30 Years of Landcare Book
Wollombi Valley Landcare
1991 – Present Wollombi Landcare came about following severe flooding in the Wollombi Valley in February 1990, thought by long-time farmers to be the largest since the catastrophic flood of 1949. Dairy Arm was particularly badly affected with lots of people not... read more
Wentworth Creek Landcare, Fletcher
2010 – Present Wentworth Creek Landcare started in 2010 following an initiative from Newcastle City Council’s then Bushland Services officer. The plan was to work in a pocket of remnant bushland in the suburb of Fletcher removing invasive weeds, mainly... read more
Wallsend Brickworks Park Landcare
1999 – Present In October 1983 Newcastle City Council proposed using the old quarry at Wallsend Brickworks for landfill. The residents’ group convinced Council not to proceed, but Council kept their options open. The residents encouraged Council to make it a... read more
Tilligerry Habitat
1992 – Present Tilligerry Habitat Reserve is a 9 ha flora and fauna reserve along a sandy foreshore on Tanilba Bay between the townships of Tanilba Bay and Mallabula. The Reserve is managed by the Tilligerry Habitat Association, a not-for-profit community... read more
Tilligerry Landcare
1982 – Present Tilligerry Landcare, previously West Tidy Towns/Landcare, started on ground work with Clean Up Australia Day in 1982 which followed on from the Tidy Towns awards for the ‘Keep Australia Beautiful’ movement. The Port Stephens community was faced... read more
Three Valleys Landcare – Howes Valley, Garland Valley and Putty Valley
2000 – Present Three Valleys Landcare (TVL) was an initiative of Andrew Martin a former Sydney criminal barrister and environmentalist, with the support of Dr Suzanne Benn, a former lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, and Macquarie University. The... read more
Sustaining the Williams Valley
2017 – Present Sustaining the Williams Valley Inc. (SWV Inc) is a community group that commenced in 2017. Its main aims are to be an effective advocate for the sustainability of the Williams River Valley, and to identify, create and implement initiatives... read more
St Philip’s Christian College Cessnock Junior Landcare
2012 – Present Our junior Landcare group formed in 2012 following the relocation of the College from the old TAFE site in Cessnock to the current site at Nulkaba. Motivation to form the group came from Leslie Pearson, a member of the College Council who was... read more
Singleton Shire Landcare Network
2000 – Present Up to 1999 Landcare activities in Singleton local government area were carried out by members of four groups. In 2000, representatives from these groups formed an umbrella group, Singleton Shire Landcare Network (SSLN), to employ a full-time... read more
Singleton Landcare
1992 – 2007 In 1992, a meeting of land managers from a wide area of Singleton agreed to form a Landcare group. Natural resource management issues of concern were weed and insect pests, soil erosion, salinity, and the need for stewardship and sharing of... read more
Shortland to Wallsend Landcare
1993 – Present In 1993, when we participated in Clean Up Australia day, it was a time of nationwide enthusiasm for community Landcare. Out of this enthusiasm Shortland to Wallsend Landcare was formed in partnership with Newcastle City Council’s Greening Centre... read more
Raymond Terrace Parks Reserves and Tidy Towns
2001 – Present Raymond Terrace Parks Reserves and Tidy Towns was established as a Port Stephens Council (PSC) 355c Committee in 2001 to look after the development of the local parks and bushland areas surrounding Raymond Terrace. Our primary landcare sites are... read more
Obelisk Hill – Arcadia Park Landcare, The Hill
2010 – Present In 2010 Lois Simpson, a member of the Newcastle Ramblers Bushwalking Club initiated the formation of a Coastcare group to celebrate the Club’s 50 year anniversary and to restore native vegetation to Obelisk Hill and its surrounds in Newcastle. So... read more
Nobbys and Horseshoe Beach Landcare, Newcastle
2004 – Present We work on Nobbys Beach Dunes on the path to the lighthouse and the area behind Horseshoe Beach; both sites are just south of the mouth of the Hunter River. Newcastle City Council had a plan for a working group at Horseshoe Beach which was... read more
Nesca Parade Landcare, The Hill
1999 – Present The group formed because a group of local residents wanted to save a remnant tract of bushland from becoming a dumping ground. The site is a steep wedge of hillside between 77 and 79 Nesca Parade, The Hill, and the focus has been on reversing and... read more
Muscle Creek Landcare, Muswellbrook
1995 – Present The whole of Muscle Creek Catchment was being degraded by farming practices and urbanisation. The landcare group was formed in 1995 to start reversing this trend. It was formed by concerned citizens, both rural and urban. Soon after its formation... read more
Murrurundi Landcare (Pages River Warriors)
2004 – Present We saw the need to revitalise the Pages River running through our town of Murrurundi. We have achieved a lot with a small band of workers. At Wilson Oval by the Pages River we tackled weed eradication and began replanting with trees relevant to... read more
Trees on Farms Mt Vincent Landcare
1998 – Present Our group works in the Mt Vincent, Brunkerville and Mulbring areas of Cessnock local government area. We started in 1989 when local landholders heard about the Trees on Farms program and wanted to be part of it. Our members mainly live on small... read more
Morgan Street Reserve Landcare
1998 – Present Morgan Street Reserve in Merewether is now a delightful patch of nature in a busy residential area, but it was not always so. In 2014 the Reserve was dilapidated and overgrown and its future was being reviewed by Newcastle City Council. A small... read more
Merriwa Landcare
1989 – Present Merriwa Landcare is one of the oldest Landcare groups in NSW and started in 1989 due to land degradation issues including soil erosion, loss of native vegetation and the dieback of yellow box in the area. Ron Jurd and Peter Strachan were early... read more
Merewether Foreshore Landcare
2004 – Present This Landcare group was started by Lori Hungerford and Griff Foley in January 2004. An enthusiastic group began removing bitou bush, initially on the dunes at Merewether Beach and subsequently behind Merewether baths in a steep area... read more
McCullys Gap Rehabilitation & Sustainability Community Care, Muswellbrook Shire
The first meeting of what became McCullys Gap Rehabilitation & Sustainability Community Care Group Inc. was initiated by Therese and Steve Moffitt who invited local landowners and guest speakers to inform us about forming a Landcare group. Our first challenge was... read more
Martindale Creek Catchment Landcare
2014 – Present In 2014 the Martindale community hosted a project by another agency targeting riparian weeds. The results were disappointing and caused the community to come together and look for better solutions. Out of this was formed a steering committee,... read more
Lemon Tree Passage Parks and Reserves Landcare
1980 – Present The group was formed in the 1980s and is made up of local volunteers who work in conjunction with Port Stephens Council in Lemon Tree Passage parks. In the early days, as well as bush regeneration activities, the group built a significant... read more
Lambs Valley Landcare
1993 – Present Lambs Valley Landcare was formed in 1993 with 28 members. At the time the Lambs Valley community only consisted of approximately 35 members. One of the very early activities was the completion of a Catchment Management Plan with the assistance of... read more
Lake Macquarie Landcare Volunteer Network
1999 – Present The Lower Hunter Urban Landcare Network started the Landcare Resource Officer project in 1999, with John Hughson hosted by Lake Macquarie City Council. From this, a need arose for a local network to cohere the many groups across Lake Macquarie.... read more
Lake Liddell Landcare Demonstration Site
Reformation 2004 – Present Liddell power station near Muswellbrook was completed in the early 1970s. It was the first major power station to be built inland, using fresh water for cooling instead of the more abundant salt water used in coastal power stations. To... read more
Jacknorman Street Landcare, Waratah West
2002 – Present Jacknorman Street Landcare was first set up by my wife and myself in June 2002, 18 months after my family moved there. The area consists of a patch of bushland adjacent to and above the western side of the old Waratah quarry. A no-name water... read more
Hunter Wetlands Centre, Shortland
1985 – Present The Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia (HWCA) at Shortland opened to the public for the Bicentennial celebrations in 1988, however, the public not-for-profit company was launched three years earlier in 1985. The founding Articles of Association... read more
Gresford Landcare
1990 – Present Gresford Landcare began in 1990 when 70 members joined to oppose zeolite mining in the district. Founding members were Wilfred Watts, Jan Ginters, John Collison, Sheila Doyle, Arch Humpfries, Tony McKenzie, Bob Doyle, Penny Kater, Peter... read more
George McGregor Landcare, Rankin Park
2003 – Present George McGregor Landcare operates within part of a large isolated patch of remnant bushland surrounded by urban development at Rankin Park. The area of operation is centered on George McGregor Park, a 19.66-hectare rectangular area of... read more
Friends of The Schoolmaster’s House, Ash Island, Hexham
2018 – Present The group was keen to continue use of the Schoolmaster’s House as a significant community resource for community education about Landcare and to preserve, by digitising and archiving, an invaluable library created during more than two... read more
Fern Creek Gully Landcare, Dudley
2003 – Present The Fern Creek Gully Landcare group formed in 2003 following the encouragement of the Lake Macquarie Landcare Coordinator (then John Hughson) and interest from neighbours in recreating a rainforest gully. Peter Dalton is the Landcare Team Leader... read more
Earthcare Park Landcare, Tenambit
1995 – Present Earthcare Park was initiated from a concept by Tom Toogood for an ecovillage on the site where Earthcare Park is now established. A number of key personnel had a similar vision to demonstrate that sustainable building and living using ecological... read more
Dungog Common Landcare Part 2
Yesterday, Thursday 6th June 2019 at 4.15 in the afternoon my sister Jann and I were walking to the north west on a section of the Dungog Common called Pinnacle View and it occurred to me just how lucky I was to be part of our Common. Looking westward as we searched... read more
Dungog Common Landcare Part 1
The Dungog Common Landcare Group(DCLG) formed early in 2015 and the main project for that year was the clearing of a separate area known as Norm’s Corner (corner of Burton Street and Common Road). There were numerous weeds and garden escapees which over time have been... read more
Dixon Park Landcare, Newcastle
2004 – Present Our group started in 2014 when Barbel Stuhr was asked to run a group at Dixon Park to look after an area planted by Newcastle City Council on the hill behind Dixon Park surf club and car park, and to carry out remediation works on the... read more
Congewai Valley Landcare Incorporated
2004 – Present A draft Rivercare Plan for Congewai Creek in the Lower Hunter Valley was developed in 2003. Our group started in 2004 as a means for collective community action to care for the creek and to influence the Rivercare Plan. The issues... read more
Coal Point Progress Association
1995 – Present In 1995 Suzanne Pritchard became the President of the Coal Point Progress Association (CPPA) with a mission to protect the local bushland which was being impacted by fragmentation due to development. Through landcaring the group has been... read more
Central Rankin Park Landcare
1995 – Present We started as a group of residents concerned with maintaining the remnant bushland reserve spaces in our area. Following a survey and planning we began restoring what was there, re-vegetating the damaged areas and restoring the creek line and... read more
Catherine Hill Bay Dunecare
2009 – Present The primary land use round Catherine Hill Bay has been underground coal mining. All the timber needed for the mine, railway and housing was taken locally. There has been stockpiling of coal over large areas and coal chitter was used for fill.... read more
Blackbutt Reserve, Addison Road, New Lambton
2015 – Present The site was overrun by 2 metre-high torpedo grass. This made it practically inaccessible, as well as being a safety hazard and an eyesore. In wet weather a stream of water flows through the end of Addison Road, a cul-de-sac bordering Blackbutt... read more
Abermain District Landcare
Reformation 2018 – Present The group reformed in 2018 after a break of several years, in response to issues of flooding and degradation of Swamp Creek, Abermain. Working on the banks of Swamp Creek, we have focused on the rehabilitation of waterways and... read more
Broke/Bulga Landcare
1996 – Present Working over multiple sites including McNamara, Stewart McTaggart and Herbert Parks in Broke and the Fordwich Crossing Reserve, we aimed to reduce or eliminate woody weeds such as African olive, camphor laurel and broad-leafed privet, along with... read more
Belmont Wetlands State Park
2006 – Present Until the late 1900s the Belmont Wetlands area was not generally recognised as a valuable natural site as the area had suffered from the effects of coal mining, sand mining and extraction, weed infestations, indiscriminate off-road vehicle use,... read more