Ludlow Tuart Forest (Heritage Precinct)

Child Places

• 15834 Ludlow Forestry Mill and Settlement

Statement of Significance

The Ludlow Tuart Forest and settlement, a mill and settlement in a forest settlement has cultural heritage significance as an impressive remnant native forest of great importance as the only substantial remaining Tuart forest in WA. It is also home to over 30,000 waterbird species, thus according it worldwide-recognized scientific status.
Its historic significance is also attributed to the role of Bunyip Road as one of the oldest unsealed roads constructed by convicts in the area. It was previously home to Tuart timber mills, public halls and a railway station.

Physical Description

Vernacular timber construction and standard pattern dwellings.
The area comprises the Vasse/Wonnerup Estuary, surrounding wetlands and coastal areas and the Ludlow and Minninup Tuart forests (Eucalyptus Gomphocephala) and the land between the two, which includes historic sites, associated with early agriculture, forestry and lime manufacture.
The bird life of the wetlands is particularly rich in both variety and quantity. A total of sixty-eight species of waterbirds have been recorded here, including up to forty-eight species on a single survey. In particular, the forest is renowned as a breeding area for osprey.
The forest contains rich understoreys of south-western WA species like Hibbertia hipericoides, Acacia Saligna and Phyllanthus Calycinus, jarrah/ marri and jarrah/ banksia woodlands. It is also home to the Eucalyptus Gomphocephala, named after a collection done by Leschenault at Geographe Bay in 1803. The southern part of the forest houses three rare species: two waders (the pectoral sandpiper and the long toed stint) and a species of jewel beetle, which is only known from the Ludlow tuart forest. The lush, dense canopy is dotted with peppermints and fossiliferous limestone outcrops on grassy parkland. The kaleidoscope of colours formed by the trees, low-lying vegetation, the yellow and brown hues of Cottesloe soil and the other water bodies make the place a truly significant landscape.

Historic homesteads (including Wonnerup House and Lockeville which are listed in the Register) situated on the fringes of the wetlands, provide visual interest. On the inland side of this landscape unit, the Tuart Forest forms a prominent vertical wall. Low lying peppermint covered coastal dunes bound the ocean edge of the area. Jarrah/banksia woodland and coastal scrub of the flood plain have a diverse understorey with shrub species including representatives of the proteaceae (e.g. grevillea, hakea, dryandra), leguminosae (e.g. acacia, jacksonia) and representatives of many other families.
In various parts of the tuart forest and on adjacent properties, there are the remains of old saw pits and lime kilns, evidence of the use of timber in the early days for building purposes and the quarrying and burning of limestone. The Ludlow Settlement has special significance for the history of WA's forestry and silvicultural activities, as it was the site of the first forestry school in the State.
The settlement is the only substantial and the best developed of the world's remaining tuart forests. It is a unique ecosystem with very high conservation status. It is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, in particular waterbird species that demonstrates the richness of the Vasse/ Wonnerup Estuary. It is also rare as the only open savannah woodland in the southern part of WA.

History

Bunyip Road is the oldest unsealed road built by convicts in the district. The forest once contained Tuart timber mills, public halls and a railway station.
A survey of the forest’s growth is able to provide an understanding of the changes that occurred in other settled coastal areas of the south-west of the State ranging from Aboriginal occupancy, French exploration, early British settlement, timber milling and the development of coastal wetlands to inland areas for agricultural purposes. In today’s context, it remains as an invaluable source of knowledge for students interested in a multitude of Nature-related fields.

Integrity/Authenticity

ntegrity Notes: Whilst the Ludlow tuart forests are the best remaining examples of tuart forest, they have been substantially modified over the years as a result of logging, silvicultural research, the establishment of pine plantations, grazing and changed fire regimes.
As a result, the forest is now a mixture of natural tuart forest with a disturbed understorey, pine plantation and areas of eucalypt research plots. Grazing has reduced the forest fuel level to the point where it will not carry fires hot enough to create the ash bed conditions necessary for tuart recruitment and has resulted in the degradation of waterways within the forest.
Most of the rivers have been channelised where they pass through the Ludlow/Wonnerup area and there has been considerable drainage of seasonally inundated areas to improve their suitability for agricultural use. However, the Vasse/Wonnerup Estuary continues to be nationally and internationally significant for the maintenance of populations of both resident and migratory waterbirds.
The place retains a high degree of integrity.

Authenticity Notes: The place retains a high degree of authenticity.

High Degree/High Degree

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Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.