The wetlands of Fullerton Cove, Hunter River, New South Wales.

Abstract

Fullerton Cover (lat. 32o50’ long. 151 o48’) is a broad shallow embayment on the northern shore of the Hunter River estuary (Fig. 1). Extensive areas of estuarine wetlands in the Hunter have been reclaimed for heavy industry and Fullerton Cove is one of the few large remaining areas. Kooragang Island, downstream from Fullerton Cove, was originally a group of low swampy islands which have been linked by reclamation. Although further extensive reclamation is planned for wetlands south of the railway on Kooragang Island, it is intended that the northern and eastern parts of the island and Fullerton Cove will eventually be gazetted as a Nature Reserve by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Between 1975 and 1977 the Australian Littoral Society (NSW Division) (now the Coast and Wetlands Society) conducted a survey of Fullerton Cove to determine the present status of the vegetation and the benthic infauna and epifauna. The aim was to establish baseline data against which future changes could be examined.