Situated on the foreshores of the Georges river around Gungah Bay the reserve can be accessed from several suburban streets around Oatley & Oatley West ( Mulga Rd, Mimosa St, Woronora St.). The reserve includes an extensive mangrove area and bushland. Myles Dunphy Reserve remains an important refuge for the remnant flora and Myles Dunphy Reserve provides an important corridor for wildlife habitation. The site of the former Oatley Bowling club is also located within the reserve. A community campaign to keep the site as recreational open space was successful in 2018.
Ecological significance
- Myles Dunphy Reserve remains an important refuge for the remnant flora
- Myles Dunphy Reserve provides an important corridor for wildlife habitation.
Heather Stolle, Hurstville Council Bushcare officer, spoke to the Oatley Flora and Fauna Society on 23 April 2007 on the topic of “Small reserve: big impact, Bushcare in Myles Dunphy Reserve”. Her talk highlighted the importance of the different vegetation zones of Myles Dumphy.
Plan of Management (2013)
Key recommendations of this Plan of Management are to:
- Stabilise banks and address soil erosion and sedimentation.
- Investigate all aspects of stormwater entering the bushland and wetland, and address issues particularly the capture of gross pollutants higher in the catchment.
- Undertake flora and fauna surveys and publish the results for community information.
- Continue bush regeneration and support of Bushcare groups.
- Manage the informal Grey-headed Flying Fox camp.
- Remove and enforce encroachments.
- Identify appropriate Bushfire Management Zones and risk management activities within the Bankstown/Hurstville Bush Fire Risk Management Committee‟s Bush Fire Risk Management Plan.
History
Area was originally to be sub-divided, but it was difficult to continue Yarran Road to Mulga Road due to swampy conditions. Myles Dunphy (early conservation activist who was a local resident ) approached Hurstville Municipal Council with a view to turn the land into a reserve. HMC then wanted to resume the blocks of land, but these were owned by servicemen at the second world war. The properties were eventually resumed anyway, but on condition that the land was to be zoned as “parkland”. It was gazetted as a “Reserve” in 1944.
Oatley Bowling Club
Oatley Bowling and Recreation Club held its first meeting in December 1959. The Club incorporated in 1960 with 200 Ordinary Members and 100 Associated Lady with members, The first clubhouse was built in 1962 with members investing their own money to pay for the construction of the greens and clubhouse. The club prospered and was the center of the social life of the suburb for many decades.
The new millennium saw the decline in Bowling club membership across Australia. The Oatley Bowling club ceased trading in 2003. Hurstville Council ( and later Georges River Council) pursued a proposal to use the site for seniors housing . However, the community sentiment was to keep the site in public hands and retained as open space. After 12 years the community campaign was successful with Georgrs River Councillors voting on 17 December 2018 to keep the former Oatley Bowling club site for open space and community use .