deeper soils and are more protected from strong winds.

Some examples are:

  • Blandford Avenue Bronte
  • Leichhardt Street Bronte
  • Cuthbert Street Queens Park
  • Varna Street Waverley

Streetscape Character

Many of these streets already benefit from having mature established trees primarily because of these improved growing conditions. The streets vary from wide to very narrow with corresponding widths of naturestrips. A number of the narrower streets have a canopy of trees that covers the width of the street

Dominant Trees

These streets are fortunate to have a high proportion of mature large trees such as:

Common nameBotanical name
BrushboxLophostemon confertus
PaperbarkMelaleuca quinquenervia
Hill's FigFicus microphylla 'Hillii''
Blueberry AshElaeocarpus reticulatus
TuckerooCupaniopsis anacardioides
JacarandaJacaranda mimosifolia

Issues and Considerations

  • Many of these streets already have successful street tree plantings and only require infill plantings to consolidate the streetscape
  • Some streets may benefit from the replacement of overhead wires with aerial bundle cabling to allow for larger trees to be planted
  • A high percentage of these trees are classified as over-mature and many are in decline

Strategies

  • To further enhance and expand the existing canopy cover in these streets.
  • To use tree species appropriate to the scale of the street and the width of the naturestrip planting areas
  • Choose trees from the accompanying table of trees

Actions

  • Undertake trial plantings of rainforest species that may be suitable for some streets
  • Increase the width of tree planting holes to a minimum of one metre and incorporate quality native soil mix and water crystals
  • Determine which streets only require consolidation or infill planting
  • Assess the number of streets that would benefit from the replacement of overhead wires with aerial bundle cabling (the bunching of the several strands of electricity wires into one sheathed cable) and prioritise within the aerial bundle replacement program

Preferred Tree Species

SizeCommon nameBotanical name
Small
(to 6 metres)		Dwarf AppleAngophora hispida
Weeping BottlebrushCallistemon ‘Dawson River’
White Feather HoneymyrtleMelaleuca decora
Prickly PaperbarkMelaleuca styphelioides
Pittosporum James StirlingPittosporum ‘James Stirling’
Medium         
(6 to 12 metres)		Purple-leafed Willow MyrtleAgonis flexuosa ‘After Dark’
Lemon MyrtleBackhousia citriodora
Old Man BanksiaBanksia serrata
NSW Christmas BushCeratopetalum gummiferum
TuckerooCupaniopsis anacardioides
Blueberry AshElaeocarpus reticulatus
Scribbly GumEucalyptus haemastoma
Cheese TreeGlochidion ferdinandi
RiberrySyzygium luehmannii
WatergumTristaniopsis laurina
WaterhouseaWaterhousea floribunda
Large
(over 12 metres)		Sydney Red GumAngophora costata
Cook Island Pine or New Caledonia PineAraucaria columnaris
White StringybarkEucalyptus globoidea
Mugga IronbarkEucalyptus sideroxylon
Port Jackson FigFicus rubiginosa
JacarandaJacaranda mimosifolia
BrushboxLophostemon confertus
Fine-leafed PaperbarkMelaleuca leucadendra *
Swamp PaperbarkMelaleuca quinquenervia

*= may only be available from specialist native nurseries