Narrawallee and Mollymook Dune Care

The natural dune systems at Narrawallee and Mollymook Beaches have been historically affected by coastal erosion events, weed invasion, urbanisation, historical clearing of dune vegetation, vegetation vandalism, and informal beach access tracks. Council is undertaking a dune care project to improve the resilience and biodiversity of these dune ecosystems that will enhance the heath and amenity of Narrawallee and Mollymook Beaches.

The dune environments at Narrawallee and Mollymook are characterised by low lying shrubs and grasses, with some larger tree species interspersed throughout the hind dune. The dune vegetation at both sites contains areas of the Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) Bangalay Sand Forest. This vegetation community and surrounding areas are being impacted on by woody weeds including Cassia (Senna pendula) and priority weeds such as Bridal Creeper (Asparagus asparagoides) and Asparagus Fern (Asparagus aethiopicus). Works conducted as part of this project will aim to expand and improve upon the condition of these TECs and enable greater resilience for protection into the future.

Council will be implementing management measures to reduce the large extent of invasive weed presence on these dune areas and will include revegetation with native dune species to increase the native biodiversity of the area and promote healthier, stronger dune systems. To complement these works, maintenance will be carried out on many of the beach access tracks to improve conditions for public use. Initial priority works will proceed up until the Christmas Holiday period (2023/24) and will be followed by six months of maintenance to ensure the establishment of revegetation areas and provide results for long-term weed suppression.

The target area for the work is the coastal dunes along the length of Narrawallee and Mollymook beaches and will extend inland to allow for weed control and revegetation to take place throughout adjacent TECs.

This coastal dune management project is being supported by the NSW Government’s Coast and Estuaries Grant Program, with a 1:1 funding agreement with Shoalhaven City Council.