For about a kilometre along a Menai Creek there is a wattle which is quite stunning in flower. It is Acacia prominens commonly known as the Gosford wattle. This is mainly from the Hunter Valley-Gosford area but is found in other places. There is a disjunct population in the Hurstville-Kogarah area that in 1998 was declared an endemic endangered community.

The creek where I found it has no official name but is marked on some maps as LH1 because it drains the original Lucas Heights tip site that is now sporting fields and a golf course. While it is not relevant, I used to be involved with the macroinvertebrate testing of this creek and it received remarkably good results, A minus, usually.

As far as I know this is an isolated population so, is it endemic or was it introduced?

The argument for it being an extension of the Hurstville population is that the declared population reaches Oatley Park, only about 6kms away.

An argument for it being an introduced population is that a track has been bulldozed along the creek line, probably in the 70’s when the sewerage was put in, and large earth moving equipment is notorious for spreading seed around the country.

Does it matter?

If it is introduced it is a weed that should be eliminated from the natural bush where possible.

If it is endemic at the very least the Sutherland shire council should declare it a local species and their nursery should grow it and distribute it. The ecosystem along the creek may also become a declared extension of the endangered Kogarah/Hurstville population and require protection.

Which is it?

Glad I can leave this decision to someone else!

Lloyd Hedges