Zone 6 - North Bondi & Rose Bay Basin

Paperbark Street TreeThis zone extends north-west from the Bondi basin of Blair Street to the lower slopes of Rose Bay. The area’s original vegetation consisted of sand dunes and low lying swamps. It once supported stands of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub – now listed as a threatened ecological community.

Some of the more significant tree species that were found here include: Wallum Banksia (Banksia aemula) and the Broad-leaved Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia) in the flooded lagoon areas behind the sand hills.

Other notable species found in pockets of woodland were Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma), Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera), Smooth-barked Apple (Angophora costata), and possibly Eucalyptus oblonga or Eucalyptus sparsifolia (Benson and Howell, 1990).

Streetscape Character

The landscape of this area varies widely from established tree-lined streets such as Chaleyer Street, Murriverie Road and Onslow Avenue to sparsely planted streets such as Gilgandra Road and Niblick Street with wide bare naturestrips.  These open expanses can be explained by the recent loss of many mature plantings of New Zealand Christmas Bush (Metrosideros excelsa), a once dominant tree in this area. Generally the majority of streets have wide grassy naturestrips with only a few constrained by overhead wires.

Dominant Trees

A number of well established streets with plantings that date from the 1930’s and 1940’s, including:

Common nameBotanical name
Brushbox Lophostemon confertus
Swamp Paperbark Melaleuca quinquenervia
Hills Weeping Fig Ficus microcarpa var. 'Hillii'
Eucalyptus varieties Eucalyptus spp
Tuckeroo Cupaniopsis anacardioides
Bottlebrush Callistemon citrinus

Preferred Tree Species

SizeCommon nameBotanical name
S* Fringed Wattle Acacia fimbriata
Dwarf Apple Angophora hispida
Weeping Bottlebrush Callistemon viminalis
Port Jackson Mallee Eucalyptus obstans
White Feather Honeymyrtle Melaleuca decora
M* Purple-leafed Willow Myrtle Agonis flexuosa ‘After Dark’
Lemon Myrtle Backhousia citriodora
Coastal Banksia Banksia integrifolia
Old Man Banksia Banksia serrata
Willow Bottlebrush Callistemon salignus
NSW Christmas Bush Ceratopetalum gummiferum
Tuckeroo Cupaniopsis anacardioides
Scribbly Gum Eucalyptus haemastoma
Cheese Tree Glochidion ferdinandi
L* Sydney Red Gum Angophora costata
Yellow Bloodwood Corymbia eximia
Red Bloodwood Corymbia gummifera
Port Jackson Fig Ficus rubiginosa
Brushbox Lophostemon confertus
Broad-leaved paperbark Melaleuca quinquenervia

*Small (to 6 metres), Medium (6 to 12 metres), Large (over 12 metres)