The Mambo Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group is a community-based group working on Worimi Country to protect one of Port Stephens’ most fragile and important wetland systems.
The group formed in 2017 after a development application was lodged to build on a 5.6-hectare section of Mambo Wetlands in Salamander Bay. The land, previously owned by the NSW Education Department, had been sold to a private developer and was known to contain rare flora and fauna, including koala habitat. What began as a campaign to return the land to public ownership quickly grew into a broader commitment to protecting and maintaining wetlands and habitat across Port Stephens.
Today, the group advocates for the environment by making submissions on development applications and writing to Ministers and local councillors. They also focus on building community understanding of the wetlands, running events that help people better appreciate the value and beauty of the wetlands on their doorstep. The group also supports a local campaign to have the area designated an Aboriginal Place and works alongside other local groups to have the Mambo Wanda Wetlands recognised as a Ramsar site, a wetland of international significance.
To celebrate World Wetlands Day in February this year the group coordinated a Walks & Talks program, with a series of free guided tours and talks designed to deepen community connection to the wetlands and its wildlife. Activities included birding for beginners, bushwalks through swamp forest and coastal habitats, and expert talks on the role of habitat in shaping bird life. The program was supported by Port Stephens Council and brought together experienced volunteers and speakers, including ecologists, long-time field naturalists and birding educators, who shared their knowledge on wetlands ecology, bird behaviour and coastal systems. There was strong local interest, with many of the sessions fully booked.
Currently the group is focused on campaigning against the Salamander Bay Town Centre Plan, which proposes commercial and housing development within the wetlands buffer zone. They argue the plan reflects broader statewide development pressures rather than local environmental realities. In a recent letter to their local MP, Kate Washington, they wrote: “We feel that the push for more housing from the State government is driving our local council to make environmentally unsound decisions.”
Port Stephens is a small and geographically constrained region, with most of the population living on two peninsulas with a single road in and out. Since COVID, house prices have risen sharply, with modest suburban homes now selling for well over $1 million. At the same time, the region is dealing with significant industrial pressures, including sand and hard rock quarries and increasing truck traffic along the coast and inland routes.
Against this backdrop, the group continues to push for planning decisions that protect the wetlands and recognise the environmental limits of a region already under strain.
When asked what they have learned through this work, their answer is simple: persistence. Follow up every email and letter, do not accept being fobbed off and make use of the expertise that already exists within your community.
You can follow the Mambo Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group on Facebook or get in touch via email at [email protected].
Mambo Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group is an affiliate of NCC Member Group EcoNetwork Port Stephens.
Images (top to bottom): Nov 2025 the local community rallies against the Salamander Bay Place Plan, 2026 World Wetlands Day community tour, local campaign yard signs.