Kiama Coastal Community Plantings
Plantings and community engagement for five Landcare groups along the Kiama Coast
Capacity building - LEP23-014-LLC07-2
The issue
The 21km Kiama Coast Walk is one of the Illawarra’s most popular outdoor attractions, offering locals and visitors spectacular views and access to the coastal landscape. Once home to diverse ecosystems including Littoral Rainforest and Themeda Grassland, the area has been heavily impacted by agriculture, industry, and urban development. Today, the native vegetation is fragmented and degraded. Invasive weeds from farmland, garden escapes, and illegal dumping dominate large sections of the walk, outcompeting remnant native plants. With no Council-supported Bushcare program and limited resourcing for weed management, Landcare is the only organised volunteer effort working to restore and care for this fragile coastal environment.
The solution
Five Landcare groups currently work along the Kiama Coast Walk in Council parks and reserves. These groups are committed to restoring native vegetation and supporting biodiversity through weed control and planting. With support from a BUPA Healthy Cities grant through Landcare Australia, we delivered a community engagement program focused on raising awareness, recruiting volunteers, and supporting ecological restoration. The program included two expert-guided community walks and five community planting days, each highlighting the important work of the local Landcare groups and encouraging community involvement. We partnered with Kiama Council and the local newspaper to promote the events.
The impact
Across five sites, 1,500 Coastal and Littoral Rainforest plants were planted by 96 volunteers, contributing 265 hours of work. The community walks attracted strong interest and served as an engaging way to build knowledge about local ecosystems and threats such as invasive weeds. All five groups attracted new volunteers, many of whom have since returned to regular working bees. Local Councillors attended the events, and media coverage helped raise the profile of Landcare in Kiama. In addition to boosting participation, the project improved habitat corridors, increased native plant diversity, and reduced weed pressure along the coast. We will continue to use the interest in the Kiama Coast Walk to attract support for our ongoing work.
Learnings
Guided walks ahead of plantings are highly effective for community engagement.
Providing easy, low-barrier opportunities helps attract new volunteers.
Site preparation took longer than expected—extra time should be built in.
Professional weed control in targeted areas provides long-lasting results.
Key facts
- A grant funded project involved five Landcare Illawarra groups along the Kiama Coast Walk.
- 1,500 native plants were planted over the month of May, supporting biodiversity and weed control.
- Community engagement included two guided walks and five plantings.