Bushcare Stonequarry Creek, Picton - June 2025

The Stonequarry Creek Habitat Garden is a beautiful area situated beside the Picton Botanic Gardens. It serves as a key site for Wollondilly Shire Council’s Bushcare Program, where the council collaborates with community members and corporate volunteers to restore the river flat forest that once thrived here before settlement.

Stonequarry Creek is vulnerable to flooding during heavy rainfall. Additionally, its banks suffer from the intrusion of invasive weeds, such as Trad, Turkey Rhubarb, Privet, and Wild Tobacco. These weeds obstruct waterways and can function like a "bath plug," exacerbating flood events.

Bushcare activity days bring together volunteer groups to combat this issue by removing invasive plants and replacing them with native trees and shrubs. This effort boosts the site’s resilience to heavy rains, stabilizes the creek banks, and enriches the habitat for local wildlife like birds, insects, and other fauna. Among the native plants used for restoration are Paperbarks, She Oaks, Wattles, Tea Tree, and Mat Rush.

The garden is located on the western side of Hume Oval, along the banks of Stonequarry Creek. It’s easily accessible—just cross the oval from the car park and look for the Bushcare sign near the cycleway.