Puckeys Estate Reserve

The south end of the main track, running through the reserve, comes to a wooden boardwalk, from which Fairy Lagoon, Mount Keira, Stuart Park and parts of North Wollongong can be viewed.

Puckey's graduation tower stood at 9.15 metres (30.0 feet) high and used a centuries-old process to extract salt.

A wind powered pump at the lagoon entrance pumped salt water to the top where it would trickle down through the wooden structure filled with tightly packed tea tree brush-wood branches until it reached several evaporation basins for heating and final salt extraction.

Remnants of these basins, Puckey's house, wall and jetty, and the cement base of the tower, are still visible.

The Main Track starts (from south to north) at the boardwalk beginning at the northern end of the bridge over Fairy Creek, part of Squire's Way and following a route hugging the northwest side of the lagoon for a hundred metres or so.

Then it returns to the creek until it reaches the split to two paths heading to Fairy Meadow Beach picnic area.

The right hand track to the picnic ground has excellent 360 degree views of the plain, sea and the escarpment.

Also in the southern end is a third prominent tree jutting from the normal height of the bush, clearly visible from the other side of the lagoon at Stuart Park.

There are some smooth barked eucalypts as well, though these are a minority Birds are common here and over 136 species[1] have been recorded, including pelican, ibis, spoonbill, heron, raven and others.

Signs declaring the importance of plants in the reserve and the active work by Bushcare groups in tackling weeds and litter have been put up along the boardwalk at the southern entrance in 2007.