Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia

About

Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia

Funding support

HWCA raises all funds for its operations through visitor fees, events, sponsorship arrangements and grants.

Number of staff

At this time HWCA is almost entriely run by Volunteers. Leadership is provided by a team of experienced Volunteers overseen by the Board of Directors (also volunteer).
Paid Staff/1
Senior Volunteer Management Group 15
General Volunteers 80-100

Number of visitors per year

Over most of the last decade Visitor numbers were consistent in the ranges below:
General entry and events 20,000-24,000
School Students 6000-8000
Visitor numbers for 2019-2021 have all been negatively impacted and so have been lower than normal.

2019: VC out of action due to 1) renovations and 2) vandalism
2020: long periods of closure due to virus
2021: additional periods of closure due to virus
Over this period 2019-2021:
General Entry: 42,260
School Students:15,000

Overall aims of the centre

WETLAND CONSERVATION: Our goal is to manage the wetlands and surrounding habitats to maintain the health and values of the wetlands and to provide a range of habitats to support biodiversity on the property. While we manage our property independently, we are co-managers of the Hunter Estuary Ramsar site with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
WETLAND EDUCATION AND AWARENESS: the whole of the property is designed and managed to allow visitors to have a personal experience of the wetlands as a living system, to view wildlife and to allow interactive activities such as dipnetting and canoeing. Our goal is to provide visitors with an authentic wetland experience that complements the information provided by interpretation signs and guides.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION:
Community participation has been a major aspect of Hunter Wetlands since the earliest days of the project. Today volunteers do all of the on-site work under the guidance of a site committee to manage the wetlands for wildlife and people. Our experience with community involvement from our foundation years has demonstrated that people can play a vital role in wetland conservation without any experience and will learn a lot about wetlands along the way.

Description of the centre

Location: Shortland, NSW / Hunter River Estuary.
Size of site: 43 Hectares.
Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia is a small but unique complex of wetland types surrounded by urban development along three boundaries. Previously degraded following a range of land uses over many years, this urban wetland was set aside for restoration with the key objectives of wetland conservation, education and community involvement.
The site has been restored to provide habitat for a diverse range of wetland species, including waterbirds at a critical stage of their lifecycles and threatened species. The Hunter Wetlands Centre offers a range of outdoor recreation facilities with easy access to high-conservation-value wetlands for visitors. Facilities include bush-walking trails, boardwalks, observation decks, elevated bird hide and canoes.

Biodiversity: The most significant wetland plant community at the Hunter Wetlands Centre is the Melaleuca swamp forest, dominated by broad-leaved Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia). The swamp forest is remnant of a plant community that was once very widespread in the Newcastle area. The Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia component is also significant for a range of plant communities that have been successfully re-introduced to the site, including:
• open rainforest developed around remnant rainforest species dominated by turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera), lilly pilly (Acmena smithii), scentless rosewood (Synoum glandulosum), cheese tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) and bleeding heart (Omalanthus populifolius)
• open eucalypt woodland dominated by swamp mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta), red bloodwood (Eucalyptus gummifera) and grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata)
• Melaleuca shrubland dominated by tall honey myrtle (Melaleuca nodosa), swamp paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia), prickly-leaved paperbark (Melaleuca styphelioides), and swamp millet (Isachne globosa)
• Acacia shrubland dominated by Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia);
• wet heath dominated by Callistemon citrinus, Banksia robur and Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora)
• Casuarina forest dominated by swamp oak (Casuarina glauca).
Wildlife: The HWCA site provides habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. The site is managed to provide healthy habitat for both wetland and non-wetland species (over 60 species recorded).