Articles

The ecology of Simpsons bay has improved in recent years. Shorebird numbers here have increased. There are a number of reasons behind this improved ecology.

Simpson's Bay beach is a long thin beach on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel side of the neck

The Blue Gum – Eucalyptus Globulus – is a very important species of tree for the survival of the Swift Parrot, a critically endangered species that frequents Bruny Island.

At a number of spots along the coastline near Adventure Bay, such as at Coal point, are fascinating rock pools and coastal and marine life.

At different parts of Adventure Bay you can find Sandstone that pre-dates life on Earth, to mudstone rich in fossils, to Dolerite cliffs that were once, millions of years ago, flows of molten lava.

The real fascination with this place, Bruny, is, it’s an island, with this incredibly varied coastal environment. With wild ocean facing beaches, to stable Channel facing beaches, shell beaches, rocky beaches and everything in between.

It seems like such a simple question, “why does a beach have a curve on it?”. Yet even small beaches have a curve. This is because the energy of a beach is concentrated in the middle.

When a waves come in, there is an enormous amount of energy, but it loses that energy as it sweeps up the beach, dropping heavier particles first and then dropping the finer particles of sand.

Protecting beach birds is not just about focussing on where they might be when they’re breeding. Its about saying – “these birds occupy many beaches”.

The neck is just such an incredibly diverse place. From the productive marine environment of Simpson's bay with rich shallow marine fauna, to the many species of birds, the recovering native vegetation and mammals such as Quolls, this is a very special place.

You quite often see birds, particularly the Pacific Gulls and the New Zealand Kelp Gulls using the wind running over the sand dune at the neck to play, circle and swoop back and forth for hours.

Local naturalist Bob Graham observations on a colony of Swans that moved into Adventure Bay and then thrived over the past 25 years.