2012 Northern Sydney APS Group Get Together
Hosted by North Shore & Northern Beaches Groups on Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th August 2012
An Invitation…
All APS NSW members are cordially invited to the 2012 APS NSW Get-Together. This not to be missed event is being held at a varied range of locations across northern Sydney. Substantial areas of original native vegetation have survived and been preserved in well established National Parks and reserves across the area. Your visit will take you to some of the gems of the area and you will be able to see the spectacular Sydney Sandstone Flora at its peak.
Saturday morning
The Get-Together will commence at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden at St Ives. The Garden was an initiative of the North Shore Group and Council, being opened in 1968 for the ‘Promotion of the Study and Preservation of Native Flora and Fauna’. Today it is a reserve of 123 hectares of pristine bush and cultivated gardens bordered by two major creeks with a dozen walking tracks from 100m to 8km long.
Centered on the Bushland Education Centre will be a series of talks, demonstrations and tours of the Garden. There will be morning tea and a catered lunch at the Centre.
(http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/Wildflower_Garden_brochure_4_pages.pdf)
Saturday afternoon
We will head out to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park for walks, guided by local APS members. These walks are on well made tracks starting from various points along West Head Road. Here the sandstone is very close to the surface, and the soil conditions are poor. The area still manages to support a number of heath and woodland communities, and the large, diverse range of plants that make up the magnificent display of Sydney Sandstone Flora. Also encompassed are outstanding views of the bays and inlets that are part of the rugged coastline. Insights into the culture of the first inhabitants can be gained from the Aboriginal art sites. (http://www.npws.nsw.gov.au)
Saturday evening
Starting at 6:00 pm the APS will have exclusive use of the Wildflower Garden’s Bushland Education Centre for a professionally catered dinner. This will be a seated buffet style dinner of three courses and drinks.
Sunday morning
The North Head Sanctuary Foundation will host a number of walks through the rare Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub ecosystem. It is amazing that this vegetation has been preserved so close to the CBD. The story of North Head will surprise and entertain all visitors. (http://www.northheadsanctuaryfoundation.org.au/)
Sunday afternoon
Nearly 60 years ago Alec Blombery and other volunteers planted a disused quarry in Dee Why with species ranging from rainforest to heath-land plants to create today’s Stony Range Botanic Garden. It would be difficult to find such a spectacular concentration of rainforest species elsewhere on the East coast. Walks will be led through the rainforest and heath vegetation on Sunday afternoon. Esteemed naturalist, Martyn Robinson will introduce participants to a great number of insects. A light lunch consisting of a sausage sizzle will be provided at Stony Range.
(http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/environment/StonyRangeBotanicGarden.aspx)
Registration
Early registration for the 2012 Get-together is advised, as last year many applicants were disappointed. Numbers of registrations will be limited by the capacity of the venues. Registration is by the accompanying form only, with Get-together registration $25 and dinner $40 per person. Click on this link to download a PDF of the registration form.
Some accommodation options are available on this page - Accommodation for Get Together
Further information and updates will be placed, as they occur, on this website.
