The foreshore can be broken up into three broad zones, there is the beach itself and the primary dune, behind this are the secondary dunes which offer some protection from the wind and provide a little better water retention, the third of these Beach zones is the transitional area where these sandy zones gradually change to soil through the gradual accumulation of humus or through occasional flooding. These habitats present plants with a hostile environment lacking virtually every requirement we would expect to be necessary for the establishment and survival of a plant, there is no soil, only sand or rock which provides no nourishment, negligible water retention and, in the case of sand, very poor holding for roots, beaches are also exposed to almost constant, and often very strong, salt laden wind.
The pioneer zone at Lammermoor Beach;
This is a typical of foredune development, we can see the three vegetation types that provide the initial colonisation of the dunes, these are the vines and grasses and of course the beautiful casuarina. As these plants grow and stabilise the sand other plants begin to gain a foothold further stabilising the dune, if all goes well a new dune will grow in front of this former primary dune and the area will develop into a secondary dune.
Mature dunes behind Farnborough Beach;
though still very sandy the soil has accumulated some humus which has improved water retention and nutrient levels, this has allowed the establishment of different species.
The secondary dune at Lammermoor Beach;
We can see this development in the second photograph which is behind the primary dune at Lammermoor Beach, here you can see a broader range of plants which have been able to become established behind the protection offered by the pioneer plants on the primary dune. In the background you can see the older dunes which are well on the way to becoming woodland or forest.
Foreshore cliffs at Cooee Bay; This zone seems to present even greater challenges to plants than the sandy beach, however pioneers such as figs manage to establish themselves and create pockets of soil for other plants.
