Location & Description

Morella Reserve is located above Whale Beach on the escarpment. It is bounded by residential properties on Whale Beach Road, Morella Road and Bynya Road. The steep sloping Reserve occupies 1.2 hectares. View location on map

Walking Tracks & Access

There are no formal tracks in the Reserve.  The Reserve is a visual rather than recreational amenity as the limited access is steep and difficult.  Tourists and birdwatchers make use of vantage points and the beach below.

Plants

The vegetation varies with changes in aspect and increasing exposure. 

At the top of the Reserve the following vegetation communities are found:

• Hawkesbury Sandstone Open-woodland, dominated by Smooth-barked Apple (Angophora costata)
• Hawkesbury Sandstone Heath, dominated by Heath-leaved Banksia (Banksia ericifolia), Old Man Banksia (B. serrata), Scrub She-oak (Allocasuarina distyla) and Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)

Further down the Reserve Newport Bangalay Woodland occurs dominated by Eucalyptus botryoides.

Animals

Due to its proximity to McKay Reserve and its rocky outcrops and thick vegetative cover, Morella Reserve has suitable habitat for a range of fauna species. 

The thick undergrowth provides important refuge for small insectivorous birds and the Long-nosed Bandicoot.  Autumn winter migrating birds such as the White-naped Honeyeater would be attracted by winter flowering species such as Bangalay as they prepare to cross Broken Bay to the larger areas of bushland further north. 

Snakes and lizards are favoured by the Reserve’s extensive rocky outcrops.  The threatened Common Bent-wing Bat, which has been recorded at McKay Reserve, would also forage for insects above the Reserve’s canopy.

Special Features

• Morella Park provides an example of diverse urban bushland and a record of the pre-European landscape in the Palm and Whale Beach area
• it protects the escarpment of Whale Beach and provides visual amenity and an essential backdrop creating part of the landscape character of Whale Beach
• it acts as a local refuge for native fauna, especially the threatened Common Bent-wing bat and the regionally significant Long-nosed Bandicoot
• it provides an important corridor link for migratory birds such as the White-naped Honeyeater along the coastal escarpment
• it is an educational resource and a contact point with nature for residents
• it allows urban residents to undertake informal recreational pursuits in a bushland setting with panoramic ocean views.
  

Related Info

• To find out more about Morella Park, download its Plan of Management
• View location on map
• Find out more about Pittwater's amazing Vegetation Communities
• See the native animal species lists for Pittwater