Aldinga Conservation Park – The Washpool

Where Is It?: The Washpool is a shallow coastal lagoon immediately south of Norman Road and covers almost 75 ha. On the east it is bounded by Justs Road and the coast on the south-western side. The Blue Lagoon is a smaller lagoon at the north-eastern end.

There is a small car park at the western end of Button Road. Public transport is available on Bus Route 750 from Colonnades Centre Interchange to Sellicks Beach (Stop 130 on Norman Road, Aldinga Beach).

Owner: Department for Environment and Water.

Property summary: Total area c. 69 hectares. Hundred of Willunga – Allotments 1 and 2 (Deposited Plan 7917), Allotment 9 (Filed Plan 10453), Allotment 280 (Filed Plan 164103), 281 (Filed Plan 164104), Allotment 282 (Filed Plan 164105), Allotment 283 (Filed Plan 164106), Allotment 306 (Filed Plan 164106), Section 296.

Landscape Management Region: Green Adelaide

History: The Washpoool was proclaimed as part of the Aldinga Conservation Park on 20 January 2022 comprising Hundred of Willunga – Allotments 1,2,9, 280-283, 306 and Section 296¹, ².

Habitat: The Washpool is one of the last remaining coastal lagoons of its type along the metropolitan Adelaide coastline. The wetland fills rapidly in response to rain events and tends to fill at the break of season in May or June each year. Surface water or waterlogging persists as long as rain continues, usually until October. However, the wetland can dry out between rain events in this period.

Vegetation communities include:

• Chaffy Saw-sedge (Ghania filum) tall open sedgeland.
• Thick-headed Glasswort (Sarcocornia blackiana) and Grey Samphire (Halosarcia pergranulata) low shrubland.
• Salt Club-rush (Bolboschoenus caldwelli) sedgeland.
• Coast Daisy-bush (Olearia axillaris), Coastal Bearded-heath (Leucopogon parviflorus), Coastal Wattle (Acacia longifolia sophorae) tall shrubland.
• Lignum (Muehlenbeckia florulenta) shrubland.^{3, 4}

Total Species Recorded to Date: 115 (non-passerines 87, passerines 28)

Common Species: Spur-winged Plover, Little Raven, Pied Stilt, Black Swan, Common Starling, Grey Teal

Less Common Species: White-fronted Chat, Great Cormorant, Hoary-headed Grebe, New Holland Honeyeater

References
 
¹ National Parks and Wildlife (Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park Alteration of Name) Proclamation 2022. The South Australian Government Gazette 5: 91. 

 ² National Parks and Wildlife (Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park) Proclamation 2022. The South Australian Government Gazette 5: 92. 

 
² Letter – Chris Picton to Minister Mullighan – April 2016. 

 ³ Valamanesh, A. (1999). Washpool Lagoon Vegetation and Revegetation Management Plan. Stage 1. Green Environmental Consultants. Hallett Cove. South Australia. 

 ⁴ QED pty ltd in association with Green Environmental Consultants, Epawe and Graham Carpenter. (2007). Washpool Lagoon and Environs Management Plan. City of Onkaparinga/Planning SA. 

Updated: 3/02/2022