Blue Mile Saltbushes cling on

The Blue Mile path that runs along the coast between North Wollongong and Wollongong has seen a fair bit of development and upgrading over the years, and is quite intensively used by people on bike and on foot. Despite this, it is still a great place to appreciate some of the region's biodiversity, the stunning backdrop of the beach and the ocean.

My favourite spot is the old Mount Pleasant tramway cutting area, with its exposed cliffs and steep slopes. Despite the presence of many invasive weeds such as Bitou Bush, Cobblers' Pegs and Turkey Rhubarb, some of the native species are hanging on. Last weekend I took a stroll along the cutting and counted dozens of native plant species, from substantial fig trees to tiny native Sea Celery and delicate Southern Maidenhair Fern, plus no less that four different native Saltbush species flowering and fruiting.

The Saltbushes are plants in the Chenopodiaceae or Goosefoot family, generally with more or less fleshy leaves and succulent fruit, and many grow naturally in coastal environments. This beautiful Climbing Saltbush (Einadia nutans) is present in just a few pockets along the Blue Mile cutting. It is flowering and fruiting wonderfully, the fruit in cheerful pink clusters, but there are precious few spots for new plants to take root due to the riot of weeds in the area.

Another interesting little Saltbush that occurs along the Blue Mile is the stunning Ruby Saltbush or Enchylaena tomentosa. Look at the brilliant colours on these fruit! I saw just one little patch of this plant.

Much more obvious was the Seaberry Saltbush or Rhagodia candolleana, which is doing well for itself and has spread over large areas of the low and less steep slopes at the southern end of the cutting. Its fruit are a dark purplish red.

If you take a wander along the Blue Mile in the next few weeks, check out these beautiful, interesting plants, with their tasty and colourful fruits. They are among the most resilient plants of the region and they have many uses in local gardens, even though you won't find them in major hardware stores.

If a little bit more of the funding for the Blue Mile went into weed control, this area would look even more spectacular and be a real showcase for Illawarra coastal plants.