Car-rang-gel Sanctuary

North Head Sanctuary Foundation
is working with Government agencies
towards the establishment of
Car-rang-gel Sanctuary
on North Head
at the gateway of Sydney Harbour
- a flagship for Australia's
environmental resolve
and a celebration of
our natural and cultural heritage.

Car-rang-gel Sanctuary on North Head, Sydney

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North Head Sanctuary Foundation Nursery

1. Our beginnings

2. What we do?

3. Where the plants go after they are raised in the nursery?

4. What are we planting?

5. Providing protection for bandicoots

6. Join us

Here is where we grow our plants, using seed and cuttings taken from North Head.
We have an igloo for the seedlings and cuttings.

Our beginnings

North Head Sanctuary Foundation agreed with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust that a Business Plan for Car-rang-gel (North Head) Native Plant Nursery for propagating North Head species can be used for revegetation in the Sanctuary and nearby areas.

The Nursery Group is a part of the North Head Sanctuary Foundation. We are a group of volunteers, working under an agreement with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to improve the grounds of the North Head Sanctuary.

Much of the Sanctuary bushland is Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS), a Critically Endangered ecological community, and we aim to showcase in particular the plants that belong in the ESBS.

The group started by constructing the nursery itself, and began propagating in February 2009.

What do we do?

* Collect seeds – we have a licence to collect within the North Head Sanctuary

* Prepare and grow the seed material

* Collect and grow cuttings – some plants are not easy to grow from seed

* Grow the material on until it is ready to be planted out

* Prepare areas for planting

* Plant in the areas agreed with the Trust

* Plant out

* Clean and reuse our plastic tubes and pots

* Weed as necessary

* Maintain our planted areas

* Maintain the nursery

* Keep a record of what we do

* Tackle challenges – plants that we find difficult to propagate for one reason or another

* Enjoy working at North Head Car-rang-gel Sanctuary

* Get great satisfaction when plants that we have grown start to bloom

Where are we planting?

We source material from all over the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust North Head site, and plant in a number of locations.

These include:

1. Opposite the nursery and semi-circle to the north of that area

2. Old Oval – bandicoot habitat

3. Beside and in front of the old gym

4. North Fort

5. Scenic Drive road edge

6. Berm along Scenic Drive

7. Entrance of North Fort Road (School Of Artillery)

8. Area between Crossfit Gym and the Childcare Centre

Here are some photos of the progress of planting out opposite Building 20 and the nursery.

The view opposite the nursery at the end of 2009 before planting began.	The grass was poisoned, the mulch arrived and volunteers spread it around.
Volunteers planted seedlings that had been grown in the nursery.	By 2011, the area looked like this.

By mid 2012, the protective plastic surrounds were no longer needed and the trees were well over an adult's head.
Opposite Building 20

Here is the same area in May 2016

What are we planting?

Acacia myrtifolia	Acacia suaveolens	Acacia terminalis terminalis	Acacia ulicifolia	Actinotus helianthi	Actinotus minor	Allocasuarina distyla	Astroloma sp
Baekea sp	Banksia aemula	Banksia ericifolia	Banksia marginata	Bauera rubioides	Boronia sp	Bossiaea heterophylla	Bossiaea sp
Callistemon citrinus	Calytrix tetragona	Conospermum sp	Dampiera stricta	Dianella caerulea	Dichelachne micrantha	Dichelachne sp	Dillwynia retorta
Epacris longiflora	Epacris obtusifolia	Eragrostis brownii	Eucalyptus camfieldii	Glycine clandestina	Gonocarpus teucrioides	Grevillea buxifolia	Grevillea speciosa
Haemodorum planifolium	Hakea dactyloides	Hakea gibbosa	Hakea sericea	Hardenbergia violaceae	Helichrysum elatum	Hibbertia dentata	Hibbertia diffusa
Hibbertia fasciculata	Hibbertia linearis	Hibbertia scandens	Isolepis nodosa	Isopogon anethifolius	Lambertia formosa	Lasiopetalum ferrugineum	Lepidosperma laterale
Lomandra longifolia	Olearia tomentosa	Patersonia sericea	Persoonia lanceolata	Petrophile pulchella	Petrophile sessilis	Philotheca salsolifolia	Phyllota phylicoides
Pimelea linifolia	Pittosporum revolutum	Pomax umbellata	Pultanea sp	Restionaceae sp	Ricinocarpus pinifolius	Themeda australis	Woollsia pungens
Xanthorrhoea sp	Xanthosia pilosa

Providing protection for our Long-nosed Bandicoots

There is an endangered population of long-nosed bandicoots at North Head.

We have worked with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and Australian Wildlife Conservancy to develop some “vegetation links” - small areas of dense foliage where the bandicoots can take refuge, forage and hopefully nest.

Producing these links means that the bandicoots can forage in the mown grass and mulched areas and never be far from a safe haven.

Our first area was planted early in 2010 – the photo shows two volunteers planting out the bandicoot refuge and putting a protective mesh around it.
By early 2012 the area was thriving. The protective mesh had long since been removed. Lomandra longifolia was already offering a hiding place for bandicoots, which were using the area for refuge and to forage. Some of the surrounding grass has been removed and replaced with leaf litter and new plantings.

Two volunteers in 2010 are planting out the bandicoot refuge
and putting a protective mesh around it.

Invitation to join us

We, in the Nursery group together those who help with weeding and planting, enjoy what we are doing and can see that our work is having a positive impact in the surrounding environment as it provides a rich habitat for birds, bandicoots and other wildlife.

We normally work Tuesday and Friday mornings, between 8am and midday (with a tea break).

If you would like to join us on Tuesdays, call Jan on 0429 481 026, or Lynette on 0468 518 332.
For Fridays, call Peter on 9948 4773 or pay us a visit during nursery work time.

There is a small group of people working to produce information for visitors to North Head.
Click here to see their plant identification information for Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub species, some of which can be found on small trackside signs.

This is the same area in early 2012 with the Lomandra longifolia already
offering a hiding place for bandicoots and some of the surrounding grass
has been removed and replaced with leaf litter and new plantings.