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Volunteers planting on Ash Island
Rehabilitating Kooragang Wetlands
In 1993 the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project (KWRP) was initiated to re-create habitat for fish, shorebirds and other wildlife in the Hunter estuary, which had been lost through 200 years of draining, filling and clearing.
The project covers three sites totalling 1590 hectares at: Ash Island (780 ha), Tomago wetlands (800 ha) and Stockton Sandspit (10 ha). Ash Island was once used informally as a rubbish tip and dump site for stolen cars. Sixteen years later it has been transformed thanks to the efforts of KWRP staff and dedicated community volunteers who have planted over 150,000 trees and shrubs to extend the remnants of rainforest and riparian vegetation that once flourished on the floodplain adjacent to the wetlands.
There are now over 300 species of indigenous plants and over 27 threatened species and one threatened community on Ash Island, which provides habitat for over 200 species of birds including 34 migratory species, 42 species of fish and crustaceans, 15 species of frog, and 10 species of bat.
Kooragang Nature Reserve was designated to the Ramsar list in 1984 and is now part of the Hunter Estuary National Park. Incorporating Shortland Wetlands (known as the Wetlands Centre Australia), the Hunter Estuary Wetlands Ramsar site has a total area of almost 3000 hectares, and is the largest single estuarine reserve in NSW.
Visitors are always welcome on Ash Island and guided tours are available by appointment. There are boardwalks, walking tracks, cycleways and interpretive signage at various places on the island to assist visitors as they explore the wonders of this special place.
To find out more on the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project, call 02 4964 9308 or drop in and say hello at the old Schoolmasters House from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. Access is via the Ash Island Bridge at the lights near McDonalds on the Pacific Highway at Hexham.
The project covers three sites totalling 1590 hectares at: Ash Island (780 ha), Tomago wetlands (800 ha) and Stockton Sandspit (10 ha). Ash Island was once used informally as a rubbish tip and dump site for stolen cars. Sixteen years later it has been transformed thanks to the efforts of KWRP staff and dedicated community volunteers who have planted over 150,000 trees and shrubs to extend the remnants of rainforest and riparian vegetation that once flourished on the floodplain adjacent to the wetlands.
There are now over 300 species of indigenous plants and over 27 threatened species and one threatened community on Ash Island, which provides habitat for over 200 species of birds including 34 migratory species, 42 species of fish and crustaceans, 15 species of frog, and 10 species of bat.
Kooragang Nature Reserve was designated to the Ramsar list in 1984 and is now part of the Hunter Estuary National Park. Incorporating Shortland Wetlands (known as the Wetlands Centre Australia), the Hunter Estuary Wetlands Ramsar site has a total area of almost 3000 hectares, and is the largest single estuarine reserve in NSW.
Visitors are always welcome on Ash Island and guided tours are available by appointment. There are boardwalks, walking tracks, cycleways and interpretive signage at various places on the island to assist visitors as they explore the wonders of this special place.
To find out more on the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project, call 02 4964 9308 or drop in and say hello at the old Schoolmasters House from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. Access is via the Ash Island Bridge at the lights near McDonalds on the Pacific Highway at Hexham.