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Friends of Tomaree National Park

Welcome to the Friends of Tomaree National Park




We’re a group who delight in Tomaree National Park and believe we are really making a difference to the resilience and integrity of the national park, as well as improving it aesthetically, in the locations where we work.

The Friends of Tomaree National Park started in October 2020, established by the NSW National Parks Association, under the banner “Protecting nature through community action“. We work with the support and direction of the National Parks and Wildlife Service(NPWS) NSW.

We work across at least 4 different locations from the northern tip to the southern reaches of the national park. Each month we hold 8-9 bush regeneration sessions, so there is plenty of flexibility and diversity to choose. We welcome you to join us casually or as regularly as suits you. Some people like to work with one location and a more constant group, others like to move between groups to suit their personal availability.

Open the sections below by clicking on the arrow ▶︎

Special community events – Autumn PLANTING at Boat Harbour

We are excited to have received a BUPA/Landcare grant to help plant and restore degraded vegetation at the Tomaree Coastal Walk’s Boat Harbour village entrances. 

Our Friends of Tomaree National Park volunteers have been working hard to remove invasive species.

You’re invited to come along ~ volunteers, community, corporate or school groups, to help plant and restore some of our treasured coastal bush ~ with a range of dates available

News Flash – 5 years on an we’ve achieved a diversity of milestones for Tomaree

Friends of Tomaree National Park marked five years of bushcare in October/November 2025, and like all youngsters, we’ve grown. Keen to improve the integrity and resilience of Tomaree NP’s habitat, our group removes significant weeds like bitou bush, lantana and ground asparagus, as well as garden escapees, and take delight in enabling native plants to recover and regenerate, so there’s loads to enjoy learning.

From a tiny beginning of about fifteen or so people, split between the far ends of Tomaree NP, we ‘ve grown to about 70 variously active Friends across 4 -5 major nodes with 8 bush regeneration sessions each month. We enjoy our making a difference and a cuppa and chat afterwards.

We’ve achieved many milestones changing the face of Tomaree NP one step at a time. We help with endangered species planting and we inspire people to enjoy Tomaree’s spectacular wildflowers.

Our partners help us increase our effectiveness in many ways. We reach out to community through our events such as the Picnic for Nature and Tomaree Forum, park clean-ups, corporate volunteer days, community days on One Mile and Kingsley headlands, as well as partners helping with planting and materials at Fishermans Bay. We’ve encouraged the Dept of Communities and Justice to control invasive weeds on Tomaree Lodge’s bushland premise, something they readily embraced.

Our newest group at Fingal is making an amazing difference too. Here’s what a few of our volunteers say, view our 3min or 1min stories (thank you NPWS).

Come on the journey with us and make a difference too, whether individually, as corporate groups, or as partners in a myriad of ways. Just email Sue at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au

For more news, opportunities and events, find us in Facebook for @npansw.tomaree.friends or click on www.facebook.com/npansw.tomaree.friends. Remember to like our Facebook page.

When and where are our regular beach & bush regen sessions?

Upcoming bush regen sessions

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

Join one or more of our morning bush regeneration sessions – regularly or casually:

Some people participate in many of the bush regen sessions 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, whenever and wherever, there’s lots of choice.

— 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 Fingal South our new group started March 2025 along the Tomaree Coastal Walk, south of Barry Park toward Boulder Bay Road, on the 3rd Saturday and 4th Friday each month..

— in Central Tomaree, around Kingsley / Boat Harbour areas, generally on the 1st Saturday and the 3rd Monday each month.

— at South Tomaree, in the Fishermans Bay / Anna Bay areas on the 1st Sunday of each month

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 our coordinator, Sue Olsson via tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au

What do some of our volunteers say?

Meet a few of our people and hear about our work and why we volunteer: view either the FoTNP 3min story, or the snappy FoTNP 1min version. With many thanks to the National Parks and Wildlife Service for initiating and producing.

What happens on bush regen sessions?

During our bush regen sessions 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.

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

At several locations in North Tomaree, we’ve significantly impacted the invasive Myrtle-leaf milkwort, Polygala myrtifolia, a spring-summer purple flower ~ learn more here about this beauty and a beast

In Fishermans Bay we’ve extensively worked on the gully and beach zone removing bitou, blackberry, agapanthus and more — we’re encouraging new plants to re-establish and have replanted this riparian zone and its beach area.

While in Central Tomaree around Boat Harbour, as well as managing bitou and prickly pear, we’ve found sea spurge, a new invasive weed in the park and our LGA.

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

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

7 October 2025 News of the Area – Community unites to combat invasive weeds on Tomaree’s One Mile headland (front page)

12 June 2025 News of the Area – Volunteers do battle with invasive weeds (Fingal south) or here

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

2025 – we’ve had a couple of community bush care events

Read about our fantastic days with some great outcomes achieved.

More info and booking

We’re keen to help our community and volunteers appreciate the beauty often not seen in Tomaree National Park. Choose from one of 5 events — yes due to their popularity we added another opportunity

More information and booking

Throughout 2024 we celebrated 40 years of Tomaree National Park,

A range of activities, culminated in the Picnic for nature ~ connecting bush, beach and your backyard and the FORUM celebrating Tomaree NP’s 40th anniversary.

Community Coastal Forest Regen sessions at One Mile Headland, Tomaree Coastal WalK

Our final event Sat 7 December was a terrific coastal forest regen morning at One Mile Beach headland, our third community event in managing bitou at this location, and was in partnership with Escape Eco Adventures. More information is here about joining in to give a helping hand to improve the resilience of the coastal forest on One Mile Headland along the Tomaree Coastal Walk.

More information is here about joining in to give a helping hand to improve the resilience of the coastal forest on One Mile Headland along the Tomaree Coastal Walk.

Prior Community Coastal Forest Regen sessions at One Mile Headland, Tomaree Coastal WalK

SAT 31 AUG was a joint bitou management and planting some site, while our initial Saturday 30 July activity was rescheduled to SUN 31 July due to rain was a fantastic morning of bitou management.

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March 2024 Clean Up at Tomaree

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 2023…  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 ~ 8 & 9 April 2022

Over two mornings, Friday 8th and/or Saturday 9th April 2022, approximately 40 people came along to help repair environmental damage on Kingsley Headland, Boat Harbour. We cleared lantana, bitou and other weeds that formed a roadside tall wall of weedy bushes. Surprisingly we could get sea glimpses. 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

Addition to Tomaree National Park – Fishermans Bay block – March 2024 (detailed followup to Tomaree Biodiversity Corridor)