More than 1,700 native plants go into the ground at Boat Harbour

BOAT Harbour’s entrances to the Tomaree Coastal Walk are taking shape, with more than 1,700 native plants now in the ground.

Friends of Tomaree National Park recently finished the planting stage of the project, which covered about one hectare across the northern and southern entrances, and involved five community planting days.

A total of 1,742 native plants went into the ground, including 136 trees, 381 shrubs and 1,225 ground covers.

Friends of Tomaree National Park Coordinator Sue Olsson said the group was pleased to see the planting finished after months of work.

“We all felt a great sense of achievement, both mentally and physically,” Ms Olsson said.

“We are delighted to be making a difference to the environment, strengthening ecosystems and creating a more aesthetic area for walkers and nearby residents to enjoy.”

There were 132 volunteer attendances across the five planting days, with many people returning to lend a hand several times.

Friends of Tomaree volunteers were joined by other locals, Rotary Salamander, and volunteers from AGL and Aurecon.

Getting 1,742 plants into the ground was only part of the job.

Around 815 volunteer hours went into the project, from preparing and surveying the sites to selecting plants, organising the planting days, and doing the planting itself.

The volunteer contribution has been valued at more than $40,000.

The project received just over $10,000 through Bupa and Landcare Australia and was one of only 28 projects across Australia to receive funding.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service also provided considerable support.

The most-recent work saw volunteers move 40 cubic metres of woodchip around the carpark area, where there had been little natural regrowth since weeds were initially cleared three years ago.

With the planting now finished, attention has turned to looking after what has gone into the ground.

As the weather warms up, volunteers will be back watering and weeding to help the young plants become established.

The group hopes the northern area will eventually strengthen the existing pocket of littoral rainforest, while the southern end around the Kingsley Drive carpark, opposite Windsong Way, will become home to a mix of native coastal shrubs and ground covers.

The National Parks Association (Hunter Region), a voluntary community group, initiated Friends of Tomaree National Park in 2020.

Its current president, John Simpson, thanked all the volunteers for their work.

“We really appreciate the tremendous work all the volunteers provide, and we are looking forward to what will happen over the next few years, realising it will take time to grow and maintain strong and resilient ecosystems,” Mr Simpson said.

By Althea GUINSBERG