KU-RING-GAI CHASE NATIONAL PARK

Description

Essentials about Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in brief

If you have a little time during your visit to Sydney, you should definitely take a trip to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The approximately 150 square kilometer large national park is located about 25 kilometers north of the city center and forms the northern border of the city. The park was founded as early as 1894 and is thus one of the oldest national parks in Australia. For the residents of Sydney, the national park is a popular recreation area with about two million visitors annually.

The geography of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park consists mainly of eucalyptus-dominated scrubland on sandstone ridges and some so-called rias – river valleys flooded by the Pacific Ocean, which ultimately lead into the Hawkesbury River via the two water arms Cowan Creek and Pittwater Creek. Cowan Creek has a length of 14 kilometers and a maximum width of about 400 meters, Pittwater Creek is eight kilometers long and up to two kilometers wide. The park is especially popular for its many coves, which locals like to use as anchorages for their boats.

The history of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Traditional owners of the land were the Guringai, an Aboriginal tribe. In the national park you can still find many artifacts of their settlement, among others petroglyphs (rock paintings carved in stone). The first part of the name of the national park still reminds of the original inhabitants (Chase stands for a natural, unfenced landscape). From the end of the 19th century European settlers penetrated into the area of the today’s national park, which led by the introduction of the smallpox and by fights to the complete extermination and/or displacement of the native inhabitants. Today there is only one inhabited place in the park, Cottage Point.

The flora and fauna of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Since 2006, Ku-ring-gai-Chase National Park has been listed on the Australian National Heritage List due to its high biodiversity. There are 24 different vegetation types in the park with over 1,000 plant species. The fauna of the national park is also very diverse. There are over 100 species of butterflies, 160 species of birds and 28 species of mammals.

The sights in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

The most popular destinations in the national park are Bobbin Head and the West Head viewing platform. Bobbin Head is something like the center of the national park. Here you can find a restaurant and the information center of the park administration. There is a wooden jetty that leads through the mangroves, so that at low tide various crab species can be observed. The nearby Kalkari Visitor Centre provides information about the flora and fauna as well as the Aborigines and houses a permanent exhibition of aboriginal tools, weapons and handicrafts. The fenced outdoor area is home to various animals of the park. From the West Head Lookout, located at the northeastern tip of the national park, you can enjoy a fantastic view of the landscape, especially of the opposite headland with the Barrenjoey Lighthouse.