Bushcare & Parkcare groups
Bushcare locations, contacts and times
Randwick Council has 15 Bushcare groups who work with Council’s Bushcare Officer as part of our bush regeneration program removing weeds, planting indigenous plants and installing soil erosion controls. Luckily enough many of our sites occur along the Eastern Suburbs coastline and encompass a variety of ecosystem types. The Bushcare calendar lists the dates of all our groups for the year in one easy place.
Clovelly Bay (Clovelly)
Located on the northern side of Clovelly Bay this beautiful site overlooks the ocean and contains consists of two remnant patches of native coastal heath. You really couldn't pick a more idyllic location for bushcare.
Meets 4th Friday of the month from 9am – 12pm
Where - Opposite 18 Eastbourne Ave, Clovelly
Fred Hollows Reserve (Randwick)
One of the last remaining rainforest gullies in the Sydney metro region, volunteers work in this unique rainforest setting to remove weeds and install a unique assemblage of plants which your unlikely to find elsewhere in Randwick.
Meets 2nd Wednesday of each month from 9am – 12pm
Where – The Bligh Place entrance to Fred Hollows Reserve, Randwick
Dunningham Reserve (Coogee)
Our newest Bushcare site, this area contains a highly diverse coastal health ecosystem, an extension of the foreshore vegetation that wraps around Gordons Bay. This group will be undertaking primary works to remove vine and woody weed infestations, before extending existing indigenous plant cover with supplement planting.
Meets 4th Thursday of each month 9am – 11am
Where– Adjacent 5-7 Major Street, Coogee
Gordons Bay (Coogee)
Randwick Council’s longest running Bushcare group. Over the years volunteers have been working to manage this important pocket of coastal heath reserve with epic views. Maintenance weeding and revegetation with indigenous plants are regularly undertaken.
Meets 1st Sunday of the month from 9am – 12pm
Where – Access via the UNSW Cliffbrook Campus, 45 Beach St, Coogee
Grant Reserve (Coogee)
Located at the southern end of Coogee beach is a small parcel revegetated with indigenous species. It is home to a surprising variety of small birds that enjoy the nectar of the native flowers and dense shrubs to hide amongst. Regular pruning, hand weeding and planting keep this reserve in great shape.
Meets 3rd Wednesday of the month from 9am – 11am
Where – The entrance to Coogee Surf Life Saving Club carpark, Coogee
Ladies Pool (Coogee)
Working within the grounds of McIver’s Baths this ladies only group has gradually been clearing a slope infested with woody weeds. The cleared space has been stabilised with erosion control logs and infilled with a mixture of native species to provide diversity. This work has been extend to include the beautification of the garden bed in front of the pool in recent years.
Meets the 3rd Thursday of the month from 9am – 12pm
Where – Out front of the Ladies’ Pool, McIver’s Baths, Coogee
Malabar Wetland (Maroubra)
Consisting of a small freshwater lake surrounded by native vegetation this site offers a slightly different setting to the others. Volunteers focus their efforts on targeting exotic vines and grasses within the reserve.
Meets 3rd Wednesday of the month from 1pm – 4pm
Where – At the end of Manwaring Ave, Maroubra
Malabar Foreshore (Malabar)
The southern side of Long Bay provides a brilliant viewpoint of the bay making it hard to get any work done! Despite such challenges our volunteers do a stellar job hand weeding, stabilising slopes and revegetating bare patches to increase the aesthetics of the bay and provide habitat for local fauna.
Meets 1st Saturday of the month from 9am – 1pm
Where – On the lawn opposite 9 Bay Parade, Malabar
Maroubra Dunes (Maroubra)
Dune systems are a sensitive vegetation community that are under the continual pressures of salt-laden winds and harsh sun. At Maroubra Beach we maintenance weed and infill plant with indigenous species in the fore dune and hind dune zones.
Meets 1st Thursday of the month from 9am – 12pm
Where – The carpark of South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club, Maroubra
Prince Henry (Little Bay)
3 sites that encompass some of the best remaining bushland within Randwick provide great variety and interest for our southernmost group. Since starting in 2014 a lot of progress has been made tackling large thickets of woody weeds, chasing vines and hand weeding these remnants back to their former glory.
Meets the 2nd Saturday of the month from 9am – 1pm
Where – Alternate between the corner of Jennifer Street & Harvey St, Little Bay, 5R Brodie St and 2 Millard Dr
(Please contact the Bushcare Officer to find out this month’s meeting spot)
Randwick Environment Park (Randwick)
REP is Randwick Councils most sizable bushland reserve and contains some of the best bushland remnants in the area. Here there is a combination of primary weed removal, hand weeding amongst native and revegetation of the more degraded areas.
Meets 1st Wednesday and 2nd Sunday of the month from 9am – 12pm
Where – Access via the corner of Dooligah Ave & Burragulung St, Randwick
Wylie’s Baths (Coogee)
This picturesque site above Wylie’s baths concentrates on removing weeds and replanting with indigenous plant species. The group has successfully revegetated a large portion of the site and is continuing around the outskirts of the playing fields.
Meets 3rd Tuesday of the month from 9am - 12pm
Where – The BBQ area opposite the entrance to Wylie’s Baths, Coogee
Malabar Headland National Park Bushcare
Malabar Headland contains one of the last remaining stands of the endangered ecological community, Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS). Volunteers help protect this fragile community through the removal of noxious weeds. Volunteers work in the western section of bushland within Malabar Headland National Park.
Contact ‘Friends of Malabar Headland’ for information via malabarheadland@gmail.com
Parkcare Groups
Randwick Council has 2 Parkcare groups who work with Council’s Bushcare Officer to create areas of habitat within Council parks and reserves. Parkcare volunteers' plant both Australian natives as well as local indigenous plants. These groups are best suited to volunteers who prefer more of a relaxed gardening experience.
Alison Road (Coogee)
Located at the northern end of Coogee this site began as a weedy rubble heap. The tireless effort of a small volunteer base has transformed it into an excellent example of a native garden. Work continues to battle persistent weeds and add to the native plantings whenever we can.
Meets 4th Thursday of the month from 1pm – 3pm
Where - the corner of Alison Rd & Beach St, Coogee
Old Tramline (Randwick)
Located along a historical tram route, this narrow park provides a pleasant spot for visitors to walk through or even have a picnic. The park contains a variety of plants of all different shapes, sizes and textures, providing plenty of visual appeal. Volunteers regularly prune vegetation and mulch garden beds to keep things looking in top shape. As a result of ongoing works the section west of Carrington Road is now a well-established and highly valued local treasure. Increasingly works have begun to focus on the eastern section which requires work to improve vegetation cover.
Meets 2nd Thursday of the month from 9am – 12pm
Where - Adjacent 284R Carrington Rd, Randwick
Non-Council Run Groups
Please note that the following groups are not run by Randwick City Council. As such, if you require more information please contact the groups directly.
Magic Point Bush Regenerators
Meets – 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Thursdays of the month 9am – 1pm (earlier start and finish during summer)
Call Therese on 0403 532 655 for details.
Photo courtesy of Claire Bettington
Little Bay Landcare (Malabar)
Located within the grounds of Randwick Golf Course this small dedicated group work to preserve isolated patches of remnant vegetation through the removal of woody and herbaceous weeds. Their long standing commitment has resulted in significant weed removal and natural regeneration.
Meets 1st Saturday of the month from 8am – 12pm
Between 119 & 121 Bilga Crescent, Malabar
Call Kerry on 9311 4099 for more details
Want to know more?
Check out our Bushcare Volunteer Manual.
Contact our Bushcare Officer via bushcare@randwick.nsw.gov.au
Visit our Randwick City Bushcare Volunteers Facebook group page for regular updates.