Reports 2022 - present

LLS sign identifying the fenced project site comprising hundreds of locally grown native trees including Swamp Mahogany.


Weed Control & Revegetation on Landcare Site at Ourimbah

Local Land Services Grant GS01664


Project Grant GS01664

Local Land Services (LLS) provided the Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare group (PGOC Landcare) with a grant aimed at improving local areas for threatened species of fauna. The project site has transformed a heavily weed infested area of privet, honey suckle and blackberry into an area of regenerating native vegetation including Swamp Mahogany and other endemic species from the seed of mature trees already growing nearby on the Landcare site.

The project site is located adjacent to the main access track about 200 metres north of the container storage area on the Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare site. The site was chosen to enhance food and habitat areas of targeted threatened species of native fauna.



Grant Project

The project has delivered the grant’s intended outcomes (weeding, planting and fencing the site to exclude animal grazing) to re-establish continuity of the EEC Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal Floodplains on the Landcare site.

The project selected an area of cleared vegetation that disrupted an important continuous native vegetation corridor of Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal Floodplains. Rehabilitation of this site infills a missing link where the establishment of the Swamp Mahogany vegetation community provides continuity to an important vegetative corridor.

This project site complements adjacent areas of re-established and actual vegetation of the Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal Floodplains community. The reestablishment of a Swamp Mahogany vegetation community is enhancing the habitat and food source for targeted Threatened Species including the Swift Parrot and species that are already recorded on the Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare site are listed as Vulnerable: Black bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis; Sooty owl Tyto tenebrichosa; Powerful owl Ninox strenua; Little lorikeet Glossopsitta pusilla; Little eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides; Varied sitella Daphoenositta chrysoptera. In addition the following are also recorded: Pteropus poliocephalus Grey-headed flying fox; Nyctinomus australis White-striped freetail bat; Mormopterus ridei. Eastern freetail bat; Vespadelus pumilus Eastern forest bat; Miniopterus australis. Little bentwing bat; Miniopterus schreibersii Eastern bentwing bat; Petaurus breviceps sugar glider. 

Landcare members working on the project site with the water bore in the right foreground.

Landcare members working on the project site with the water bore in the right foreground 

Locally grown trees ready for planting on the project site

Locally grown trees ready for planting on the project site (above).

Landcare plant nursery used to establish endemic Swamp Mahogany and other native trees from seed harvested on site for the project (below).

Landcare plant nursery used to establish endemic Swamp Mahogany and other native trees from seed harvested on site for the project

The project controlled dense areas of weed infestation of Privet, Honey Suckle and Blackberry on the site that was cut and poisoned. This enabled the planting of the EEC native species on the site after it was fenced to protect the project area from grazing animals like wallabies. The ‘before and after’ monitoring photos / transects provide a documented change that now favours restoration of the desired EEC vegetation for the target threatened species of native fauna. This is providing linkage with the adjacent corridor of Swamp Mahogany vegetation.

This corridor adds to the value of the whole area of the Landcare site as it is identified as an important regional corridor of native vegetation that connects the western Ourimbah Forest vegetation communities with the riparian vegetation communities adjacent to the Ourimbah Creek corridor. In addition the area is an important part of the west-east vegetation corridors either side the M1 motorway.

PGOC Landcare committed to the planting of endemic tree species through in-kind contributions to deliver the following:


The Landcare Group will ensure the regeneration of the native trees on the project site through its maintenance of the protective fencing and the control of the targeted environmental weeds.

2022 2023

Project site with heavy infestation of privet prior to works in 2022Project site with heavy infestation of privet prior to works in 2022
Project site with weeds controlled after works in 2023

Monitoring Photo Set 1: Project Site from drone looking north from southern end
Project site with heavy infestation of privet prior to works in 2022 Project site with weeds controlled after works in 2023 

Monitoring Photo Set 2: Project Site looking west to the water bore from eastern side
Weed infested site looking west to the water bore from eastern side BEFORE works Privet controlled and planted site looking west to the water bore from eastern side AFTER works 

Monitoring Photo Set 3: Project Site looking east over the water bore from western side
Weed infested site looking east over the water bore BEFORE project works in 2022 Weed controlled and planted site looking east over the water bore AFTER project works in 2023