Clontarf Hill

 

Clontarf Hill is unique in that it is the only remaining natural limestone hill at the southern end of the Fremantle area with views west across the Indian Ocean and offshore islands, as well as coastal views north and south including Fremantle and its Port. Clontarf Hill contains one of the only remaining stands of old-growth Tuart trees in the Fremantle area and forms part of essential habitat linkages for native flora, fauna and birds. The site has significant Indigenous, European, and ecological heritage value

 Eucalyptus gomphocephala, (aka Tuart).  The Noongar peoples named the tree tuart or tooart, moorun or mouarn  and Aboriginal people valued tuart woodlands as grounds for hunting and gathering and used bark from the trees to make weapons and tools.The dominant canopy on Clontarf Hill is the tuart. It is one of the six forest giants of Southwest Australia. Tuart forest was common on the Swan coastal plain.

Remnants of tuart forest occur in state reserves and parks. The DBCA estimates that before Europeans arrived there were more than 111,600 hectares of Tuart woodland. 

The tuart woodlands and forests of the Swan Coastal Plain were included on the Critically Endangered list of threatened species and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in July 2019. The nomination for consideration was made in 2016 by the Humane Society International (Australia) and the listing took effect from 4 July 2019. The assessment was made by the independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee (an independent group of scientists).

 

The map shows the distribution of tuarts in WA.           

Source:
https://www.environment.gov.au/…/publicshowcommunity.pl…

 

The eastern edges of the reserve is predominantly heath and low scrub dominated by Melaleuca huegelii. The Honeymyrtle shrubland on limestone ridges of the Swan Coastal Plain Bioregion ecological community is listed in the Critically Endangered category of the threatened ecological communities list under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

 

What is a Threatened Ecological Community (TEC)

 

It is a term used in Australia for ecosystems that are in danger of being lost due to some threatening process. Federally, threatened ecological communities are identified and protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

 

An ecological community is classified as a group of native plants, animals and other organisms that interact in a unique habitat. Environmental factors such as soil type, position within landscape, climate, hydrology can influence the structure and composition of the community. The species that make up these communities can have different relationships or interactions with each other, but they all play a vital role in contributing to the functionality of the environment.
https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/…/080052/080052-35.025.pdf 

 

Corridor

The Roe 8 (West) and Roe 9 Corridor extends 10km east-west between the Beeliar Wetland Regional Park and Clontarf Hill, providing a significant ecological link between the areas of remaining remnant bushlands of the Tuart Woodland and Forests and Banksia Woodlands Ecological Communities from the coast to the wetlands. The corridor crosses 7 distinct ecological zones including wetlands, paperbark forest, banksia/tuart woodlands, and 3 dune systems, much of which is in good/reasonable condition. This corridor of interconnected habitat is critical for maintaining overall biodiversity and diversity within species that is increasingly critical as wildlife struggles to adapt to climate change. To find out more, visit https://www.cockburnwild.org

 

Aboriginal Heritage

Clontarf Hill is now a registered Aboriginal Heritage site. The northern  section is vested in the Noongar Boodjar Trust. This section of the hill is dominated by Boojak, budjan or butyak (Banksia sessilis), commonly known as parrot bush. It is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia of the family Proteaceae. It flowers from late autumn to late Spring, and  the seeds are eaten by the endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo and ringneck parrots.

 

 

Whadjuk Nyoongar have lived for over 40,000 years in the vicinity of Derbal Nara or Cockburn Sound. Mythological stories relate Clontarf Hill as being part of a limestone ridge that was created by the Waugal, the sacred rainbow serpent. The hill holds the story of a mother and her two sons who are the protectors of Derbal Nara (Cockburn Sound), and who protect Derbal Nara from the Booyl-a-gatak, or sorcery coming from the north-west.

To find out more about the Aboriginal heritage of the Clontarf Hill area go to the Aboriginal Heritage Enquiry System or Derbal Nara.

If you wish to find out more about Aboriginal connection to the area go to the  Early European and AboriginalHeritage Study – Hamilton Hill Swamp Precinct

 

History of Clontarf Hill

Read about the history of Clontarf Hill

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Whadjuk Noongar elders past and present whose land was never ceded.