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Parramatta and Hills District Group

What's On

  Walk Narrawang Wetlands and Newington Nature Reserve, Sydney Olympic Park

Date:  Saturday 23 March 2024
Time:  2pm
Venue: 
Meeting Place Pierre de Coubertin Dog Park, Avenue of Oceania Drive, Newington.

This will be a leisurely stroll beside the Newington Nature Reserve which is inaccessible, and the Narrawang Wetland. It is a one-way walk with plenty of seating along the way, so any members who wish to rest while others walk ahead will be well catered for.


Narrawang Wetland is a constructed freshwater wetland of 26 freshwater ponds and native plantings. From 1969 to 1973 it was a rubbish dump. The site was remediated in the late 1990s to restore the habitat of the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog and of the migratory shorebird, Latham’s Snipe. The remediation has been a faithful recreation of the freshwater wetlands on the coastal plains of the Sydney Basin bioregion.

It consists now of the largest area of the endangered Coastal Saltmarsh community in the Parramatta River, the endangered Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest community, and large stands of mangrove forest and estuarine and intertidal mudflats which provide habitat for a range of resident and migratory shorebirds.

Newington Nature Reserve is a high-quality remnant of the critically endangered Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest. It has a high plant diversity of over 210 native species. More than 50 species of birds and 11 species of microbats have been identified in the reserve. The large number of hollow-bearing trees makes it especially important for birds that breed in the reserve. Unlike the wetlands which were seriously damaged by human activity, the Forest was off-limits for 100 years while it was used by the Navy. Access is still not permitted partly because of the conservation status of the forest but also because of the danger of unexploded armaments.

However, it is possible to get some glimpses through the cyclone fence and some large Turpentines are growing on the other side of the fence.

Meeting Place Pierre de Coubertin Dog Park, Avenue of Oceania Drive, Newington. There is no car park at the dog park and parking is not permitted in the Avenue of Oceania. Street parking is possible in Newington Boulevarde and surrounding streets such as Nurmi Avenue. Aim to arrive at 1.45pm so we can start on time.

We are visiting a wetland – remember to pack mosquito repellant!!

To register your attendance please email apsparrahills@gmail.com

Location of Gumnut Hall

Gumnut Hall, Gumnut Place, Cherrybrook.


Gumnut Hall is at the closed end of Gumnut Place, a side street off Gumnut Road, Cherrybrook. On weekdays this hall is used by Cherrybrook Community Preschool, so on maps it is often referred to by this name. Gumnut Place is narrow and winding, and parking is limited, so it is best to use any parking space you see, and walk the short distance to the hall. Gumnut Road is much larger and parking is easier.


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