Helensburgh - Environment

Helensburgh began as a group of tents pitched in the heart of wild bush country in the 1880's. Today it is a thriving centre with a growing population and a mixture of old pioneer weatherboard homes and modern new homes built on the hillsides.

Unique flora and fauna found in this area include Cabbage tree palms, Gymea lily, Yellow-top ash eucalyptus and Bush pea. Kelly's Falls has two waterfalls and an abundance of rainforest flora which once covered this entire area.

Some of the native birds and animals found in the Helensburgh area are:
Sulphur-crested cockatoos; spotted owls; crimson rosella; kookaburra and the superb lyrebird; long nose bandicoot; brush tail possums; swamp wallabies; bush rats and feather tailed gliders.

Helensburgh's closeness to the Royal National Park and the Garrawarra State Recreation, both environmentally protected areas, means that any further development must be carefully planned to ensure the survival of local native flora, fauna and native wildlife corridors.

Future development of the Helensburgh area has been an important issue since the 1970's. In 1985 the State Government requested Wollongong City Council undertake a Local Environment Study to investigate urban expansion and its effect on the local environment. Also in 1985 there was a draft plan for the development of 2,200 lots in the Camp Creek and Gills Creek area and a 40 hectare site for commercial development on the town's outskirts. Council rejected the development plan after five years of debating because it could not guarantee that the Royal National Park and the Hacking river catchment area would not be polluted.(Illawarra Mercury 20 April, 1991).

Some of the problems associated with further development of the Helensburgh area are:
Water suppy from the Woronora Dam
Waste disposal
Bushfire hazards
Introduction of exotic plants and domestic animals and the spread of diseases that may affect native animals and plants
Contamination of Hacking River which flows through the National Park due to sewerage waste, urban runoff, erosion from construction sites and also the scenic value of certain areas around Helensburgh.
Spread of feral animals into National Park because of its proximity. (Helensburgh Local Environmental Study Progress Report, 1986; The Helensburgh Plan: Draft, 1989; Future Development of Helensburgh, 1984)