Flora walk in July

I took a walk around the Habitat to see what was around, since Spring seems to be coming a bit early this year. 

Left from the Centre, past Nursery, down the bushland Amble to Mossy Boardwalk (where the frogs were very loud). Along to The Hub and then out onto the bike path, reentered via Middle Gate and down to Birdsong to check on the nesting birds.*See map below

To hear the birds, bees, frogs, rustling in the grasses and the sight of all these in flower was delightful.

  Highly recommend this part of the Habitat at this time of year especially.

 

No, the wombat didn't sit on these, but don't tell the Kids Club!

Spiny Matt Rush

Fire recovery

National Tree Day

 

 

National Tree Day at the habitat

 

 Locally we have several tree Day activities, including:

at the Habitat revegetating  where power poles were removed.

Trees in Newcastle are at Stockton

Corlette, Lemon tree Passage, Anna Bay just to name a few.

 

   What is National Tree Day?

 National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day combine to make Australia's biggest community tree-planting and nature care event. Co-ordinated by Planet Ark and proudly sponsored by Toyota, these are special days for all Australians to help out by planting and caring for native trees and shrubs to improve the environment in which they live. National Tree Day was co-founded by Olivia Newton-John and Planet Ark in 1996 and since then more than 2 million volunteers have planted over 15 million native trees and shrubs! It's a day to get down and get your hands dirty to help the planet!

A short word about native plants

National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day promote planting and caring for native trees and plants. Australia is a massive continent. It is also a very old continent.  Australian plants have had a long time to adapt to local conditions. Transplanted to another site with a slightly different climate, an Australian plant could simply curl up and die OR it could establish itself as an invasive weed species and out-compete other native species in its new home. This then becomes a problem for local wildlife who have also adapted - to particular types of habitat and to particular food plants. The Cootamundra Wattle is an example of a native Australian species that has moved out of its local area to become a widespread weed.
At Planet Ark we believe it is important to maintain and support local bio-diversity. In places all around the world that people love to visit, plants bring their special colours, textures and smells to make those places unique. So we do not promote the planting of introduced species and we strongly recommend that sites are only planted under the supervision of an experienced and knowledgeable bush regenerator. Even in urbanized areas there can be remnant native plants that represent an important source of local biodiversity, often threatened by the pressures of urban living.

National Tree Day aims to inspire, educate and recruit Australians to actively care for our unique land and create future generations of committed environmental custodians.

Local Native Plants

There are many reasons why planting native plants that are local to your area (also known as local provenance) is important.

Planting for Climate Change

Plants help to combat climate change by locking up carbon, but there are more ways that native plants can help address the impacts of climate change.

Planting for Biodiversity

Before Climate Change was the "hot" topic in the environmental debate, the loss of biodiversity was internationally recognised as being the major threat facing the future of life on our planet.

Not local? Easy,  pop on over to Planet Ark to find a site near you

"No tree no me"

Sand Mining

 1960

Sand mining - Dredge

                 

Dredged material is combined with water and pumped through Cyclones

to separate heavy metals (Rutile, Titanium & Zircon) for use in both the

Medical and Industrial fields (Joint replacement or Paint manufacture)

                                                               

A dredge like this was used to clear Tilligerry Habitat in the 1960's

               

There was little rehabilitation done by mining companies afterwards   

Straw Bale Building

We are very proud of our Straw Bale building. 

Not only does it keep us warmer in Winter and cooler in Summer, due to the construction and cross ventilation, it is the home, not only of our office, workshop, Information Centre but a great meeting place and the perfect size to cater for tour groups.

 
 

 That is a lot of straw!

A new male

We had a lovely visitor today

He (very definitely a he) walked over to the school and managed to get under the fence.

He then ran rather quickly

over to a tree, climbing very well,  where he spent the rest of the day.

Nice clean bottom, clear eyes and very healthy looking.

We are hoping he will become a permanent resident to take over the throne of "Dude" at the Sailing Club.

Not that we like to see him dethroned but since males live about 10 years in the wild and Dude is already 9 he is approaching that time in his life.

At the moment this one does not have a name so if you do recognise him please let us know.

(more white on rump than shows in this picture)

Thank you Bev Caddy for the lovely photos and showing him to the visitors

Planting for wildlife in your area

 Want to encourage wildlife into your gardens?

Or perhaps encourage them away from the house?

I have come across a site that covers all areas across Australia and is easy to use.

You can (for free) sign up and plan a garden with plants Native to your area, check these with your local Native Nursery.

There are fact sheets on attracting frogs, lizards, birds, mammals, butterflies, native bees, bird baths, nest boxes and how to care for your native plants in various soil types.

As well as a host of information for schools, educational resources and links to helpful, up to date information. 

So why not give it a go and see what you can come up with?

I found out why I have so many tree frogs - Lophostemon confertus (Brush Box)

and I thought the butterflies were stunning around this tree!

Create a garden

 

Any questions about Native plants for our local area pop in and speak to 

Charlie in our Nursery

Phone: 02 40 845677

Or

Contact 

Trees in Newcastle

http://www.treesinnewcastle.org.au/page19194/Local-Native-Plants.aspx

 252 Parry Street,
Newcastle West, 2302 

Phone: (02) 4969 1500

Local Provenance is the term used to describe native plant populations that naturally occur in a given area, so help protect our Native Bushland and look into what to plant where.

It is a small step that makes a huge difference!

Lynne and caring for her Mum

 For those interested in what I do in my "spare time" pop on over and have a look.

http://tiilipeninsula.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-look-after-my-mother.html

Upcoming Events

*Join us for the monthly BBQ 12.30 on Sunday 19^th June. 

 Invite your friends!!!! Remember byo!

*100 CLUB has Started: Cost $2 to be drawn at BBQ each month

Can you turn a $2 gold coin into a $50 note?

Got to be in it to win it!

*Sunday 10^th 11am for the BIG AUCTION

 Barney has offered to auction some of the treasures he thinks we can round up.

Don’t put items of value out with the roadside clean-up! 

We can find them a new home!

Bring them to Tilligerry Habitat by Wednesday 6^th July.

Other planned events

National Tree Day on Sunday 31^st July!!!

We are also planning a Trivia Night in August.

More information on these events coming soon!

Koala Trivia

Koala Facts

• Since European Settlement 80% of Koala habitat has been destroyed
• Habitat is the bushland where they live and breed (Eucalypt forest)
• A Koala sleeps 17 to 22 hours per day
• They have individual fingerprints and are the only animal, apart from humans, that do
• They do not migrate and don't naturally occur on islands
• Southern koalas are bigger, browner and have thicker fur than Northern ones
• There is only one species of Koala
• A healthy Koala lives for approximately 10 years in the wild
• The oldest known zoo koala was a female who lived to 23 years old at Lone Pine Sanctuary in Queensland.named  Sarah and she is in the Guiness Book of Records as the oldest known koala. The oldest known male koala  wasTam Tam at Tama Zoo near Tokyo. He lived to 22. 
• ‘Koala’ is thought to have meant 'no drink' in one of the Aboriginal languages. 
• a male koala as a ‘buck’ and a female as a ‘doe’.
• A baby koala is called a 'joey' .  
• The pouch is  situated in the centre of the female's abdomen and the opening faces straight outwards, 

• One of the reasons koalas don't live a long time is because when their teeth get ground down from eating the tough eucalyptus leaves, they don't grow back, so after a time, they can't grind the leaves down properly and get enough nourishment from them
• The Koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ring tail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. 
• Each koala eats approximately 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day. 
• Koalas are very fussy eaters and have strong preferences for different types of gum leaves.
• The koala’s paws are specially adapted for gripping and climbing. Rough pads on the palms and soles help it to grip tree trunks and branches, and both front and hind paws have long sharp claws. Each paw has five digits. Distinctive parallel koala scratch marks on tree trunks are due to this particular characteristic.

•  On the hind paw the second and third digits are fused together to form a double-clawed digit which is used for grooming purposes, such as for removing ticks.  

 

Tilligerry Habitat Reserve

Tilligerry Habitat Reserve & Environment Centre

Eco-tourism, passive recreation and education.

 Situated on the south-western shore of Port Stephens, the Tilligerry Peninsula is just 2 1/2 hours from Sydney and 45 minutes from Newcastle and Nelson Bay. 

The Tilligerry Habitat is a tranquil, 9 hectare  Reserve bordered by a variety of park lands and the picturesque foreshore of Tanilba Bay.  Its diverse flora and fauna make it an excellent place to observe and study nature.

The network of scenic paths and boardwalks, over mostly flat terrain, make it accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages. Much of the area is wheelchair friendly. The Reserve includes forests, heath and wetlands and is home a variety of fauna including; koalas, a range of birds and seven species of frogs.

Other features of the Reserve include a straw-bale building that is our Environmental Centre. It contains an Arts and Crafts Gallery and has space for audio/visual presentations and small functions. It has a large deck looking out across the reserve where filtered water views of the bay may be seen through the swamp mahogany forest. Next door to the Environmental Centre is our Native Plant Nursery where visitors can buy native plants and learn about native plant propagation, rehabilitation of sand-mined land and plant rescue activities.

Happenings

 

 

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE HABITAT

Environment, Gallery & Information Centre

    is welcoming to tourists and shoppers.

Nursery is open for sales and is training in seed collection and propagation

Tourism provides eco-tours and hospitality tours. Overseas visitors can see koalas in the wild and learn about the Australian bush.

Site includes boardwalks, is continually being improved and maintained by volunteers.

Office is busy keeping up with paper work needed for our activities and keeping the members up to date with happenings.

Regular Activities

Creative Art: Wednesday 9.30am-12

Nursery Potting: Tuesday 9am to 12

Community BBQ; 3^rd Sunday of the month 12 noon

Community Garden; every Thursday 8.30am

Nature Watch: Every 2^nd Saturday

 Other Activities

Fund Raisers and Social Activities: These are many and varied but most of all fun, enjoyable, educational or a celebration.

Paths and walks

There are several walks around the Habitat to take in the various eco systems.

The boardwalks provide easy access and meander throughout. these were built primarily by Volunteers with assistance from Tafe students, Port Stephens Council and various Landcare groups

 The construction involves careful planning to minimise disturbance to the Native vegetation, awareness of water flow in heavy rain, Fauna habitats and life cycles, If that isn't enough we also need to provide access for Fire and other emergency vehicles to the site.

Generators are used for power tools but apart from that luxury it is a manual task.

Minimising erosion is another important consideration for us

Construction also involves bridge building in some areas. Although we are a relatively flat reserve waterways need to be able to continue unimpeded.

Some jobs just take on a mammoth proportion when nature decides to have her way.

Designing areas such as "The Hub" was a major venture and thank you to all those bodies who made it possible.

The Hub now has History, information on the posts and is definitely worth a stop to see.
The history of the area and time lines contain a wealth of information

All this work amounts to the ability to view Nature  and our beautiful waterways up close and personal

Seating is provided along the paths for a rest and a chance to just sit and admire what is around you

 Tranquility, Soldier Crabs, flora, fauna  and harmony. It is a delightful walk and one that is taken regularly by locals

 The view from "Birdsong Boardwalk" is a favourite amongst visitors and members alike.

"Blue Wren Bridge" leads you to this and the wrens can be seen hopping about as well as Pardalopes

 This bridge is our latest pride and joy, Designed and constructed by our "Monday and Tuesday" volunteers with the assistance of Dick for engineers advice.

and of course, there are the Koala sightings

Cicadas

When you visit in the Summer months, you would be forgiven for thinking that a bunch of us are just sitting around in the sun.
Chances are you may be right or we may be watching another of Nature's marvels at work
(and sometimes this takes time)

    With there being about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, with more than 200 being in Australia, then chances are that you have already witnessed this metamorphosis and understand the attraction.

Australian cicadas differ from many other types because of our diversity of climate and terrain. Here cicadas are found on tropical islands and cold coastal beaches around Tasmania; in tropical wetlands; high and low deserts; alpine areas of New South Wales and Victoria; large cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane; and Tasmanian highlands and snowfields.

About us

The Tilligerry Habitat is a tranquil, 9 hectare Reserve bordered by a variety of parklands and the picturesque foreshore of Tanilba Bay. Its diverse flora and fauna make it an excellent place to observe and study nature. The network of scenic paths and boardwalks, over mostly flat terrain, make it accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages. Much of the area is wheelchair friendly. The Reserve includes forests, heath and wetlands and is home to a variety of fauna including; koalas, a range of birds and seven species of frogs.

 

Part of the reserve was sand mined back in the 60’s and Tilligerry Habitat Ass has restored and re vegetated the degraded land, by propagating from seed in the Nursery on site. This Nursery is also open to the public and welcomes visitors.   

The Tilligerry Habitat experience starts at the Environment Centre which is made from straw bales. It contains an Arts and Crafts Gallery, Souvenir’s, Educational displays, the Local Visitors Centre, and has space for audio/visual presentations and small functions. It has a large deck looking out across the reserve where filtered water views of the bay may be seen through the swamp mahogany forest.

Visitors can book a tour of the of the reserve with our trained guides, who will tell them about koalas, the eco systems, Worimi people, bush tucker and other flora and fauna of the Tilligerry Habitat. Self guided tours can be done at any time.

Anyone can become a member of the organisation.

To continue our work we need Volunteers

Contact us at 
tilligerryhabita@tsn.cc

or phone/fax us on
0249845677