In addition to many parks and created lakes, Palmerston has two natural reserves - the Palmerston Escarpment and Mitchell Creek.

Escarpment

The Palmerston Escarpment is a steep faced ridge that winds its way through the suburbs of Gunn, Bakewell and Rosebery. It is recognised by the steepness of the ridge, tall dominant eucalypt trees, rocky outcrops and grasslands.

The Escarpment was made a reserve by the City of Palmerston to protect the bushland values of the Escarpment and to provide a natural recreational facility for Palmerston residents.

The total length of the Escarpment Walk is approximately 2.7 km and is rated an easy walk. For walkers convenience alternative routes have been nominated for persons unable to access steeper sections of the walk.

Along the pathways, information has been provided to highlight natural features and note significant vantage points to view the scenes from the escarpment ridges.

Mitchell Creek

Mitchell Creek is the natural drainage system for the Palmerston Escarpment to the east of the city centre. It extends north of the Stuart Highway and East to Fellows Road and discharges into the Elizabeth River.

It is the only creek in Palmerston with a defined channel. The creek is 20km long including tributaries and its catchment area is 1,573 hectares. Fourteen vegetation communities have been identified within the catchment.

It is home to two significant plant species - Eucalyptus atrovirens and Typhonium praetermissum.

Information on Mitchell Creek flora and fauna.

Palmerston Lakes and Waterways

Palmerston has a large number of open space areas set aside for the community. Not all of these are irrigated parks. There are 12 freshwater man-made lakes in the city as well as areas of bush land, freshwater creeks, mangroves and estuaries which drain into the Darwin harbour. There are a number of ways that residents can do their bit to keep these areas pristine, including:

• collecting litter ensuring that the only thing that goes down the storm water drains is water.
• notifying Council of anything that may seem unusual like large numbers of dead fish, discoloured or smelly water or plants that seem to be growing more vigorously than others.

Discarding lawn clippings or other garden waste in lakes, parks and natural bush areas not only makes these areas look untidy, but can cause numerous environmental problems. The best way to deal with garden waste and lawn clippings is to compost, and use it as mulch in your own garden.
 

Cane toads in Palmerston

Cane toads are regularly spotted and caught in Palmerston. A Frog Watch toad collection bin is at Archer Transfer Station, where you can take your live toads to be disposed of humanely.

Visit Frog Watch for information about how to tell the difference between cane toads and common frogs.