An image from the past... now a vision for the future

Water colour image of Lennox Headland by Edward Forde 1850s - courtesy of the State Library of NSW.

Some years ago, Lennox Landcare’s very own Malcolm Milner made an inspiring discovery.  Whilst researching for the Lennox Head Heritage Committee, Malcolm came across an old image of Lennox Headland (pictured). It’s a watercolour painting of our Headland done by Edward Forde in the 1850s.

It gives us a good idea of what the landscape of the headland was like before the area was cleared for farming and cattle grazing in the late 1800’s. Notice the tall thick vegetation covering most of the headland and then the two big grassy outcrops on the eastern edge. We think the tall thick vegetation was probably a Littoral Rainforest community, and the grassy outcrops, a Themeda Grassland community. Both of these communities are now endangered.

Malcolm shared this find with Council staff who have used the image to design their restoration projects for Lennox Headland, including their current big grant project. Turns out this image of the past is now a vision for the future.

It’s great to watch the natural landscapes of Lennox being loved and looked after, its even better being a part of it. We look forward to helping out with the Annual Community Tree Planting Day on the Headland on 6th June – hope to see you there!

Article published in the Lennox Wave June 2014