March 25 - 31, 2018: Issue 353

Restoring Coastal Headland Ecosystems: Grants Continue to Eradicate Past Follies and to Encourage the Return of Fauna Habitat

Turimetta -Warriewood headland

Improving Our Coastal Headland
Sunday, 25 March 2018 - 8:30am To 12:30pm

Join locals and Bushcare volunteers in restoring this important coastal rainforest area at Mona Vale Basin.

This event is part of an exciting grant partnership which will improve the natural ecosystems of our coastal headlands. Find out about important restoration works on five headlands from North Narrabeen to North Mona Vale.

Free native plants are on offer to local residents, providing vital habitat for our local wildlife. Participants are welcome to help out with planting and weeding on the day, supporting the restoration works by the Mona Vale Basin Bushcare volunteers.

All welcome, tools and morning tea provided. Please wear closed in shoes, hat and comfortable clothing.

This two-year project which commenced in February 2018 is assisted by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust.


The above bushcare event is a good example of how restoration is continuing apace in these areas. A bit of background on how long it takes to turn these 'tides' on land backs up the determination of local government, supported by the NSW Environmental Trust, is to do better in returning these areas to what they once were:

In 2013 Pittwater Council secured grant  funding of $100,000 over a staged two year period from the NSW Environmental Trust to undertake restoration works on five coastal headland and ecosystems in the southern section of Pittwater LGA. The project, announced in March 2014, included North Narrabeen Headland, Turimetta Headland, Warriewood Headland and Escarpment including restoration of Littoral (or Coastal) Rainforest on the northern end of Warriewood Beach and the Littoral Rainforest at Mona Vale Headland.

The project  commenced early November 2014 and was salted to be completed by 1 September 2016.

Coastal headlands are important areas of natural habitat along our coastal fringe. The threat of degradation to the area’s natural values through continued weed invasion and coastal erosion create a detrimental impact on these communities.

The project aimed to protect and increase the native habitat (including the Littoral Rainforest Endangered Ecological Community and Themeda Grassland on Coastal Headlands Endangered Ecological Community) through weed control and bush regeneration to help natural regeneration. The highly degraded areas will be treated by removal of invasive weeds, replacing them with local native tubestock, in an effort to restore the natural ecosystems that used to be on site. Rabbit control, flora and fauna monitoring and recording and habitat assessment will all be a part of this strategy.

Several new Bushcare groups were proposed for the New Year in 2015, namely Mona Vale Headland and Warriewood Beach North. 

Council commenced looking for local community volunteers to help support the works onsite. Stating in their Media release announcement;

"This should be a very satisfying project for all involved. If you’re interested in helping this project please call the Bushland Management Officers on 9970 1363 or 9970 1390 for further information."

In March 2015 Pittwater Online News ran the following for council:

Restoring Coastal Headland Ecosystems Grant events

As part of the NSW Environmental Trust ‘Restoring Coastal Headland Ecosystems’ grant, a number of community events are being planned. 

Pittwater Council would like to welcome and encourage any residents who have not attended these events before and all those who have in the past. 

Come along, get to know your neighbours and enjoy the satisfaction of helping your local area!

Free Native Plant Giveaway – Warriewood Beach – Saturday 18 April from 8am to 12pm. To be held opposite the Warriewood Beach cafés and shops on Narrabeen Park Parade. The free plants will be for local residents at Warriewood and Turimetta. Come along and select some local native plants designed to your coastal conditions. 

Community Planting Event – Turimetta Beach – Sunday 26 April from 9am to 12pm. Meet at the main beach track and grass area above Turimetta Beach (opposite 58 Narrabeen Park Parade). Tools, equipment, morning tea and training provided by Council. Come along, wear comfortable clothing, closed shoes and give us a hand!

Warriewood Beach Bushcare Group - please call the Bushcare Officer for dates to be scheduled. 

NEW Mona Vale Basin Bushcare Group - first meeting scheduled for Saturday 7 March from 8am to 11am. Meet in the reserve on the corner of Surfview and Bassett St East. 

Mona Vale Dunes Bushcare Group meets regularly on the 2nd Saturday and 3rd Thursday of each month from 8:30 to 11:30am. Meet at the end of Golf Avenue, Mona Vale. 

For further details regarding the Bushcare groups or events please contact the Bushcare Officer on 9970 1367 or for information regarding the grant project please call the Bushland Management Officers on 9970 1363 or 9970 1390.

On the Office of Environment & Heritage Coastal management grants 2015–16 webpage is listed;

Pittwater Council

Pittwater Local Government Area Coastal Dunes Restoration                   

The coastal dunes in the Pittwater local government area are continually degraded and destabilised as a result of invasive weed species outcompeting native species. In order to prevent or minimise future environmental and asset damage, Council proposes to upgrade or replace fencing where appropriate to delineate access pathways for the public and revegetate a large proportion of the Pittwater coastal dunes through weed eradication and plant propagation of indigenous coastal fore dune species.

Manly Council

Fairy Bower Seawall Remediation and Protection Project Manly NSW                   

Fairy Bower seawall forms part of a continuous seawall stretching along Manly Ocean Beach to Shelly Beach Manly. The Fairy Bower seawall is in need of upgrade to address immediate risk of failure of the toe section and to increase the height of the seawall crest to address wave overtopping. The project involves detailed design and construction work to raise the seawall crest, add a wave return parapet and provide structural support to the base of the seawall and the Manly Ocean outfall sewer contained within the seawall.


As so much of this work is done by volunteers, this is a great instance of how the community is still doing its best to make the local area as it needs to be for native fauna and the enjoyment of others and in that, an example of how some things may change but others do not.