Heathcote National Park

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Heathcote National Park
Heathcote National Park
Heathcote National Park
Heathcote National Park, New South Wales
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Coordinates: 34 ° 7 ′ 49 ″  S , 150 ° 58 ′ 17 ″  O
Location: New South Wales , Australia
Specialty: Eucalyptus forest, waterfalls
Next city: Sydney
Surface: 23 km²
Founding: October 1, 1967
A small stream in the park
A small stream in the park
Gymea Lilies in Heathcote National Park
Gymea Lilies in Heathcote National Park
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The Heathcote National Park is a national park in eastern Australian state of New South Wales , 34 kilometers southwest of Sydney . The park is west of the Royal National Park near the suburbs of Heathcote and Waterfall .

description

The park consists of 22.5 km² of eucalyptus forest , into which there is no access for private vehicles. Access on foot is via the entrance on Freeman Road in Heathcote. A trail begins behind the Boy Scout Hall on Freeman Road. It leads south past various water holes and small waterfalls. The path finally ends at the Woronora Dam . There are several other entrances to the park around Heathcote and Waterfall.

history

Before the forest area became a park, a group of hikers leased most of the area. Presumably they created some of the early hiking trails and campsites. The area later became a state park and again later a national park.

Aboriginal people lived in the area and left traces in various places. In addition, a number of European settlers lived during the Great Depression in the 1930s in simple huts, leaving only scant ruins in places like Myuna Creek back

geology

The park consists of the deeply furrowed Hawkesbury sandstone plateau, part of the '' Woronora Plateau ''. Heathcote Creek , a tributary of the Woronora River, is found in a gorge . The sandstone is around 200 million years old and has been pushed upwards for around 94 million years. After each period of land uplift, the watercourses dug into the sandstone. Heathcote Creek tumbles down some waterfalls to the Woronora River on the north edge of the park.

flora

The hills and dry slopes are covered with forests dominated by angophora and eucalyptus . Grass trees are common. The undergrowth consists of bushes such as banksia , hakea and wax flowers . Doryanthes excelsa and Allocasuarina torulosa grow on more humid slopes. Eucalyptus patens and Grevillings grow in the valley of Heathcote Creek.

fauna

Short-headed glide pouches , common ring pouches and probably also eastern pygmy possums live on Mirang Creek and in Minda Gully . There are also swamp wallabies . Often you can also see honey-eaters and gray-backed lyre tails .

Web links

Commons : Heathcote National Park  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Heathcote National Park . Google Maps
  2. a b Neil Paton: `` Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks ''. Kangaroo Press. Sydney (2004). Pp. 132-139