Koalas, Oceans and everything in between

Community Events

A free community afternoon exploring the remarkable landscapes of the Coffs Coast, from ancient forests to subtropical seas.

Saturday 20 June | 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Woolgoolga Community Village Hall, 8 Boundary Street, Woolgoolga | Free, no booking required

People on the Coffs Coast tend to love it to pieces,  and there are a lot of pieces to love. Ancient rainforest, koala country, subtropical ocean, living reef, all within a few kilometres of each other, connected in ways that are only becoming clearer the more closely we look. The Whispers of Wilderness series has spent the past several months showing what those pieces look like when you hold them together.

Whispers of Wilderness is a free community events program run by the National Parks Association of NSW, Coffs Coast Branch, bringing together scientists, conservationists, and community members to explore the landscapes of the Coffs Coast. This is the fourth and final event of the 2026 series, coming to Woolgoolga on Saturday 20 June at 2pm.

Three speakers will take the audience from the forests above the escarpment to the ocean floor, weaving together the stories of the Great Koala National Park, the Solitary Islands Marine Park, and the subtropical marine world that makes this stretch of coast unlike anywhere else in Australia.

Dr Grahame Douglas AM opens the afternoon with an update on the progress of the Great Koala National Park. Grahame has been at the heart of the campaign for many years, brings a PhD in the implications of climate change on bushfire protection in NSW, and is President of the NPA Coffs Coast Branch. He will speak to the relationship between the park, bushfire management, and the role this landscape plays as a climate refugium for koalas and the broader ecosystems of the Coffs Coast hinterland.

Professor Kirsten Benkendorff, marine biologist at the National Marine Science Centre at Southern Cross University, will follow with an exploration of the subtropical marine biodiversity of the Coffs Coast, from the coral communities at the southern limit of tropical distribution to the kelp forests facing pressure from warming seas, and what the changes she is observing mean for the future of this remarkable marine environment.

The afternoon will also see the launch of a report on the Solitary Islands Marine Park, commissioned by the NPA Coffs Coast Branch with support from a City of Coffs Harbour Environmental Levy grant program. The report documents the extraordinary wildlife, habitats, and cultural values that make the Solitary Islands one of Australia's most distinctive marine environments and explores the challenges and opportunities that will shape its future for decades to come. Its authors, Iain and Megan Watt, will present their findings and take questions from the audience.

Iain Watt has spent more than 45 years in marine science, conservation, and coastal management, with extensive experience in marine protected area planning and a leading role in the establishment of four marine parks across the Indian Ocean and Middle East. Megan Watt studied Marine Science at Southern Cross University, works as a Divemaster and snorkel guide, and is currently involved in the Port Stephens Dolphin Population Assessment Study. Together they bring a depth of knowledge and a genuine connection to the marine environments they work to protect.

There is a reason scientists have a name for this place. The Macleay-McPherson Overlap is where tropical and temperate worlds converge, producing a richness of species found nowhere else in Australia. From the forest floor to the ocean reef, the Coffs Coast is not just remarkable, it is irreplaceable. What the Whispers of Wilderness series has been exploring is why that matters, and what it means to live alongside something this extraordinary.

Come along on Saturday 20 June. Bring someone who has not heard this story yet.