| Heathcote National Park | |
|---|---|
 A view of Heathcote Creek, looking North. | |
  Heathcote National Park | |
| Location | New South Wales |
| Nearest city | Sydney |
| Coordinates | 34°07′49″S150°58′17″E / 34.13028°S 150.97139°E /-34.13028; 150.97139 |
| Area | 26.79 km2 (10.34 sq mi)[1] |
| Established | January 1943 (1943-01)[1] |
| Governing body | NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service |
| Website | Official website |
Heathcote National Park is aprotectednational park that is located in thesouthern area ofSydney,New South Wales in easternAustralia. The 2,679-hectare (6,620-acre) national park is situated approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of theSydney central business district, west of theIllawarra railway line, thePrinces Highway andMotorway, and the suburbs ofHeathcote andWaterfall.
The park consists of 2,679 hectares of woodland, predominantly dry schlerophyll forest on the ridges and low heath in the wetter areas. The Hawkesbury sandstone has been carved up by various watercourses like Heathcote Creek, Kingfisher Creek and Myuna Creek, creating deep valleys. The Hawkesbury sandstone has created a sandy, infertile soil that is typical of the Sydney region.
The main walking track is the Bullawarring Track, which stretches fromWaterfall toHeathcote. It largely follows the valley of Heathcote Creek, the main watercourse in the park, as well as utilizing a maintenance road that leads fromWoronora Dam toHeathcote Road.
It is bounded byHolsworthy andPleasure Point to the north,Heathcote andLucas Heights to the east, theGreater Western Sydney region to the west (which include the suburbs ofGlenfield,Macquarie Fields andCampbelltown), andHelensburgh to the south in theIllawarra.
Before European settlement, theDharawal people, anAboriginal Australian people, lived in the area. They left their mark at a number of known sites, which includeshield trees along the Bullawarring Track andcharcoal drawings along Myuna Creek. In addition, a number of Europeans lived in rough huts in the park during theGreat Depression, leaving behind meagre ruins at places like Myuna Creek.[2]
In the early 1930s, The Sydney Bushwalkers and the Mountain Trails Club of New South Wales had a lease on 75 hectares (190 acres) of land in the area, and were probably responsible for the creation of some of the early tracks and camp sites. This was the beginning of Heathcote National Park, which eventually grew to over two thousand hectares.[3]
The park consists of a deeply dissected Hawkesbury sandstone plateau, part of theWoronora Plateau The creek gorges include Heathcote Creek, a tributary of theGeorges River. The sandstone was formed 200 million years ago, and periods of uplift began about 94 million years ago. Each period of uplift caused stream erosion, which cut more deeply into the plateau surface. Heathcote Creek cascades down a number of rock pools and small waterfalls to the Woronora River at the northern end of the park.
The ridges and drier slopes are covered in forest dominated byangophoras andeucalypts such as bloodwood, grey gum,Sydney peppermint, and scribbly gum. Grass-trees are common. Low heath growth consists of shrubs, including ti trees,banksias, hakeas, and waxflowers.Gymea lilies and forest oaks grow on the moister slopes. Blackbutts andgrevilleas grow in the Heathcote Creek Valley.[4]
Sugar gliders,ring tail possums, and possiblyeastern pygmy possums inhabit both Mirang Creek and Minda Gully.Swamp wallabies are also present.Honeyeaters are often seen, as well assuperb lyrebirds.[4] Fish, eels and crayfish are commonly found in the creeks.
