Port Kembla - Environment

The general area of Port Kembla is formed on inter-bedded quartz-lithic sandstone, siltstone and claystone of the Illawarra Coal Measures. The Coal Measures are exposed at the headlands and rock shores, with coarse marine quartz Holocene sands. Upon settlement, much of the land was cleared for grazing and the foreshore of Port Kembla Harbour is based on disturbed land with introduced rock and soil fill.

On the coastal strip, sand dunes support a variety of native and exotic vegetation, with Banksia and coastal heath predominating. Hill 60 rises steeply above Fisherman's Beach to a peak of 71 metres above sea level. The area around Hill 60 is heavily infested with Lantana and Bitou Bush. There are a number of active clean up and regeneration groups now working at restoring the area to its original condition. In particular, the beaches of the area and Hill 60 are of important archaeological significance, containing many Aboriginal shell middens and artefacts. (Dallas, 2000)