Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in the Port Macquarie-Hastings City Council and Walcha Shire councils. The park is situated north of Sydney and is named in memory of the Australian explorer John Oxley, who passed through the area in 1818 and is one of the largest national parks in New South Wales.
The park is part of the Hastings-Macleay Group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park was World Heritage listed in recognition of the extensive dry rainforest that occurs within the park, and the associated rich biodiversity that includes several rare or threatened plants and animals. There are at least fourteen waterfalls in the park.
History
For thousands of years, the Northern Tablelands and these valleys were the tribal lands of the Dangaddi aboriginal people, whose descendants are now concentrated in the lower Macleay River. Some marked trees have been found and a limestone cave shelter has been excavated near Kunderang Brook.In 1818 explorer John Oxley and his party tried to descend the Apsley valley, but steep gorges blocked the way until they proceeded around the head of the Apsley Falls. After Oxley passed through the cedar-getters were the first white people to penetrate these remote gorges and valleys in search of Australian red cedar which was floated down-river to Kempsey.
There have been cattle grazing through the Macleay River Gorges, called 'The Falls', since the 1840s, with mustering points occurring at Top Creek, Middle Yards, Kunderang, Left Hand, Oven Camp, Youdales Hut, Green Gully, Yarrowitch River and Front Tableland. The recently restored Middle Yards Hut was once part of the East Kunderang cattle station on the Macleay River.
In the late 19th century several gold and antimony mines were established around the rim of the gorges, at places such as Halls Peak and Hillgrove, as well as two ambitious hydro-electric schemes to power them, the remains of which can be seen today along the Styx River and at Gara Gorge.
In 1976 the Apsley Macleay Gorges were identified as being of true wilderness quality. At that stage the public protection offered to the area was limited to two small reserves in the south, and a few local council run recreation areas at sites such as Wollomombi Falls, Dangars and Apsley Falls. With future land-use undecided, the NSW Electricity Commission began surveying the Apsley Valley for a hydro-electric scheme in the late 1970s. The Apsley Gorge National Park of was gazetted followed by the Yarrowitch Gorge National Park soon after.
During late 1981 the track to the Apsley River at Riverside was improved and Elcom installed a river gauging station. The project was shelved following a land use study recommending a national park be established. In 1986 the park was gazetted to foster nature conservation, cultural heritage and tourism on the Northern Tablelands. In 1989 East Kunderang Station of passed to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and was proclaimed the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
In 1994 Oxley Wild Rivers National Park was inscribed on the Register of World Heritage sites, as part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia ; subsequently renamed as the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Later of Winterbourne State Forest, also known at the Big Lease, was added to the wilderness. The remaining of Winterbourne and of Enmore State Forests are to be added to the national park. Further inclusions include Green Gully headwaters and of leasehold land in the lower Chandler River gorge. The Macleay Gorges Wilderness Area was declared in 1996 and extended in 1997 and covers over, mainly in the central part of the park.
In December 2009 a lightning strike started a bushfire in the Youdales Hut area. The hut was unaffected, but of inaccessible steep country was burnt out before it was brought under control. Another lightning strike started a large bushfire in the Reedy Creek region of the park. This fire has burnt out over of rough country.
Geography
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park lies along the Great Escarpment between the Northern Tablelands, and the east coast and has dramatic gorges and waterfalls, extensive wilderness and dry rainforest. The main rivers in the national park are the: Apsley River, Macleay River, Wollomombi River, Chandler River, Tia River, Styx River, Gara River, Yarrowitch River, Oaky River and the Kunderang Brook. There are a number of waterfalls situated throughout the park including: Wollomombi Falls, Apsley Falls, Tia Falls and Dangars Falls as well as numerous cascades. The waterfalls in the park are at their best after rains and the main ones are accessible by car.Geology
The formation of the area began with muddy sediments under ancient oceans that were changed by heat and pressure into hard rocks, then uplifted by movements of the continental plate and volcanic eruptions. This resulted in the formation of the Great Dividing Range, an undulating plateau that sloped gently to the west and fell away steeply to the east.Erosion by wind, rain, storms and ice over millions of years carved out the plateaus of the Northern Tablelands, and rivers and streams gradually cut back the eastern edge of the tableland creating deep gorges that eventually formed one continuous escarpment. The jagged scarp is slowly retreating west and this movement can be seen today in the erosion of steep cliffs at places like Wollomombi, Dangars and Apsley Gorges.
Flora
The Apsley Macleay Gorges are a converging point for moister eastern coastal and dry western floras, and some 950 native plant species have been identified, of which 36 are rare or threatened.The rare plants found include: Grevillea obtusiflora, Acacia blakei and Acacia ingramii which grows at Dangars Gorge. Some Australian red cedar trees may also be seen in the more remote locations. Threatened flora of the area includes the wedge-leaved guinea flower, Grevillea beadleana and Hakea fraseri. Hillgrove spotted gum may be seen south of Hillgrove and in the Big Lease, north-east of Walcha. The beautiful Caladenia orchid has been spotted at Long Point.
Dry rainforests in the OWRNP contain at least 187 plant species and they are visible as dense, dark green patches of brush box, favouring hollows where there is shelter from wind and sun. The adaptable bird's nest fern grows in a variety of sites as an epiphyte on large trees, independently growing on the forest floor or attached to rocks. Other plants that could be found in or around dry rainforests include: native rosella, gorge mock-olive, Brachychiton discolor, Moreton Bay fig, native olive, red kamala, scentless rosewood and shatterwood.
The open forest and woodlands are dominated by various trees. The main species are: Angophora floribunda, Eucalyptus retinens, Eucalyptus andrewsii, Eucalyptus caliginosa, Eucalyptus laevopinea, Eucalyptus melliodora and wild cherry. Eucalyptus tereticornis identified by the bark on its trunk which sheds to expose white, grey or bluish patches may also be seen, too. Epiphytic orchids may be observed growing in some of these trees, as well.
The hazardous stinging tree is found in various locations throughout the park. This is a dangerous plant and physical contact with it should be avoided. The stems and leaves are coated with fine hairs which when imbedded in the skin cause severe pain and irritation for prolonged periods. Smilax australis is another plant to be avoided as it has prickly climbing stems that are up to eight metres long and will catch in clothing or the skin.
The understorey is often sparse except for occasional Acacia, Bursaria spinosa, Xanthorrhoea and The cassinia, geebung, Pomaderris lanigera, Jacksonia scoparia and Prostanthera are the most common species in the area.
Because the conditions are extreme on the cliffs, quite a number of rare and uncommon shrubs are found there. These include: broadleaf hopbush, Dodonaea serratifolia, Grevillea beadleana, Grevillea obtusiflora, Hakea fraseri, climbing fig, orchids and Westringia sp. Bertya ingramii is an endangered species of shrub that is found in two locations, growing among rocks or in thin soils close to cliff-edges in dry woodland with she-oaks, wattles and tea-trees.
Fauna
The park is rich in fauna, with over 350 species recorded, including 55 mammals. Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a major refuge for the brush-tailed rock-wallaby, with the largest confirmed population in the Green Gully area of Yarrowitch.Other species found in the park include bandicoots, bats, koalas, wombats and numerous small ground mammals. Quolls, common brushtail possums, sugar gliders, platypus, echidnas, wedge-tailed eagles, peregrine falcons and dingoes may also be seen.
Over 173 bird species have been recorded in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
There have been 38 reptile and 19 amphibian species recorded in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Skinks, goannas, tortoises, lizards, snakes, frogs and fish occur in the park, particularly on the river flats. A number of fish species have been recorded. Notable, is the speckled longfin eel, which breeds in the ocean with the juveniles eventually returning to the Apsley–Macleay River system.
Twelve species listed as threatened under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are found in the wilderness area. There are five mammals ; four birds ; one reptile ; and two frogs. The national park is also home to the Macleay River tortoise, a recently discovered species, and a rare mammal, the Hastings River mouse, which is considered to be in imminent danger of extinction.