SAVE Malabar Headland

SAVE Malabar Headland

Commonwealth sell-off threatens unique urban bushland

Declare Malabar Headland a National Park

Malabar Headland urgently needs your help.

This spectacular peninsula at the southern end of Maroubra Beach is one of the largest and best quality areas of native bush left in the Eastern Suburbs, as well as being host to significant historic sites from World War II. Its rugged scenery features in the Mission Impossible movie.

The public is banned from this land. While authorities sit on their hands over whether to declare it a national park, bush and heritage sites continue to be vandalised and degraded and contamination threatens our children’s swimming areas. On top of this, the Commonwealth Government is developing plans to sell off parts of this bushland for housing development.

Don’t let this precious bushland environment fall into the hands of developers. Don’t let our heritage be destroyed. The whole of Malabar Headland must be protected as a National Park.

Join with Friends of Malabar Headland to keep this precious area in public hands for

all to enjoy.

The Best Bushland in the East

Malabar Headland - between Maroubra and Malabar beaches - has earned National Estate listing as one of the most important natural and cultural sites on the Sydney Coast.

It is the largest patch of native bushland in good condition remaining in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs

It is home to a startlingly diverse range of fauna and flora including rare species of native plants, birds seldom seen in the city and largest remaining patches of the almost extinct Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub

It provides a unique record of our heritage, with 43 important World War II coastal defence sites including forts, unique gun positions, underground defence facilities and a sunken munitions railway

It is proposed as an integral section of the half-completed Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk, which would allow an uninterrupted coastal footway stretching from Sydney Harbour to Botany Bay

WWII munitions railway in disrepair (all photos: Peter Ryan)

Neglected and Abused!

No action on a National Park. State and Commonwealth Governments continue to stall on declaring the area a National Park, even though they agreed to do so more than a decade ago.

In the meantime, precious bushland on the western section of the headland may be destroyed, due to the Commonwealth Government’s housing development plans. Though Local and State Governments support protection of the western bushland, the Commonwealth is blocking the proposal.

While Governments procrastinate, the land is being damaged, bushland degraded, and the public is locked out.

The WWII and historic sites are decaying and being vandalised.
Weeds, fire, unplanned trails and rubbish dumping are damaging bushland.
Seepage from the landfill under the rifle range is contaminating the children’s pools at the southern end of Maroubra beach.
Nothing is being done to extend the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk through to Malabar Headland.
And the general public cannot even enter this spectacular area without a permit.

Help us to ensure that Malabar Headland stays in public hands with open public access and is managed to protect the unique bush, wildlife and historic sites.

We’re calling on the Government to …

DECLARE the entire Headland a National Park

This would allow protection of all native vegetation, animal habitat and heritage sites, and should include the western bushland and a bush corridor on the north and south.

REZONE the Rifle Range as public open space

COMPLETE the Malabar Headland section of the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk

CLEAN up the pollution in the children’s pools at south Maroubra Beach

What Can You Do?

You can help to protect and open up the Headland for future generations:

Contact your members of parliament and ask them to act immediately to protect the Headland.

Hon Eric Abetz, Commonwealth Special Minister of State, Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600

Hon Dr David Kemp, Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600

Hon Bob Carr, Premier of NSW (and Member for Maroubra), Governor Phillip Towers, Farrer Place Sydney 2001

Hon Andrew Refshauge, NSW Minister for Planning, Level 31 Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney 2000

Write to your local newspapers or call up talk back radio

Attend FoMH meetings - at 7.00 pm on the first Thursday of every month at St Marks Church Hall, cnr Franklin Street and Victoria Lane, Malabar

Join Friends of Malabar Headland (FoMH) … Fill in the form below and post it with your cheque to: PO Box 6023, Malabar NSW 2036

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safeguarding the nature and history of Malabar Headland for all to enjoy Tel: 02 9311 23349315 7935 Email: pjrhino@yahoo.com