Haslams Creek #2 Needles and Spines Traditional Cache

This geocache is part of a mini-series of caches near Haslams Creek. There are many parks next to and around the geocaches, so why not bring a ball to play with while collecting them. 

The source of the creek is in the suburb of Rookwood. The Haslams Creek catchment area is 17 square kilometres (6.6 sq mi). The Lower Haslams Creek catchment is located between Homebush Bay and the M4 Freeway. The Upper Haslams Creek catchment covers an area from the M4 Freeway to Rookwood Cemetery and this catchment is highly urbanised. The channel system in the upstream catchment consists of both lined open channels and pipes. The formalised channel in the downstream catchment extends from the M4 Freeway to the Hill Road Bridge. The natural channel downstream of Hill Road extends to Homebush Bay. The formalised channel is owned by Sydney Water, while the natural channel is the responsibility of the NSW Roads and Maritime Services. The tidal limit of Haslams Creek is located 350 metres (1,150 ft) upstream of the Great Western Highway. The mangrove limit is located 100 metres (330 ft) downstream of the freeway. Haslams Creek Wetland, bounded in the south by Bennelong Parkway and to the north by Homebush Bay, was a pilot site for part of a large-scale remediation strategy for the Sydney Olympics 2000 site. The New South Wales Olympic Coordination Authority commissioned the restoration of two saline wetlands in Homebush Bay; being in the suburb of North Newington and at Haslams Creek. Modifications were made to the site's hydrology and sedimentation dynamics, and then cuttings of six species from nearby donor sites were transplanted along a gradient. During the subsequent 2-year monitoring period, growth and survival rates were documented in an effort to better understand the effects of salinity, sedimentation, and tidal influence on the species' survival, and to predict patterns of colonisation and zonation in the recreated saltmarsh system.