Fire is a defining ecological force in Australian heathland. It removes accumulated vegetation, opens the canopy, returns nutrients to the soil and creates…
The walk to Gan Gan Lookout offers more than a broad view across Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, and the surrounding coastline. Its short route passes through a…
The grey mangrove, Avicennia marina, is one of the most recognisable plants in the Port Stephens estuary. It occupies the shifting boundary between land and…
Across the heathlands of the Tomaree Peninsula, some of the most distinctive plants produce flower heads and fruits that resemble small cones. Isopogon and…
On the Tomaree Peninsula, the spaces beneath trees and taller shrubs can be as botanically interesting as the open heath and coastal margins. The pale flax…
Acacia longifolia is one of the most recognisable wattles of eastern Australia. Its bright yellow flower spikes, narrow green phyllodes and ability to grow in…
Sandstone outcrops around the Tomaree Peninsula support small but ecologically distinctive communities that are easy to overlook. Between weathered slabs, in…
Banksia ericifolia, commonly known as heath-leaved banksia, is one of the most recognisable nectar-producing shrubs of eastern Australia. Its cylindrical…
Boronias bring some of the most memorable flowers and fragrances to the bushland of the Tomaree Peninsula. Their four-petalled blooms appear in shades of pink,…
Lomandra is one of the most recognisable groups of Australian native plants. Its long, strap-like leaves rise from dense clumps, giving roadsides, creek…