Overview
If you enjoy weeding and working in the garden, join up now to do volunteer bush regeneration in Kattang Nature Reserve near Port Macquarie. Enjoy the fresh sea air while you help preserve this beautiful environment.
- Work
- Bush regeneration, weed and pest management
- When
3rd Thursday of every month from April to September. 8.30am start, finish before lunch.
- Where
- Kattang Nature Reserve in North Coast
- Accessibility
- No wheelchair access
When you volunteer with the Friends of Kattang Nature Reserve bush regeneration group, you’ll help remove invasive weeds along bush tracks and beach dunes. Your hand-weeding work will allow space and nutrients for Australian native plants to thrive. You’ll focus on eradicating invasive weeds, including bitou bush, lantana, prickly pear, broadleaf grasses and asparagus fern. There will also be the occasional planting activities.
By lending a hand, you’ll form a deeper connection with the coastal Kattang environment and help protect it for future generations. General skills in identifying bushland weeds are desirable, but not essential. You’ll receive training on-site and gain new skills and knowledge, while working outdoors alongside friendly like-minded locals. All you need is a general good level of fitness and be willing to learn and get your hands dirty. You’ll feel a sense of satisfaction when you see what bush regeneration volunteers can achieve together.
Bring drinking water and morning tea, and wear sturdy enclosed footwear, a long-sleeved shirt, trousers, washable sun hat, sunscreen and insect repellent. We’ll provide all equipment.
Volunteers have been doing valuable bush regeneration work at Kattang Nature Reserve since 1999. Join up today to continue this important work.
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/volunteer-activities/friends-of-kattang-bush-regeneration/local-alerts
Park info
- in Kattang Nature Reserve in the North Coast region
Kattang Nature Reserve is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather, fire danger, or pest management.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Friends of Kattang bush regeneration.
Getting there and parking
Volunteers meet at Bergalia Crescent carpark, at the start of the Perpendicular Point Walk track. This is at the corner of Camden Head Road and Bergalia Crescent, Camden Head.
To get there:
From Port Macquarie:
- Drive south on Pacific Highway to Kew.
- Turn left onto Ocean Drive and continue driving through Laurieton.
- After crossing Dunbogan Bridge, turn left onto The Boulevard, which then becomes Camden Head Road.
- Continue along Camden Road approximately 4km to Kattang Nature Reserve.
- Turn right onto Bergalia Crescent and follow to Bergalia Crescent carpark.
From Taree:
- Drive north on Pacific Highway and take the exit to Kew.
- Turn left onto Ocean Drive and continue driving through Laurieton.
- After crossing Dunbogan Bridge, turn left onto The Boulevard, which then becomes Camden Head Road.
- Continue along Camden Road approximately 4km to Kattang Nature Reserve.
- Turn right onto Bergalia Crescent and follow to Bergalia Crescent carpark.
Parking
There is free parking at Bergalia Crescent carpark, plus parking along the street.
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - no wheelchair access
Learn more
Friends of Kattang bush regeneration is in Kattang Nature Reserve. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Fascinating plants, birds and animals
There are 154 types of animals recorded in this reserve: 8 amphibians; 6 reptiles; 17 mammals; and 123 birds. The cliff tops provide an excellent vantage point for whale watching and spotting dolphins. You might also see northern brown bandicoots, koalas and goannas on walking tracks. With 123 bird species spotted here, you'll see plenty of birdlife all year round. Osprey, white-breasted sea eagle and brahminy kites soar overhead. Spring wildflowers attract flocks of Lewin's honeyeater, white-cheeked honeyeater and yellow-faced honeyeater. You might also see migratory birds like the black-faced monarch, dollarbird and rainbow bee-eater in spring and summer. And, of course, if you're lucky, you might see the threatened wompoo fruit-dove or glossy black cockatoo.The black she-oaks here are an important food source for the glossy black cockatoo and the wildflowers on the heath attract feeding birds, insects and mammals with their sweet nectar.
- Charles Hamey lookout You’ll be amazed at the breathtaking coastal views from Charles Hamey lookout. Admire the colourful spring wildflowers and enjoy birdwatching and whale watching.
- Perpendicular Point walking track This easy walk rewards you with spectacular scenic coastal views to Port Macquarie and Diamond Head. The lookout is perfect for whale watching, birdwatching and photography.
Maritime past
Camden Head Pilot Station, right next to the reserve, is heritage listed as a relic of an era when ships wishing to enter the estuary had to wait, sometimes for days at a time, for the pilot to signal their safe passage. Today the Pilot Station's role is to contribute to community well being and enhance cultural and natural heritage. They also have holiday accommodation so check out their website and get involved.
Plants as a life source
Whether you're exploring the rock platforms or wandering across the cliff tops, you're sure to see lots of wildlife at Kattang. Washhouse Beach is one of the most diverse rock platforms in NSW, with some 128 species of organisms living there. This small nature reserve also supports a variety of habitats, including rugged and exposed headlands, patches of littoral rainforest, dry eucalypt forest and wet and dry heaths. Why not join the Friends of Kattang to get involved in protecting this precious bushland?
- Charles Hamey lookout You’ll be amazed at the breathtaking coastal views from Charles Hamey lookout. Admire the colourful spring wildflowers and enjoy birdwatching and whale watching.
- Perpendicular Point walking track This easy walk rewards you with spectacular scenic coastal views to Port Macquarie and Diamond Head. The lookout is perfect for whale watching, birdwatching and photography.
Thousands of years of Aboriginal culture
The name 'Kattang' comes from the local language of the Birpai Aboriginal people. Shell middens provide evidence of Aboriginal occupation for thousands of years. The landscape and wildlife of Kattang continue to be an important part of the identity, spirituality and cultural heritage of the Birpai People.