Project Overview

Client: Lake Macquarie City Council
Location: Newcastle Street to Fifth Street, Cardiff NSW
Service: Tree Planting
Arborist: Steven Brown — Waratah Professional Tree Care

This project involved the supply and installation of advanced trees along a public pathway corridor running through parkland between Newcastle Street and Fifth Street in Cardiff, NSW , carried out for Lake Macquarie City Council as part of their urban greening program.

The site follows a stormwater channel through an established residential area, with the pathway running alongside it. The scope required us to plant a continuous row of trees along the full length of the corridor, with each tree properly staked, guarded, and mulched to give them the best possible start.

Why We Do Tree Planting

“Council planting programs are some of the most satisfying work we do. You’re not just improving one property — you’re adding to the public landscape that the whole community uses.”

When Lake Macquarie City Council brought us in for this project, the brief was straightforward: install a healthy row of native and semi-native species along the Cardiff pathway in a way that would establish quickly and require minimal maintenance once the trees took hold.

We selected a mix of Callistemons, Banksias, and Blueberry Ash, all well-suited to the Hunter Region’s climate and the site conditions along a managed stormwater corridor.
These species are locally appropriate, attract wildlife, and are proven performers in council streetscape and park settings.

The site required careful hole preparation given the existing path infrastructure and the need to work around utilities. We brought in a mini excavator to dig the tree pits to the right depth and profile, then placed each tree, backfilled, staked, and applied a decent layer of mulch to hold moisture and suppress competing weeds while the trees established.

It’s a long stretch of pathway and the finished result already looks great. In a few years those trees will form a proper canopy over that walkway — which is exactly what council had in mind.

Species Used

• Callistemon (Bottlebrush) — hardy, drought-tolerant, excellent for attracting native birds
• Banksia — native to eastern Australia, well-adapted to local soils and rainfall patterns
• Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) — semi-native species, performs well in parks and pathway plantings, attractive seasonal flowers and fruit

Waratah Professional Tree Care Pty Ltd has been serving Newcastle and the Hunter Region since 1998. For council, commercial, or residential tree planting enquiries, call us on 02 4956 6602 or email admin@treecarenewcastle.com.au