Discover the Bushcare Nursery

Celebrate the Centenary of Balls Head Reserve by joining North Sydney Council's Bushcare Nursery Supervisor for a guided tour of the Bushcare Community Nursery at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability.

Located at the northern end of the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability grounds, the Bushcare Community Nursery plays an important role in supporting the conservation and restoration of North Sydney's unique bushland. Each year, thousands of local native plants are grown at the nursery for Bushcare projects, habitat enhancement works and ecological restoration programs across the local government area.

This behind-the-scenes tour offers a unique opportunity to explore the facilities used to propagate and grow native plants for local bushland reserves. Participants will follow the journey of a plant from seed collection and storage through to germination, potting, growing-on and eventual planting in the landscape. Along the way, visitors will discover the specialised areas of the nursery, including the seed bank, polyhouse, shade house and outdoor growing benches where young plants are prepared for life in the bush.

Working alongside Council staff, Bushcare Nursery volunteers play an important role in collecting seeds, propagating plants and maintaining nursery stock. Visitors will learn how these collaborative efforts help produce thousands of local native plants each year, supporting habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation and the long-term management of reserves such as Balls Head.

Suitable for anyone interested in native plants, conservation, gardening or bushland restoration, this tour provides a fascinating insight into the work that takes place behind the scenes to support North Sydney's natural environment.

There will be two sessions; 11:00 am to 11:30 am and 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm

Start Point: Welcome Desk outside The Coal Loader

What to bring

• Sturdy enclosed footwear

• Sun protection, including a hat and sunscreen

• Clothing, appropriate for the weather conditions

• A bottle of drinking water

Suitable for

Adults and children. Children must be accompanied by a supervising adult.

Accessibility

The Bushcare Community Nursery contains gravel surfaces, uneven ground and narrow spaces between growing benches and structures. While access is possible to some areas of the nursery from Water Hen Drive, participants will be unable to access all sections of the facility. For this reason, the tour is not considered wheelchair accessible.