Location & Description

Attunga Reserve is a coastal bushland reserve located over the ridgeline which separates Bilgola and Newport beaches.  The Reserve which occupies 7.95 hectares, is bounded by Attunga and Barrenjoey Roads to the east, on the west by Hillside and Wollombi Roads, and Burke Street and Porters Reserve to the south.

• View reserve location on map

Environmental Projects in the Area

• Community Action Asparagus Fern Control
• Bushcare Volunteer Group

Walking Tracks & Access

There are two points of entry off Attunga Road, one at the road end and the other via an access handle. 

• Map of  Walking Track
• Map of Walking Track & Aerial Photo

This reserve is part of the From the Crown to the Sea walk.

Plants

Plant communities occurring in Attunga Reserve include:

• Hawkesbury Sandstone Open-forest  dominated by Smooth-barked Apple (Angophora costata) and Broad-leaved White Mahogany (Eucalyptus umbra)
• Headland Open-scrub - a community of limited distribution in Pittwater, it is dominated by Scrub She-oak (Allocasuarina distyla) and Hakea gibbosa.

Animals

Attunga is a large area of uncleared forest with a variety of habitat niches.  The forest has thick canopy cover generally dominated by hollow-bearing Angophoras and eucalypts with patches of cabbage tree palm forest along creek lines in Attunga Reserve. 

Ringtail Possums which are becoming scarce in the residential areas are common and their dreys can be seen in the she-oaks which are common in the understorey.  The winter flowering Coast Banksia is common on the upper slopes and due to this the reserves are likely to be an important habitat area for the Squirrel Glider, an endangered population on the Barrenjoey Peninsula. 

The lack of fire has aided the growth of mesic plants such as native grape, bolwarra and cabbage palm which would attract the Brown Cuckoo Dove and the Topknot Pigeon, and possibly the Pacific Baza. 

The Open forest habitat makes the reserve suitable habitat for Powerful Owl.  The thick shrub and groundcover provided by these plants and their litter provides suitable habitat for uncommon birds such as the Black-faced Monarch and important refuge for the Long-nosed Bandicoot.  Reptiles are alos favoured by the rocky outcrops which occur on the upper slopes of the reserve.

Special Features

• Attunga Reserve protects an example of the bushland of Newport in a similar condition to that which occurred when the area was first visited by Europeans
• it protects a plant community of limited distribution in Pittwater, namely open-scrub
• it protects a number of regionally significant plant species, namely, Prostanthera denticulata and Cryptocaria microneura, and locally significant plant species, namely, Jacksonia scoparia and Wikstroemia indica
• it contributes to the landscape quality of Newport and Bilgola providing visual protection of the ridge between Newport and Bilgola and offers panoramic views along the coast
• it provides a record of the original landscape and the changes wrought by settlement and development
• it acts as a local refuge for fauna due to its diversity of habitat niches and flowering native species, and forms part of a wildlife corridor allowing fauna movement
• it provides habitat suitable for a number of threatened species of fauna, in particular the Large Bent-wing Bat, Common Bent-wing bat and Greater Broad-nosed bat, the Powerful Owl, the endangered population of Squirrel Glider, the regionally significant Topknot Pigeon and Pacific Baza and important refuge for the Long-nosed Bandicoot, the locally significant Common Ringtail Possum, Brown Cuckoo Dove and the Black-faced Monarch
• it is a contact point with nature for residents, an educational resource and provides a scenic pedestrian link from Bilgola Plateau to the beaches.

Related Info

• Map of  Walking Track
• Map of Walking Track & Aerial Photo
• View on location map
• From the Crown to the Sea walk
• To find out more about Attunga Reserve, download its Plan of Management
• Find out more about Pittwater's amazing Vegetation Communities
• See the native animal species lists for Pittwater
• Pittwater's Littoral Rainforest Brochure (PDF)