The Friends of Tomaree National Park is a community group who believe we can improve the integrity and resilience of the national park through community action. We are part of the National Parks Association (Hunter Region), who initiated our group and supports us. The NPA is a community organisation that advocates for national parks and their management. You do not need to be an NPA member to participate.
The Friends of Tomaree National Park works in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the NSW government agency who oversights our work program and supports our work operation.
Read more about the Friends of Tomaree National Park.
Our groups and future dates
Our Friends of Tomaree National Park currently work in three areas. Many Friends attend one location, some a couple of locations. Friends attend one or multiple bush regen session each month, or come along casually, when convenient. All contributions are really appreciated, whatever suits you.
North Tomaree: Zenith Beach and Tomaree Headland, bush regeneration activities are usually for a couple of hours in the morning, each month on
- first Tuesday
- second Saturday
- third Thursday
Central Tomaree: Kingsley / Boat Harbour / One Mile areas, bush regeneration activities are usually for a couple of hours in the morning, generally each month on
- second Monday
- third Saturday
Further south, Fishermans Bay bush regeneration activities are usually for a couple of hours in the morning, each month on
- first Sunday
- third Tuesday
North Tomaree
Tues 7 Nov
Sat 11 Nov
Thurs 23 Nov (note 4th Thurs)
Tues 5 Dec
Sat 9 Dec
Please contact Sue at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au
Central Tomaree
Mon 13 Nov
Sat 25 Nov (note 4th Sat)
Mon 11 Dec
Sat 16 Dec
Please contact Sue at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au
South Tomaree / Fishermans Bay
Sun 5 Nov (cancelled)
Tues 21 Nov
Sun 3 Dec
Tues 19 Dec
Please contact Josephine at tomaree-np-friends-fbay@npansw.org.au
Special activities
Bush Regen SPECIAL – A helping hand at Morna Point, Boat Harbour!
Saturday 29 July 8.30 – 11am
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.
Clean up Australia Day activities
Saturday am 3 March … Box Beach area. Please contact Sue at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au
Sunday am 4 March … Fishermans Bay area. Please contact Josephine at tomaree-np-friends-fbay@npansw.org.au
What to bring or wear on our work bees
Please wear old clothes and here’s some hints for a safer work bee experience.
- Gardening gloves
- Sunhat
- Old long-sleeved shirt, full-length trousers (preferably not tight stretch pants)
- Best to cover up for scratch and snake protection
- Good to tuck trousers into socks to help avoid ticks
- Old covered shoes
- Old rain jacket (if forecast is for occasional showers)
- Eye protection (old glasses, old readers or sun glasses – safety glasses available)
- Glasses help protect your eyes from stick injuries. Sometimes bending over and focussing on a cut branch to paint, you tend not to notice a cut stick pointing up, so please wear eye protection.
Tools we use
Most of these tools are supplied by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in supporting our Friends group.
- Cutters – secateurs, pruning saws, loppers
- Pouches – carry our tools
- Herbicide in applicator bottles.
- Sunscreen, hand sanitiser, personal insect spray (ticks & mozzies) and disinfectant wipes
- First-aid including tick freeze and snake bite kits.
Registering with NPWS My Impact
Our Friends program is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) NSW, who also provide most of our equipment. Our volunteers register on NPWS My Impact program. You may like to come to one or two work bees before registering.
There are several advantages for you to registering …
- Insurance cover when working on national parks
- Records your hours worked enabling benefits such as
- personal work shirts (issued periodically), hats and gradually other items
- training such as first aid or other if required for the work undertaken
- all parks vehicle pass (including Kosciusko NP) once you have accumulated 50 hours over 2 years
- Information on other conservation projects
- Your hours contribute to those of our Friends group enabling more support such as equipment, plants and so forth.
To register with My Impact program for the Friends of Tomaree National Park with NPWS,
please go to link >> MyImpact
- You will be asked about your … Contact information … then the Application form, includes …
- Which NPWS Branch is closest to you? Choose “Hunter Central Coast Branch
- Which volunteer position(s) are you applying for, go to “Friends of Tomaree National Park Volunteer Program
- If you have First Aid or Working with Children Certificates, you may like to include those also, so please have their number and expiry date handy.
Once you have submitted your information, please email Sue at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au so that we know to then accept your application.
Herbicide training
After you have participated in a couple of work bees and registered on NPWS My Impact (above), please complete the online herbicide training: As we use herbicides to cut and paint bitou and other woody weeds, NPWS/DPIE requires us to participate in online herbicide awareness training. It takes a maximum 30 mins. You can access the training via this link: http://bttr.im/ziqs7. It includes a series of short videos and multiple choice questions. If you get a question wrong, you are offered the question again until it is correct, so not too difficult.
If you’re not sure of you’re My Impact login details, please contact the NPWS Volunteer Coordinator Nicola on: Nicola.Booth@environment.nsw.gov.au
Information about Tomaree you may be interested in …
- Coastal Dune Plants along the Tomaree Coast
- About the Friends of Tomaree NP
- A helping hand at Kingsley
- Kicking the milestones for Tomaree
- Friends of Tomaree NP on Facebook — If you’re on facebook, you may wish to like our Facebook page! Even if you are not on facebook, you can see our page and read our posts (just ignore facebook’s request to join).
