Historically, the escarpment and coastal plains of the Illawarra was densely forested with lush, temperate rainforest extending to the coastline. These rainforests contained highly diverse plant and animal communities, which have now been reduced to remnant populations constrained to the slopes of the escarpment.

This temperate rainforest is dependant upon year round regular rainfall and nutrient rich soil originating from the clay and shale beds of the local escarpment.

Mature trees such as Red Cedar, Moreton Bay Figs and Coachwoods dominate the canopy with a range of smaller vegetation, able to survive in low light conditions, including Sassafras, Cabbage Tree Palms and Tree Ferns forming the understory. The forest floor is the site of the recycling of nutrients with fallen trees and leaves being broken down by decomposers.

Red Cedar is a large rainforest tree which grows to a height of 60 metres. It has a widespread natural range across the eastern coast of Australia, from southern NSW to northern QLD. Due to the workability and rich red colour it is highly prized as a valuable timber and has been extensively logged since European settlement.

As a juvenile, the tree has smooth bark, which matures into a tree with scaly, fissured bark and large buttress roots.

The leaves are lanceolate in shape (pointed at both ends) and grow from a central stem. They are one of Australia's only native deciduous trees, with leaves falling in Autumn and growing back in spring.

Rocky shore ecosystems form where coastal shores are made from solid rock. The conditions are ever changing, yet a huge number of animals and algae can thrive. Rocky shore ecosystems are governed by abiotic factors like the tidal movement of water and wave action, which lead to biotic changes such as the distinct distribution of different species across the intertidal zone, from above high tide to the sub-tidal zone.

The sub-tidal zone is located below the low tide mark and is dominated by large seaweeds and cunjevoi. Above the low tide mark are the lower, mid and upper littoral zones which are covered by water at high tide and are regularly impacted by wave action. Resilient molluscs including Black Nerita and Limpets are indicators for this zone, which is also populated with Barnacles and Sea Anemones. The supra-littoral zone very rarely receives wave action and can remain dry for extended periods. This limits the ability for algae to survive in this zone and only small molluscs such as Periwinkles are able to survive.