A community wouldn’t be a community if it didn’t have its gossip, rumours and half-truths. All the same, offshore Pittwater seems to be especially resplendent in bizarre mythology: Soviet spies in Towlers Bay, buried treasure on Scotland Island, and wife-swappers just about everywhere.

Legends usually come with a grain of truth. There probably was an ASIO safe house on Pittwater, although it was more likely at Palm Beach. Yes, Catherine Benns, the ‘Queen of Scotland Island’ who moved here in the 1870s, is reputed to have worn fine jewellery, until one day when she didn’t. But I imagine lots of people stop wearing jewellery without burying it. And the wife-swappers? No doubt there are readers out there who know more about that than I.

Scotland Island, 1870. Rocky Point (foreground) has been partially cleared, but the island is covered with mature trees.

But another story particularly fascinates me. Talk about Scotland Island’s tree canopy and you are likely to be met with a familiar refrain: ‘the island was once cleared for farming’. Being the cynical type, I often wonder whether, underlying this, is a wish to clear the island again, this time for the water views. 

Portray something as not belonging here and it's easier to justify its removal. I have been assured, more than once, that all the spotted gums across the island were planted by hippies in the 1970s. Bloody greenies! This legend might derive from the planting of trees around Catherine Park in 1981. Those trees may well have been planted by hippies but, if so, they all worked for Warringah Council. And another thing: the spotted gums those pesky hippies planted weren’t spotted gums. They were blue gums.

With more than two centuries of European settlement, no doubt many native trees have been cut down on Scotland Island. After all, Andrew Thompson had a boatyard at Tennis: all that wood had to come from somewhere. What’s more, a description of the island in 1850 refers to orchids of fruit-bearing peach trees.  

But next time you are invited to imagine Scotland island as previously a depilated dome, consider this. If ever there was widespread deforestation on the island, it was a long time ago, and its effects didn’t last long.

Scotland Island, photographed in 1947 (above) and in 2018 (below). The tree canopy barely changed.

Of all the photos of Scotland Island, the oldest I can find was taken more than 150 years ago. It shows a healthy covering of mature trees across the entire island. Every photo since then shows the same.

And so another offshore legend bites the dust. But sadly it seems that a different island rumour is less easily scotched. Our lovely tree canopy is endangered, and no one knows how to fix it. That, it seems, is true.

Northern Beaches Council have confirmed that their staff have observed die-back among both young and mature spotted gums on the island’s north-facing slopes. They describe the die-back issue as complex, without a clear cause.

‘It’s clearly not drought-induced’, a spokesperson told me. ‘It’s possible that there is an insect or fungal outbreak across the region following the three moist years we've had.’

Apparently die-back can occur as a result of over-abundant caterpillars and psyllids (a sap sucking insect), especially in moister forests. Other causes of die-back in spotted gums include fungal infections that damage new shoots and leaves, with most damage occurring in wetter conditions. According to council, changes in vegetation structure due to altered fire regimes may also be having some influence on die-back.

Fortunately, council seems to be taking the matter seriously. They’ve had preliminary discussions with experts participating in the NSW Government’s ‘Save our Species’ program. Council tells me that they are also collecting samples to see if that offers any clues, such as evidence of insect grazing or fungal attack.

Let’s hope they find a solution. Because I, like many others, love our trees, along with the shade and wildlife they bring. I had been hoping that talk of die-back was just another island myth. But, it seems, that’s not so.

 

 

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Two Catherines: A Twisted Scotland Island Tale

The Scotland Island play

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Scotland Island house for rent

North aspect, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom.

Large living area with floor to ceiling glass. Expansive 180 degree views.

AC and slow combustion heater.

Access to jetty and marina berth for commuter boat.

One house from Tennis Court Wharf on Scotland Island.

For further information, contact Karen Warburton: warburton_karen@hotmail.com.