Restoring Boat Harbour entrances to the Tomaree Coastal Walk

Restoring Boat Harbour entrances to the Tomaree Coastal Walk

By Sue Olsson, Coordinator
Friends of Tomaree National Park

Updated June 2026 from November 2025

We were excited to announce in November 2025, that the Friends of Tomaree National Park had been funded for just over $10,000 to involve community to help restore degraded ecosystems at Tomaree Coastal Walk’s Boat Harbour village entrances. 

Friends of Tomaree National Park were one of 28 groups and organisations nationally, and one of 6 groups in NSW, awarded funding through the 2025 Healthy Cities Landcare Grants Program!.

Thanks to a funding partnership between Bupa and Landcare Australia, the Friends of Tomaree National Park, working with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, was proud to support this exciting local initiative restoring habitat to enhance resilience and provide an improved visitor experience along the Boat Harbour entrances, north and south, to the Tomaree Coastal Walk.

A wonderfully diverse range of our Port Stephens community and beyond — from families, community volunteers, community groups like Salamander Bay Rotary, corporate groups from AGL and Aurecon, and our fantastic regular volunteers from the Friends of Tomaree National Park — came together over 5 community events plus our regular bush regeneration sessions, see planting dates

What we planned and did during the project

The Friends of Tomaree National Park (FoTNP) are committed to restoring the area’s resilience and natural beauty with the support and direction of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Teaming with others in the community, and thanks to Bupa Landcare funding, we:

• set photo monitoring points to measure our progress over the project and subsequent years
• removed invasive weeds that threaten local flora ~ this included initial contract spraying of weeds like Buffalo grass, Turkey Rhubarb and Black-eyed Susan that invade and smother our ground covers and shrubs, and prevent natural regeneration. FoTNP followed up with some hand removal of weeds like Ochna (Mickey mouse plant), spider plants, bitou and lantana. Ongoing maintenance will be a necessity
• are restoring habitat ~ planted native coastal species ~ our aim was for 1,500 trees, shrubs and ground covers though we planted closer to 1,700 plants over mid April to early June 2026 ~ to stabilise soil, support habitat recovery and encourage wildlife while other areas are left to naturally regenerate
• encouraged local stewardship — ran planting days, family events, citizen-science monitoring, and corporate involvement
• are enhancing the visitor experience along the Tomaree Coastal Walk ~ providing a habitat with more diversity and reduced weeds.

The project area in Boat Harbour of about one hectare has two work areas

• the NORTHERN entrance from Ocean Parade, along the walk corridor north to near the little bridge on the walk, and covers about 0.4 hectares. See Northern entrance project here.
• the SOUTHERN entrance from around the carpark on Kingsley Drive, along both sides of the shared walk/drive corridor covers about 0.6 hectares. See Southern entrance project here.

Project outcomes

Greater coastal resilience, improved visitor experience, and stronger local stewardship of these Boat Harbour access corridors. 

Supporting Healthy People and Healthy Places

This project reflects Bupa’s commitment to supporting healthy communities and thriving natural environments. By improving vegetation along to the Tomaree Coastal Walk, the initiative encourages locals and visitors alike to connect with nature, enjoy outdoor activity, and better appreciate the environmental significance of the region.

A community effort

Restoring these access points was a collaborative effort made possible by interested volunteers, community partners, and the dedicated stewardship of the Friends of Tomaree National Park in association with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Together, we are helping ensure that this iconic coastal landscape remains accessible, safe, and ecologically resilient for generations to come.

How to get involved to help maintain the area’s integrity

Friends of Tomaree National Park hold regular bush regeneration sessions around Boat Harbour, Kingsley and One Mile. We are happy to organise specific bush regeneration sessions to involve community groups, local schools and corporate community days ~ just email Sue at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au

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Friends of Tomaree National Park gratefully acknowledge the contribution of our partners in this project.