THE former Morpeth Bowling Club site should be reinstated to its roots as a rainforest, if there is enough support for it, Hunter Wetlands CEO Dr Stuart Blanch said.
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Dr Blanch said the Edward Street site and the Morpeth Common were once oozing with a wide range of rainforest species, but now the fig trees and a few scattered species were the only links to the past.
He said the Shortland site started with a similar backdrop and it was now one of the largest wetlands in the region. He said a Morpeth rainforest could be thriving within 10 years.
“The land where the bowling club is and the land from the wetlands up the slope to the bowling club has the ideal conditions to reestablish a rainforest,” Dr Blanch said.
“It’s easy to start where you’ve got historical evidence of rainforests. Under the fig trees would be the first place to expand the vegetation.”
The state government is considering plans to build 22 medium density houses for seniors on the site.
