Avondale - Environment

Avondale's environment is dominated by Mullet Creek which runs through the centre of the suburb, and the Illawarra escarpment which is on its western boundary.

The Mullet Creek catchment has an area of 73 square kilometres and rises from sea level on the shores of Lake Illawarra to over 570 metres on the Illawarra Range. The upper reaches of the catchment are subject to very intense rainfall and the resulting runoff can cause serious flooding in the flat lower reaches. (Webb, McKeown & associates, 1987)

Avondale's escarpment vegetation primarily consists of the Blackbutt - Bluegum Forest - tall open forest. Dominant tree species include Blackbutt (E. pililaris), Bluegum (E. botryoides/saligna), Ironbark (E. paniculate) and Turpentine (S. glomulifera. (N.S.W. Parks & Wildlife Service 1988, p.7)

Other tree and shrub species found on the escarpment at Avondale are: Eucalyptus tereticornis, Melaluca, Acacia, Lantana camara, Ficus, Notalaea, Diospynes sp, Cleodendron, Melaluca stypheliodes, Brachychiton popueneum, E. quadrangulata, Dendrocnide and Pittosporum. (N.S.W. Parks & Wildlife Service, 1988)

The following types of fauna were found at Avondale by the 1998 Vertebrate Fauna Study :

Birds
White-browed Scrubwren
Eastern Whipbird
Brown Gerygone
White-throated Tree Creeper
Lewins Honeyeater

Reptiles
Lampropholis delicata
Hemiergis decresiensis
Saproscincus musteline
Saiphos equalis
Physignathus leseurii

Mammals
Sugar gliders, Petaurus breviceps
Common Ringtail Possums, Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Common Brushtail Possums, Trichosurus vulpecular
A. Stuartii
Swamp wallabies, wallabia bicolour (N.S.W. National Parks & Wildlife Service 1998)