A Heartfelt Thank You from the Community

Our Reefcare team enjoying morning tea

The Reefcare team has received a warm message of appreciation from a community member, Mona Kalt, for the ongoing bush regeneration efforts at Long Reef Headland and along the path to Griffiths Park.

“Hi Bush Regeneration Team,

Thank you for the wonderful planting and care around Long Reef Headland and the path to Griffiths Park. Your great work is much appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Mona Kalt”

This is the first public thank-you we’ve received, and it’s a fantastic reminder of the positive impact our volunteering efforts have on both the environment and community.

Congratulations to everyone involved! Your dedication is making a real difference at Long Reef!

Our Reefcare team having a quick break

🌱 Interested in joining us? Come along to a Reefcare Working Day and be part of our passionate conservation community!

Reefcare Report: Weed removal and Wildlife

Beautiful shot of Long Reef rock platform and grass slopes

The June working bee's primary focus was pulling out non-native pig’s face and planting a tray of 30 plants around the western area of the site.

The weather was perfect, we were welcomed by lots of wildlife. We have found evidence of a bandicoot as there is a burrow along the slope. We found a fuller’s rose weevil while weeding pig’s face. We also found a new sapling of banksia under a tea tree and unfortunately found a new weed has been introduced to the site, called the African fireweed. Two Ospreys flew over who had caught a fish each and magpies foraged nearby hoping to catch worms in the unearthed soil.

Self Seeded Banksia Found under a Tea Tree – Photo by Stefanie

Australian Magpie standing on dead pig’s-face - Photo by Stefanie

We pulled out a large amount of pig’s face on the slope. You can tell it is non-native by the long green leaves which are like a carpet over smaller native plants.

Karina weeding Pigs Face – Photo by Stefanie

The Maroubra snail was first discovered on site two years ago, it is very rare and found again today, it has a brown shell.

Maroubra Snail on leaf – Photo by Brad

There was a fire ant nest nearby where we were planting meanwhile placing water crystals in the soil.

Julie did a bag of asparagus crowns and either dug or poisoned them: “I continued working in the area below the Whale Sculpture, focusing on the removal of Asparagus Fern. Where the plants were easily accessible, I cut around the crown with a jab saw, and cut off stems, roots and the globular water nodules.”

The first photo shows a trimmed crown about to be cut out. It is only the crown that needs to be removed. The second photo shows trimmed crowns on the bag.

“Where the plant is growing under native bush or other obstacle, I join stems into a ' ponytail', trim the top, scrape the stems and spray with glyphosate.” The third photo shows some 'ponytails' tinged blue with glyphosate. “These will be checked next time I'm on site. I'm confident of asparagus death!”

Text by Stephanie

Reefcare Report: A Lucky Break in the Weather 🌿🌞

Early start, big impact. Our amazing Reefcare crew gearing up in the carpark before heading out to protect and restore Long Reef’s dunes and bushland.

After a week of rain, we were lucky to have a beautiful, sunny day with barely any wind — perfect conditions for our working bee. Denise, Misima, Kathy, and Lisa spent the morning in the eastern dune area, with Alex joining after doing some follow-up on Turkey Rhubarb and Asparagus Fern. We continued removing non-native Pigface from the small bowl-like area we began restoring three months ago and planted 20 tube stock in the space.

Volunteers got their hands dirty removing Pigface, tackling Asparagus Fern, and planting native tube stock to help restore the dunes.

Despite the spread of Hydrocotyle bonariensis due to recent rains, we’re confident our new plantings will thrive and outcompete, as it’s the growing season.

Julie focused her efforts at the top of the site, tirelessly working to remove Asparagus Fern — crowning, scraping, and poisoning where needed — and also cleared more Pigface from that area.

Merrilyn was on the move across the site on her own Asparagus Fern mission. It’s everywhere — about one every step or two — but thanks to her vigilance, we’re catching many of them early while they’re still small.

Gen and Brad worked down in the gully, cutting back Bitou where full removal isn’t possible due to the fragile cliffs, and continued clearing Pigface from our planting zones.

We were joined at morning tea by Michael Kneipp from Northern Beaches Council, who visited to discuss two key areas of concern. He was pleased with the progress in the eastern dunes but shared some reservations about sections in the far western part of the site. Lisa and Kathy assured him that Reefcare will take these concerns into account in planning and prioritising future work, particularly around the western gully.

Refuel and reconnect. Our Reefcare team pausing for morning tea after a solid few hours of conservation care at Long Reef.

A big thank you to everyone who came out — your dedication is making a real difference. 💚