In August 2025 volunteers from Wildplant Rescue carried out a plant rescue at Banksia Park in Katoomba, in an Asset Protection Zone which was due to be slashed by contractors for Blue Mountains City Council. Banksia Park is a crown reserve managed by council, between the high school and Cliff Drive and adjacent to the national park. Volunteers from Banksia Park Bushcare and Gun Gun Bushcare (which works in the adjoining area of the national park) also joined in the rescue. Battling winter wind and freezing rain, a varied selection of around 40 plants were rescued, including Persoonia mollis (Soft Geebung), Pultenaea scabra (Rough Bush Pea), Daviesia ulicifolia (Gorse Bitter Pea), and Pteridium esculentum (Bracken). The rescue happened in the nick of time – early the following morning the contractors arrived and everything was slashed to ground level.
For the following eight months the rescued plants were watered and cared for at the nursery. As is usual for a rescue, some plants didn’t survive being dug up, but other plants emerged in the pots from the seed stock in the soil. A few weeks ago they were planted out in an area of the national park where the undergrowth had become denuded during track reconstruction. This area is just a couple of hundred metres away from where the plants had been rescued. Provenance of plants is an important consideration when planting in bush regeneration, so these plants were ideal for the locality.
This rescue was unique in that it involved coordination and cooperation between staff and volunteers of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Blue Mountains City Council and Wildplant Rescue. Big thanks to all concerned.