Dutch Inn
Dutch Inn is at the south Cottesloe groyne, opposite the end of Beach Street.
Cottesloe Coastcare started restoration work here in 2008. With the help of the Town of Cottesloe we removed invasive Victorian tea tree and thick couch grass and planted 1000 seedlings, carefully watering them through their first summer. This is a windy, exposed site and makes for a difficult restoration challenge.
Another challenge at this site is the invasion of couch grass from the nearby playground. In 2012 the Town built a weed barrier between the playground lawns and the top of the weedy foredune. Since then Coastcare has hand weeded couch, pelargonium and sea spinach before infill planting each winter.
We’ve been helped with our work here with by volunteers from Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Having extra bodies to help with digging and planting makes a big difference and we are grateful for their support.
In 2018 Coastwest gave us a grant to extend our work to the north. After weeding and preparing the site another 2000 local seedlings have been planted by volunteers and school children.
Why Dutch Inn?
In the 1940s, a Dutchman Gus Haye set up a small tea room and hung a wooden clog outside, hence the name. Some of Cottesloe’s original surfers also used the shop to store their canvas surf skis at this time.
June 2019 planting for our Coastwest project.
2019 Planting into pre-drilled holes and then watering in.
2019 Cottesloe Coastcare volunteers.
2015 Winter planting.
2019 Plants flourishing. The next photo shows the same site in 2014.
2014 A wet and windy planting day.
What we are protecting
Ospreys
A pair of Ospreys, sometimes called Fish Hawks often build their large nest in the top of a tall Norfolk Island pine nearby. Only about six pairs nest each year on Rottnest Island so it’s a thrill to have them breeding in Cottesloe. You can see them plunging in the ocean to catch a fish, watching from the top of a light pole or circling over-head.
Sea Heath (Frankenia pauciflora)
This small shrub has thyme-like leaves and tiny pink or white flowers. It grows well here on the stabilised slope. It’s a very pretty plant that copes well with salt laden winds.