BEAUTIES OF DUNEDIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22064, 21 September 1933, Page 6

BEAUTIES OF DUNEDIN

IMPROVEMENTS AT OCEAN BEACH WORK OF DOMAIN BOARD The Domain Board continues to carry out excellent work on the confines of the St. Kilda and St. Clair beaches. The planting of marram grass where the sand on the long, high sandhill, reaching from St. Clair to Lawyer’s Head, had been blown away is a work which ia receiving the close attention of Mr Wraight, the capable foreman of Che board, and the areas arc fenced in with barbed wire to enable the grass to take I good root. In the “ gullies ” which have been made in the sandhill, through strong winds, are placed branches of the muricata trees growing on the domain, and the sand quickly banks up again. Mr Wraight has planted a row of poplar trees at the back of the pavilion at St. Kilda—between the building and the long sandhill —and these are coming 'on nicely. He also intends to plant some bluegums in the plantation which overlooks Tahuna Park, and he expects these to make satisfactory progress. It may be added that the plantation is at present alive with birds of all varieties, and it is thought that the bluegums will entice the bellbird, or “ moki-moki,” to the plantation. The bell-bird has a particular liking for the flower of the bluegum. The men are now busily engaged ha constructing a croquet ground at the back of the racecourse and in extending the esplanade at St. Clair. The croquet ground is already covered with a beautiful sole of grass, and it should prove a wonderful asset to the city’s sporting areas when it is completed. The filling in at the tip is approaching the fence at the children’s playing ground in front of the pavilion at St. Kilda. When the fence is reached a start will be made at the other end of the tip, working back again to the fence, and raising the area still higher. The idea of a tip at the sandhills is a splendid one. The spoil placed there strengthens the sandhill which guards the city, and, moreover, in due course it will provide a splendid soil for the growing of treea which cannot be grown in sand. The board is not interfering with the unemployed who are visiting the lupin area between the road to the St. Kilda beach and Chisholm Park and taking away the branches for firewood. In some places there are now bare patches, buo nevertheless there is still a great area covered thickly with the lupin tree, and now and again a native tree may be seen making headway It is not considered that there will be any serious effect as a result of these dried branches being taken away. The only result will be that the plan of tlm wood to decay to form a soil basis will be defeated., It ia not thought, however, that this will be a very serious matter. Apart from the permanent employees of the board 60 unemployed also engaged, and whatever may be said of the “ useless ” work being carried out by unemployed in other parts of the city they are doing very useful work at the beach.

In addition to the attraction of the great stretch of beautiful clean sand beach there are some splendid walks, and on Sundays large numbers of people wander along them. There are, however, many Dunedin citizens who do not know what a wonderful asset Dunedin has in the St. Kilda and St. Clair beaches. One evening last week a Daily Times reporter persuaded a well known business man to go to the beach with him. They walked along the pathway from the footway on to the beach at St. Kilda towards Chisholm Park and then up the short hill to the plantation overlooking Tahuna Park. “ Where the dickens have we got toT ” asked the Dunedin citizen.

“ Well, if you look through these trees you will seen the stand at Tahuna Park,” said the reporter. “ Oh, I know where I am now”* said the visitor. “ This is the very first time I have been here.” And he has lived in Dunedin all his life!

The Domain Board, under the chairmanship of ex-Cr Mr J. Wil son ) and with Mr Wraight as foreman, is doing fine work, and it is doing it unostentatiously and with only a small amount of money to spend annually.