Hi Valda, it really depends on the size you want your screen to be, and your soil conditions. For a quick barrier in most conditions wattles (acacia sp) will do the trick. If you have heavy clay soil you cant go past bottlebrushes (callistemon) or for some lovely color try closely planted purple leaf hop bush (dodonea viscosa atropurpurea). Also grevilleas......westringea for a lovely grey hedge, ....there is a huge choice available!!!!Good luck!

I am surpised that lillypilly didn't recommend lillypillies. They are fashionable hedges at the moment, and some good varieties have been developed. They grow particularly well in SE Qld, and are easily available at nurseries, even the ones that don't specialise in natives. They come in all sizes, are dense and green with a variety of fruits and a tendency to have showy displays of pink new leaves.
I have read that plants, though good dust barriers, don't do anything for a noise problem as they absorb/deflect very little of it. Has anyone any comments on this?
Trish

Pittos.

Trish, you are right about noise levels not being affected much by plants. Solid barriers like earthern mounds at least the height of car bonnets (say more than 1 metre) high are the cheapest if you have enough room and the soil on site anyway. Then plant them out so that you don't see them.

For those with little room, build a masonry wall - there are aerated concrete panels used for houses these days that would work well - they are said to have very good noise attentuation. An example is at the link given below.

Regards,
Frank

Here is a link that might be useful: sound wall barrier

Thank you all for your suggestions. My computer crashed & burned so have been off line for some time. Now have a brand new one to get used to

So have you planted that hedge yet?
I'm curious to know what you chose.
Trish

Hedging plants depend on what you want - a 'solid' barrier or a permeable one. Solid ones are generally not advisable because of the resulting effect on wind patterns [which happens also with solid walls - wood or brick] which can cause unwanted effects down stream. Remember also that many trees shed their branches as they grow and you end up with wind whistling through underneath as they get older. Many of the lillipillies keep their branches and leaves low, as do the much maligned Sweet Pittosporum [P. undulatum]. But there are other dry rainforest/scrub forest species that could be considered such as Alectryon connatus [Grey Bird's Eye], Alectryon subdentatus [Scrub Boonaree], Elaeocarpus obovatus [Hard Quandong], Elaeocarpus eumundi [Eumundi Quandong - c'est magnifique], Acronychia laevis, Acronychia wilcoxiana [magnificent emerald green leaves], and others, including Pittosporum rhombifolium [now Auranticarpa rhombifolium] - Diamond Leaf Pittosporum].

If you can, plant at least 2 rows - plants no more than 2 m apart and rows the same - in a diamond overlapping pattern, with the taller trees on the lee side and the shorter ones on the windward side to give wind shaping [lifting the wind up and over], and the plants will grow into each other. Do not over water your plants. Most suitable hedging plants are dry rainforest and overwatering encourages root rot and SLOWER growth rates.

Best growth results come from total weed and grass control [I can get canopy closure in 3 - 5 years with it, much longer without] - if the rows are not too long use good mulch [best long term results are with forest mulch or wood chip, or sugar cane mulch which breaks down much quicker] - if the area is too big for the cost of that, use chemical mulching which increases organic content of the soil over time which increases moisture holding capacity and assists growth. Do NOT use pasture mulch - this will give you additional weeds for ten years or more. Preferably do not use chemical fertilizers either - this promotes inappropriate root development and a dependent plant.