NEWS FROM AROUND THE FIELD OF MARS
Track Works – a litany of disappointments
It was good to see the works progressing on “Nature Trails” project during December, and the filtered water fountain is already proving to be popular.
However we do have a few concerns:
1. We had forewarned that the flat areas were garbage tips in the 1950s, but workers excavated significant amounts of landfill before levelling and forming up for the concrete paths. There is no knowing what materials would have been dumped there and, in 1966-67 when the area was under management of our Flora and Fauna Society, we brought in truckloads of topsoil which was then spread/levelled out to cap the garbage tip areas. Workers excavated some of this to a significant depth, so there is now debris including broken glass lying on the ground adjacent to the paths near the Visitor Centre.
2. We were promised that colouring would be added to the mix for the concrete paths so their appearance would be more suited to the environment, but this was not done.
3. Of greater concern is that the path at the Visitor Centre has no reinforcing in it, which means the concrete is likely to crack when vehicles drive over it.
4. Green buffalo turf was laid upon completion of works and our volunteers ensure they are well watered; however, Council mowers have been over the grass laid earlier and razed it to near ground level. We hope recent plantings near the new path fare better.
5. Formwork for asphalting the gravel sections of the access road appears quite wide at the bus turning area, so vehicles to the accessible toilet and to the Environmental Education Centre will be less likely to slow down. The layout also puts the hard surface closer to the creek and natural saltmarsh.
6. We still await action to repair bush tracks and entrances.
7. The large bags of rubbish at the back of the Visitor Centre are still there! They are filled with rubbish collected in clean-up activities by volunteers and we were promised that they would be disposed of by City of Ryde last October but they were still there, neatly lined up against the back wall of the Visitor Centre where there is some weather protection, when construction workers installed safety netting and moved them out from the wall for no apparent reason. Being exposed to the weather, several bags split open and were visited by wildlife. Society volunteers cleaned up the mess on different days and disposed of some of this rubbish themselves.
At the time of writing we still await removal of the eight remaining bags.
Wildlife
This summer provided a lot of hot dry weather, alternating with rain, wind and electrical storms.
Fortunately, walking tracks in the Field of Mars Reserve fared well with only a few trees falling across, making not too much of an obstacle for walkers to step over or around.
The Buffalo Creek Boardwalk was almost blocked by luxuriant growth of Persecaria, among other plants and weeds. We reported this to Council staff, but we later learnt that some walkers independently contacted City of Ryde Councillors about it. The overgrowth is now trimmed.
Another walker reported a dog owner said that his pet almost died as a result of a tick bite and it cost over $4000 for veterinary treatment. As is signposted and we all know, dogs are not allowed in the Field of Mars Reserve as it is a Wildlife Protection Area Category 1. The rules are there to protect the wildlife from predatory animals. This incident demonstrates that pet cats and dogs also need protection by separation from wildlife!
Bushcare
Greater Sydney Landcare supplied our Streamwatch kit and onsite training for some bushcarers.
Most volunteer groups had a break during the Christmas season but are now back to normal.
At the Kennedy Street site, the “Edie Tree” (see “Past Events” above) remains alive and well, along with surrounding flora. It is flanked by star pickets which offer some protection. Unfortunately other plants became victims of the Council mowers.
And, in the adjacent Rod Wallace Garden, recent plantings were smothered when the Visitor Centre roof was cleared of Casuarina needles; workers dumped them there as mulch – see photo:
Cemetery Creek 2 Bushcare continued without a break except for a couple of cancellations owing to wet weather. That area along the Fire Trail is in generally good condition; we mostly remove common weeds and rubbish blowing in from the cemetery.
Visitor Centre
We open with two four-hour shifts every Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays. While there, we keep a tally of visitor numbers. In 2024 we saw a total of 7105 walkers pass by in view of the Centre, and hosted 1890 visits to the Centre for maps, other information and refreshments.
Naturally, these statistics do not include walkers who enter and leave the Reserve without passing by the Centre or coming outside our opening hours; nor do we keep a count of the thousands of school children involved in day visits with the Environmental Education Centre.
JOIN OUR VISITOR CENTRE TEAM! to keep the Visitor Centre open 9am-5pm on weekends and public holidays. Our roster of 4-hour shifts is negotiated according to members’ availability.
No specialised skills are required, and Alfred happily provides the training needed. Most visitors’ questions are answered in the maps and range of free leaflets we have available.
VALE MARGARET SHAW
Another long-time member, Margaret Shaw, died recently. Margaret is fondly remembered as one of the “Battlers For Kelly’s Bush”. On page 7 In her book “The History of the Battle to Save Kelly’s Bush and the Green Ban Movement in the Early 1970s” Margaret mentions our Society and points out that she was one of its founding members.
A copy of her book is at the Visitor Centre and, having obtained Margaret’s permission, we can make a digitized copy available to members upon request.
Margaret and her husband John were reliable volunteers on our Visitor Centre roster during the 1980’s and 1990s, and her son Christopher Birch remains a current member of our Society.
100 Years of the Field of Mars
The definitive history of the Field of Mars is now available free of charge.
100 Years of Field of Mars Reserve, 1887-1987, Written and compiled by Rod Wallace, has now been digitized and can be viewed or downloaded on this website.
Published in 1987 by the Ryde Hunters Hill Flora and Fauna Preservation Society, the book is a fascinating and informative chronicle of the century prior to that date.
The print version is still available in the Visitor Centre.
Field of Mars Reserve and Wildlife Refuge
Dry eucalypt woodland covers much of the Field of Mars Reserve. This vegetation is typical of the dry, infertile sandstone soils found in Sydney's north and is known as dry sclerophyll woodland. Many of the plants in this area have hard, waxy leaves that tend to be small and narrow, features which help to reduce moisture loss.
Despite being only 56 hectares in size, the reserve contains around 300 species of plants. These plants support an even greater array of animals from the tiniest spiders to large possums and birds.
Surveys conducted in 2006 found evidence of animals that were believed to be missing from the reserve. These include Sugar Gliders, Echidnas and Long Nosed Bandicoots. Control of pest species like foxes may be contributing to the return of animals to the reserve. Also Brush Turkeys are seen regularly and a swamp wallaby was observed in the reserve in 2012.
Along Buffalo and Stranger's Creeks there are long pockets of moist gully vegetation, known as wet sclerophyll forest. Different plant species flourish in the moist conditions found here. Wet sclerophyll forest is characterised by moist rich soils, shadiness and plants with dark green, soft leaves. The cool, moist conditions found within these gullies create the perfect habitat for some of the reserve's animals like finches, wrens, whip birds and ringtail possums.
The location of the Field of Mars:
Google Maps Location
You are very welcome to explore the Reserve using the walking tracks at any time of the day. The walking tracks of the Field of Mars: Field of Mars Walking Track System
The walking tracks map includes several distinct walking tracks. You can find specific information on each of these tracks by downloading the following brochures:
Track notes - Boardwalk
Track notes Doyle-Kunzea
Track notes Doyle-Warada
Track notes - Kunzea
Track notes - Warada Kunzea
Track notes Warada Strangers Creek
Information on birds of the Field of Mars is also available on Birds in the Field of Mars
The Field of Mars is a Wildlife Refuge gazetted under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. Dogs are not allowed in the Reserve. Riding of all types of bikes in the Reserve is also not allowed.
On weekends the RHHFFPS staffs a Visitors Centre in the Field of Mars (see opposite).
Click Here for information on the Plan of Management of the Field of Mars.
Visitors Centre
The Visitors Centre can be found in the Field of Mars off Pittwater Road. Parking is available in the carpark at the front. Volunteers open the centre each Saturday and Sunday.
Drop in to discover more about the environment and the Field of Mars Reserve before you explore and experience it for yourself!
The Visitors Centre can be reached on foot via a number of nearby streets. Car access is via Pittwater Rd. (opposite Buffalo Reserve). ph: 9816 1068
Opening Times
Winter schedule (April to August): Saturday and Sunday 9am - 4pm.
Summer schedule (September to March): Saturday and Sunday 9am - 5pm.
Enquiries from groups or individual wishing to visit during the week are welcome. Guided bush walks are available by arrangement when volunteers are available. Contact through email address: rhhffps@gmail.com or phone 9817 4935.
The Visitors Centre contains maps, brochures and information on local and wider community environment issues.
Visitors using prams, strollers, walking frames and wheel chairs have easy access to the Centre toilets. The boardwalk provides a short, easy bushwalk.
INVITATION! - JOIN OUR VISITOR CENTRE TEAM ! We have a small number of members on a roster of 4-hour shifts to keep the Visitor Centre open on weekends and public holidays.
Our roster of 4-hour shifts (3½ hours in winter) is negotiated according to members’ availability. No specialised skills are required, and Alfred happily provides the training needed.
Most visitors’ questions are answered in the maps and range of free leaflets we have available.
If interested please email Alfred: alfred.vincent@bigpond.com(phone 02 9879 6067).