Restoring the southward Boat Harbour entrance to the Tomaree Coastal Walk
By Sue Olsson, Coordinator
Friends of Tomaree National Park
December 2025 – April 2026
Along the Tomaree Coastal Walk (TCW), at the southern entrance from Boat Harbour, we’ll be planting extensively.
With grant funding from Bupa and Landcare Australia, and support from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Friends of Tomaree National Park are embarking on an ambitious project and we are inviting community, schools and corporate groups to help.
We are updating this page as the project proceeds.
- A description of the southern entrance is further below ~ December 2025
- You may like to read an overview of the broader project and what’s happening on the northward Boat Harbour entrance.
Planting around the lookout carpark ~ April 2026
What a fantastic morning.
What fun, cooperation and hard work. We were delighted with everyone’s interest and success for the first event in our Autumn Planting ~ a family planting, Tuesday 14/4/26. Thank you community and Friends of Tomaree NP.
Over 250 plants firmly in the ground, with protective weed mats and guards, and with a thorough soaking, they have a great start.
Our plants reflected those nearby.
Hardy low plants like Lomandra (mat rush) and knobby club rush add texture while we will eventually see splashes of colour from the Dianellas or purple flax lilies, and the vines dusky coral pea and the golden guinea flower.
Scattered shrubs like coastal rosemary and coastal wattles, and the slightly taller tea tree and even the occasional banksia are low growing here as they are quite salt and wind-pruned in this harsh environment.
In the lead up, the site was sprayed and dug
Invasive buffalo grass killed — but the native vine, dusky coral pea (Kennedia rubicunda). Thank you NPWS for contracting Wet Systems, so much care taken
Part of the broader site with buffalo and other weeds killed. We removed bitou and lantana a couple of years ago, but very little naturally regenerated.
Some of the plants for the site – a total of 420, many from Ngioka with thanks, and others from Hunter indigenous plants.
NPWS brush cut holes into buffalo, then we dug holes in readiness for planting.
Pellet of guards, stakes and weed mats arrived
About the Southward entrance ~ December 2025
Southward entrance
The TCW’s southern entrance extends from around the lookout carpark on Kingsley Drive (opposite #29), then either side of TCW’s shared path and road entrance to nearby Kingsley Beach carpark.
A few houses overlook the carpark area, however the majority of the project site, is seaward and landward of the road access to Kingsley Beach carpark.
Specifically the project area is
- rocky headland grasslands around the lookout carpark which grades southward into littoral scrub-forest
- degraded littoral scrub-forest along the shared path and road corridor.
Our initial focus will be on removing invasive weeds that threaten flora,
- immediately around the lookout carpark, where little native vegetation remains though a plethora of weeds grow. The scenic views of the headlands are wonderful, though the vegetation is unappealing. The weeds, particularly the smothering Buffalo grass, impact the native vegetation here and beyond this area.
- on the verges seaward and landward of TCW road corridor, including various weed grasses such as Buffalo grass, Paspalum, Rhodes Grass and Green Panic (Guinea grass).
Along the road corridor we (Friends of Tomaree National Park with lots of local community) removed the wall of Bitou and Lantana in April 2022, and now many more native bushes thrive, though weed grasses are proliferating.
Vasey Grass or Giant Paspalum, Paspalum urvillei, can grow 1-2.5m tall and is one of the invasive weed grasses we plan to remove. Its large tussocks steal habitat from native plants.
Buffalo grass, Stenotaphrum secundatum, is in seed here. It grows with long stolons and branches up to 40 cm tall, smothering ground covers and native seedlings.
To restore habitat we will plant native coastal species
We will plant about 800 trees, shrubs and ground covers along the southern entrance, between late Autumn and July 2026.
- Seaward of the lookout carpark we will restore elements of the rocky headland grasslands and littoral scrub-forest which is heavily salt-pruned and shortens its natural height.
- Along the shared path and road, we’ll restore the littoral scrub-forest that naturally grows here.
- Seaward, in some places where we’d previously removed Bitou Bush and Lantana and no canopy trees remain, a couple of native vines are smothering bushes and preventing a more diverse vegetation from growing. We’ll reduce the dominance of these vines to enable trees and shrubs to establish.
- Landward, NPWS had removed an extensive area of Bitou in March/April 2025. Some natural regeneration is underway, which we will supplement.
Involving community
We will offer planting days, citizen-science monitoring, corporate engagement and school planting days. If you would like to become involved, please contact us at tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au
An added benefit of regenerating a habitat with more diversity, is a better experience for locals and tourists using this section of the Tomaree Coastal Walk ~ but this will take time to develop.
Friends of Tomaree National Park gratefully acknowledge the contribution of our partners in this project.
With many thanks for helping us to plant 1,500 plants over the whole project in early 2026
Ongoing support for the broader project
with many thanks for ongoing support and a significant assitance in preparation for this 2026 project
April 2022 and 2023
Boat Harbour’s Kingsley Beach headland — seaward of the access road to the carpark
We kicked off in April 2022 with a community event over two mornings, and a morning event in April 2023 which included management and planting, with a hearty smaller group working there and further along the Tomaree Coastal Walk since. From a wall of Bitou and Lantana, we can now see the ocean – that was not the aim but indicates the height and density of the bushy weed layer. Read more about our Kingsley Headland community events.
Now new native plants are naturally generating, and some supplementary planting on the block’s margins where infestation was heaviest, combine to create a better looking site. The spring weed grasses at the margins remain, diminishing the site, and buffalo from the mown markings invades. Many of our plants have survived, but others have succumbed to buffalo or grazing.
Revisit the headland area about each 6 – 12 months to remove bitou seedlings. In the more fertile soils here (compared to sandy dunes where we can let the weed grow to 0.5m or more), the seedlings seem to grow faster and are more difficult to pull without breaking. With more frequent checks they’re mostly small and easier to pull. Prickly pear is scattered here too along the rocky areas. Other weeds such as coastal morning glory and the variety of weed grasses are a challenge.
Contact: tomaree-np-friends@npansw.org.au
Web: www.ecops.au/fotnp