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Friends of Tomaree National Park

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News Flash – One Mile Beach Headland, coastal forest regen Sat 7/12

Throughout 2024 we celebrated 40 years of Tomaree National Park, with a range of activities throughout the year, culminating in the Picnic for nature ~ connecting bush, beach and your backyard and the FORUM celebrating Tomaree NP’s 40th anniversary.

Our final event Sat 7 December is a terrific coastal forest regen morning at One Mile Beach headland, our third community event in managing bitou at this location. 8 – 10.30am, followed by morning tea. More information and bookings — join us to give a helping hand to improve the resilience of the coastal forest on One Mile Headland along the Tomaree Coastal walk.

When and where are our bush regen work bees?

Zenith Beach, Box Beach, Fishermans Bay, Kingsley Beach … yes, Tomaree National Park definitely has the most glorious places to do bush regeneration! 

You may like to check out what we’ve achieved over the last four years since we started late 2020.

Kicking the milestones for Tomaree

Join one of our regular morning work bees:

Upcoming Working Bees

— in North Tomaree, in the Zenith / Tomaree Headland areas or at Box Beach, on the 1st Tuesday, 2nd Saturday and the 3rd Thursday each month.

— in Central Tomaree, around Kingsley / Boat Harbour areas, generally on the 2nd Monday or Tuesday and the 3rd Saturday each month.

— at South Tomaree, in the Fishermans Bay / Anna Bay areas on the 1st Sunday or 3rd Tuesday each month.

Some people participate in many of the work bees at one or more localities, others try to attend one session a month. We’re happy for your help when convenient for you, regularly or casually.

You’ll find more information here about the when and where of our beach & bush regen sessions and what you need to wear or bring.

If your interested in getting involved, please contact

What do some of our volunteers say?

Hear from our people about our work and why we volunteer: Friends of Tomaree National Park – YouTube

What happens on work bees?

During our work bees we’re gradually learning the coastal native plants and weeds. We’re building a handy resource of Coastal dune plants – natives and weeds and native-weed look-a-likes.

In North Tomaree we regularly work at Zenith Beach and sometimes Tomaree Headland. 

At Zenith Beach we focus on Bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, a predominately Autumn yellow flowerer and highly invasive shrub that out-competes native vegetation.

We’ve achieved a once-over ‘cut and paint’ of the central block between the beach access paths, from our first work bee in October 2020 to May 2021. We returned early 2022 for about five workbees removing new seedlings and managing any plants we’d missed. Our focus now is managing bitou north of the north Zenith beach access track. We’ve planted pigface to help stabilise a sand blow, and tea tree, wattle and smaller plants in Zenith’s bare dune areas where bitou bush once stood >>

<< We’ve significantly impacted Myrtle-leaf milkwort, Polygala myrtifolia, a spring-summer flower as our focus at Zenith in late 2020, along with small bitou bush, with follow-up check early 2022. Now in mid 2022, we’re tackling Myrtle-leaf milkwort and other weeds on Tomaree Headland. 

On Tomaree  Headland we’re also removing Bidens pilosa, commonly called Sticky beaks, Farmers friends or Pitch-forks, to minimise dispersal of its annoying needle-like seeds that stick in your clothes.

Over summer 2021 we reduced the prevalence of sea holly, Eryngium maritimum, a prickly weed on the strand line area and nasty to encounter with bare feet. We’re experimenting with the best way to eradicate it >>

Our group is from all over the Tomaree Peninsula, and some beyond, as we enjoy Tomaree National Park and want to give something back.

In Fishermans Bay we regularly work on the gully and beach zone nearest the visitor area. We’ve removed bitou, blackberry, agapanthus and more — we’re encouraging new plants to re-establish and developing plans to replant and regenerate this riparian zone and its beach area.

Our group is mainly Fisho locals but everyone is welcome.

Beyond the work bees, assisting with threatened species

Villous Mint-bush Prostanthera densa a threatened species, listed Vulnerable

Once widespread between Tomaree and Sydney, only a couple of tiny pockets remain in each of Nelson Bay and the Sydney area. We’re supporting this Save Our Species project (SOS) by ensuring two translocated populations planted in the park are kept free of overgrowth.  We’ve networked and shared with SOS the discovery by local naturalist, Philip Diemar, of the only known natural population in Tomaree National Park, further reinforcing the important connection between scientists and community in increasing knowledge and understanding of this species. Read more about our special plantings of Prostanthera densa in Tomaree National Park.

Threatened donkey orchid surveys

We help with surveys of some of the threatened donkey orchids in the park. The Sand doubletail or Tomaree donkey orchid Diuris arenaria is an endangered species found only on the Tomaree Peninsula. We’ve also shared knowledge of another donkey orchid, Diuris praecox, listed Vulnerable, that extends the range and known habitats of this threatened species on the Tomaree Peninsula.

We hope to be involved with other interesting projects too.

We’re just beginning — come along on our journey and help in improving the integrity of our wonderful Tomaree National Park. Please contact Sue at  tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au

In the News

26 July 2024 News of the Area: Port Stephens Weed Warriors Want Better Regulation Of Sale Of Invasive Species

24 July 2024 Port Stephens Examiner: One Mile forest regeneration: Community invited to lend a hand for bushcare

24 July 2024 News of the Area: Forest Regeneration At One Mile

8 May 2024 News of the Area: Action demanded on Shoal Bay coastal erosion threats

23 March 2022 News of the Area: Rejuvenating Kingsley Beach with Friends of Tomaree National Park

22 March 2022 The Examiner: A helping hand to rejuvenate Boat Harbour headland (Kingsley)

10 June 2021 The Examiner:  Friends of Tomaree National Park marks World Environment Day, gears up for long weekend clean up

8 June 2021 News of the Area:  Friends of Tomaree National Park mark World Environment Day

21 April 2021 The Examiner: Tomaree gets a helping hand

Past Events

As well as our regular work bees, from time to time we hold special events

A Community Coastal Forest Regen SAT 31 AUG at One Mile Headland, Tomaree Coastal Wal

You’re invited to join us from 8.30 – 11am, followed by morning tea. 

Bookings and more information

Join us for Cleanup Australia in Tomaree National Park at a couple of fantastic beach sites in Tomaree — more information under ‘Special activities‘ or click on the dates below

Saturday 2 March at Box Beach
Sunday 3 March at Fishermans Bay

Saturday 29 July 2023, Morna Point (Boat Harbour) helping hand near the lookout

Around 20 enthusiastic volunteers attended our special workbee on Saturday morning 29 July around the Morna Point (Boat Harbour) lookout area and scenic walkway along the Tomaree Coastal Walk. With wow views, wildflowers and occasional whales, this was a great spot to work on the bitou and help the coastal vegetation along the rocky headland to thrive.

We spent a couple of hours removing new bitou seedlings and some larger invading bitou from this scenic spot. Thank you everyone.

Saturday 15 April 2023 The PLANTING! Rejuvenating Kingsley Headland, Boat Harbour

Check out our recent EcoUpdate article Rejuvenating Kingsley headland, highlighting the fantastic work of the Friends of Tomaree National Park and community supporters in our efforts over the last 12 months, helping repair environmental damage on the headland leading to Kingsley Beach carpark. You can also read about the plantings and their role in rejuvenating this ecosystem.

Sunday 19 February…  a Crag & Bush Care morning

Our Crag Care morning is with the rock climbing fraternity. Everyone’s welcome — climbers, bushwalkers, surfers, land carers and lovers of our rocky coasts and crags. We’ll be tackling Bitou Bush on steeper slopes and flat areas near the climbing crag.

May 2022 Bush and Beach workshop: Coastal Native and Weed look-a-likes.

Our Anna Bay workshop to learn more about our common dune plants, easily-confused native and weed look-a-likes, and some minimal impact bush regeneration techniques.

See the presentation for our Friends of Tomaree NP 2022 workshop Coastal Native Plants and Weed Look-a-likes
From the presentation we’re gradually building a resource of Coastal dune plants – natives and weeds

Rejuvenate Kingsley Headland  — Over two mornings, Friday 8th and/or Saturday 9th April 2022, approximately 40 people came along to help repair some environmental damage. Read more at A helping hand at Kingsley Headland.

May – June 2021. Bush and Coast Care Workshops; Native and Weed look-a-likes.

Workshops to learn more about our common dune plants, easily-confused native and weed look-a-likes, and some minimal impact bush regeneration techniques. See the presentation for the North Tomaree 2021 workshop Native Plants and Weed Look-a-likes

— North Tomaree’s single focussed workshop on Saturday 1 May morning with optional afternoon field trip more information here

— Fishermans Bay series of small workshops before each work bee, from April to June more information here.


Submissions

Tomaree Biodiversity Corridor letter to Matt Kean – August 2021