PART 2: Glenbrook Lagoon: Repairing and Caring
Introduction
Glenbrook Lagoon is located in the suburb of Glenbrook, within the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, on the lands of the Dharug and Gundungurra Country.
The lagoon is a natural waterbody that provides habitat for plant and animal life, fed by water run-off from surrounding areas that eventually flows into the Dyarrubin (Nepean) river.
The lagoon area is bordered by suburban housing in the middle of the Blue Mountains National Park. As you can see, it is partially surrounded by roads, however it is not possible to drive directly around the lagoon, with many spots being no through roads or single lane access only.
For many generations Glenbrook Lagoon has been a Dharug meeting place.
The lagoon is home to a range of aquatic and plant life, including swamp hens, ducks, Peron’s tree frogs, striped marsh frogs, insects, spiders, snakes, possums, grey rushes, cicadas, microbes, fungi and various other life. To the south of the lagoon walk there are a few different spots where the male bower birds have made their bowers.
Walking along the lagoon pathways you are immersed in the sounds of various life. Cicadas, frogs, superb fairy wrens, yellow robins, glossy yellow-tailed black cockatoos, Sulphur Crested cockatoos, Kookaburras, ducks and moorhens join the cacophony of sound which ebbs and flows with the seasons:
Listen to the sounds of the striped marsh frogs, birds and insects after recent rains
Repairing a more-than-human landscape
Ducks and Moorhens
Being situated in an area surrounded by housing, the environment has become impacted by pollution, litter, chemical run off and invasive species. There are a number of activities that are trying to regenerate the environment, whilst caring for particular species.
2020 saw the launch of Turtle Island, a floating pontoon in the deeper water of the lagoon that aims to provide a safe space for turtles to survive and grow.
Turtle Island is a partnership between Blue Mountains City Council and researchers from Western Sydney University that received grant funding from NSW Premier and Cabinet.
The project aims to reintroduce turtles into the lagoon (read more here) and involved building an island for turtles to nest upon and regular monitoring of water quality.
In 2023 new notices popped up throughout the lagoon area asking visitors to watch out for turtles laying eggs and notify if turtles were seen nesting. These signs serve an educative purpose by letting visitors know about turtles nesting and how they are being looked after. As the sign notes, turtle nests were covered in green plastic mesh keeping people out and the eggs protected to support the breeding program.
Since this time many new turtle eggs have been laid and eggs hatched, showing the initial success of the program.
Additional forms of maintenance and repair occur in the area. Throughout the year bush care groups meet to weed and plant native vegetation in Kodala Lane. This regular working bee event is supported by local council who invites local residents to care for and restore country through participating in the working bee.
The repair practices signal the need for residents, council and business to be involved in caring for the lagoon. Due to the location of the lagoon being surrounded by residences, water runs off from nearby properties. There are no cement gutters edging the lagoon, the rough road edge erodes into surrounding sand and grass. A large drain catching run off sits on the north western corner of the lagoon.
Water runs off directly from residents using pesticides or washing their car into the lagoon space. It is unclear how many residents are aware of the impact of their practices upon surrounding areas.
A single sign sits to the west of the lagoon loop, explaining how the drains run into the lagoon. Also on this sign is a pledge, which invites residents to make a commitment to look after the lagoon. This is a historical pledge and I wonder how many people are aware of it or follow it. It is one mechanism that government or community have decided, maybe one way to get people committed to looking after the lagoon and protecting it by not disturbing it.
Caring For Country
Caring for country is practiced explicitly through a partnerships between Dharug Traditional Owners, Blue Mountains City Council and Greater Sydney Local Land Services who have held workshops with Firesticks alliance to discuss the cultural values and management of the area. A description of these events is provided below:
“In response to a Commonwealth-funded bushfire recovery grant, Greater Sydney Local Land Services, in partnership with Dharug Traditional Owners and Blue Mountains City Council, held a number of knowledge sharing events at Glenbrook Lagoon. This is an important natural waterbody that holds intangible cultural significance to the Dharug and other First Nations peoples, and the events aim to enhance the cultural values and management in this part of Ngurra. Firesticks was involved in two of these workshops to share knowledge about cultural fire, which was captured on film to tell stories of this part of Ngurra to a broader audience. Filmed in late Spring 2022, ‘Water the lifeblood of Ngurra’ reflects on the cultural significance that Glenbrook Lagoon as a natural, though colonised, waterbody continues to hold for the Dharug and connected First Nations peoples. The health of water is critical for all who depend on this physical and spiritual life-giving resource. In Winter 2023, a large number of Dharug, other First Nations people and supporting partners undertook the ‘Fire in Ngurra’ workshop, where cultural fire was returned to Ngurra around the lagoon, the first time in that part of the Blue Mountains for possibly 200 years, guided by Firesticks. This occurred in response to aspirations by Dharug Elders to Care for Country by increasing the holistic health of the lagoon, enabled by years of planning alongside Blue Mountains City Council” You can watch a video of this experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO_KEMrpXwM
Risk, Choice and Governance
As an urban space, the management of Glenbrook Lagoon is shaped by decisions around risk and negotiating particular needs.
In this space along the lagoon loop there used to be a giant eucalypt tree which overhung the nearby houses. It was here that the bellbirds lived.
As you walked past these trees, you used to be able hear the song of the bellbirds. Since the gums have been cut down and their habitat disturbed, you can no longer hear the bellbird sounds. It is not clear why the trees were removed. It could be they were filled with borers and deemed unsafe, as so many of the trees of that size are. However, this is not the only tree of this size to be felled of late.
Watch the video to listen to the sounds of the bellbirds that are now silent in this area.
The now silent bellbirds
In 2024 a giant Scribbly gum was also cut down. Located on Glenbrook Road, this 100- 200 year old was removed as it was deemed a safety risk as it was located on a single lane section close to housing, power lines and road infrastructure. Residents were notified of its removal via a letter and facebook post advertising the day-long road closure and detour arrangements.
The now absent scribbly gum
The facebook post noted:
“This significant tree has been assessed by qualified and experienced arborists and tested over several years with sound wave technology. Given the extent of internal decay, remediation is not possible and to ensure resident and visitor safety, the tree needs to be removed. The tree will be dismantled in large sections for relocation to a local natural area. While inspections of hollows did not identify any occupants, staff will be on hand to capture and relocate any fauna found during the removal”
The day before it was cut down, there was a cockatoo visiting the hollow (pictured). This example highlights the role risk plays in the management of public spaces and the negotiation of needs that takes place around safety, public space, human and non-human others.
Despite the tree being cut town, new shoots are now emerging from the stump. They are a reminder that life remains.
The lagoon is a special place for many, not just humans. Different communities are actively involved in care and repair for the lagoon everyday by bushcare groups, regular maintenance by council workers, residents and visitor, to more spectacular practices by government, scientists and particular agencies and special programs. At time this leads to conflicts of care between habitat, risk, roads and safety. The care practiced is also not always visible, but might be a small act of picking up rubbish or keeping to the tracks. Public spaces such as Glenbrook lagoon are central to our collective wellbeing.
