Five years after a promise from the then Labor opposition, community environment activists and residents are still fighting for a parcel of prime coastal land and koala habitat to be absorbed into a national park.
They have called for the NSW government to take faster action, and they want the land protected by National Threatened Species Day on September 7 this year.
The land parcel at Fishermans Bay, near Boat Harbour in Port Stephens, has been the site of a revitalisation led by a coalition of local advocacy groups.
Friends of Tomaree National Park, the Koala Koalition EcoNetwork Port Stephens and the South Tomaree Community Association have teamed up to protect the area and continue the push for the land to be added to the adjoining Tomaree National Park.
In June, a number of members met with Port Stephens MP Kate Washington to show her the work they had been doing, as well as to call for her to get the ball rolling on National Park status.
Much of the bitou bush and lantana, invasive woody weeds that replace most native vegetation, has been killed along the road verge and within the 30-hectare site of high-quality coastal habitat.
Friends of Tomaree National Park Fishermans Bay team leader, Josephine O'Brien, said this was the combined effort of the Fishermans Bay community who raised funds at their Christmas raffle toward managing the weeds, as well as the work of the Friends of Tomaree National Park.
Ms O'Brian said the land was home to vital ecosystems and species endemic to Port Stephens.
"We are fortunate to have such a caring community who recognise this site is very important for wildlife, including at least 25 threatened species such as the wallum toadlet, two donkey orchid species, powerful owl, squirrel gliders and at least eight species of bats, as well as the endangered ecological community of swamp sclerophyll forest on coastal floodplains," Ms O'Brien said.
Sue Olsson, from the National Parks Association in Port Stephens, said the area adjoins Tomaree National Park, which makes it particularly important, as it improves the connections between local habitat areas for the numerous threatened species that call these areas home, including quality feed and habitat trees for koalas.
There has been a longstanding community expectation for the site to be added to the national park.
Tomaree Peninsula residents fought to save the site from development in 2015, and in February 2019 the then NSW Opposition government pledged that if they won the state election, a Labor government would add it to the Tomaree National Park.
Ms Washington said she was impressed by the work of the community in Fisherman's Bay.
"The area of Tomaree next to this space is one of my favourite spots of the national park," she said.
"I've been following up on this important matter for some time. I know that my community cares deeply about this parcel of land and that they want it to become part of Tomaree National Park."
"I was part of the original community campaign which stopped this special site from being bulldozed because of its enormous environmental significance.
"Trying to resolve this issue has involved multiple departments and legal teams over the years, and I have been working hard to keep it progressing."
"I have been in continual contact with the Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Penny Sharpe, and know it's headed in the right direction, but I won't stop working until the final piece of the puzzle is in place."
UrbanGrowth, the state government's development arm, chose to abandon its plans for the $12.5 million project in 2015, which would have seen the bushland be cleared for the construction of around 100 new homes.
The decision came after years of resistance from the South Tomaree Community Association and other groups to stop the plans.
At the time, Ms Washington commended the group for their strong community campaign, which included legal action against UrbanGrowth and the Joint Regional Planning Panel.
