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Murramarang National Park - Cities, Towns and Localities |
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Murramarang National Park protects 11,977 ha of coastal land between
Kioloa and Batemans Bay on the south coast of NSW. Four offshore
islands are included in the park, Dawsons, Grasshopper, OHara and
Wasp Islands. Murramarang offers visitors a range of activities
including swimming, surfing, fishing, picnicking, bushwalking and
watching wildlife. The hinterland walk to Durras Mt (283 m) leads to
spectacular views of the adjacent coastline and inland ranges. No
more than 2 km across at its widest point, it features a variety of
landforms to explore, with its sandy and shingle beaches, rugged
headlands, tombolas, cliffs, rock stacks, wave-cut platforms, and
fossil bearing rocks.
There are extensive forest areas, that is home to many animals,
including Eastern Grey Kangaroos, swamp wallabies, red-necked
wallaby, parrots, finches, honeyeaters, thrushes, wrens, eagles,
hawks, terns, oystercatchers, mutton birds, albatrosses and fantails.
Vegetation throughout the park are spotted gums with an understorey
of Burrawangs being the commonest plant community, leading to banksia, she-oaks and heath on the beaches and headlands. Rainforest
pockets are found in the sheltered gullies around Durras Mt.
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The holiday resort on the edges of Murramarang National Park is
famous for the population of beach-loving kangaroos that have adapted well to
sharing their habitat with people. They are frequently seen near the beaches and
in the campgrounds, where they pass the day dozing until dusk, when they then
gather to feed. Location: 10 km north of Batemans Bay, 280 km south of
Sydney, 150 km east of Canberra.
Access: via the spur roads which lead off eastwards from the
Princes Hwy north of Batemans Bay. Turn off at Benandera to get to
South Durras and the southern section of the park. Access to Durras
North, Depot Beach, Pebbly Beach and the northern section of the
park is via the Mt Agony Forest Rd from East Lynne. Pretty Beach at
the northern tip of the park is best reached from the turnoff at
Termeil to Kioloa.
Check out our listing of Murramarang
National Park accommodation. In addition to our listed online travel guide information, contact the local tourism visitor centre for your destination for more attractions, tours, local maps and other information. |
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Murramarang National Park
Attractions
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Aboriginal Sites
Located in the Durras North area a midden was discovered in 1964 in a
sea cave at the bottom of a low sandstone cliff. Fossilised food scraps
and tools developed from raw materials indicate that the indigenous
peoples fashioned their culture almost entirely around the materials of
the sea and shore.
In the northern section of the Murramarang NP is an extensive
Aboriginal site covered with a diversity of prehistoric cultural
material, including shells and stone stools. It contains a midden that
provided insight into the cultural complexity and duration of indigenous
inhabitation. The rock platform was extensively used and the site is
considered highly significant to Aborigines. It is both a definite link
with the past and a place where ancestors are buried. The lagoon to the
north of the headland is traditionally associated with beliefs about the
creation of the land. There is a self-guided walking track with
explanatory signs which commences at the car park. Ring the National
Parks and Wildlife Service at Nowra for further information.
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Beaches in
Murramarang NP
There is a number of beaches including Dark, Emily
Miller, Myrtle, Oaky, Richmond and Honeysuckle Beaches to North Head.
Dark Beach receives its name from the small black shingles which are
divided from a white, sandy beach by a clump of rocks. The views along
the coast are excellent from Flat Rock Island. Honeysuckle Bay is full
of strange spotted gums with stunted trunks and horizontal branches,
being the result of nutrient deficiency. There are large rock pools
located at the northern end of the North Head, popular for snorkelling.
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Bushwalks
- Durras Discovery Trail: this 1.5 km loop trail takes about
three-quarters of an hour and runs along the northern perimeter of
Durras Lake through tall eucalypt forest of wet spotted and blue gum,
climbing into dry blackbutt forest and then descending to a rainforest
gully. There is a viewing platform, bush seats, foot bridges and about
300 metres of ironbark boardwalks.
- Durras Lake Walking Trail: 6 km in
length, this walk takes you through the Durras Nature Reserve and links
with the Discovery Trail for a longer walk around the northern shores of
Durras Lake. There are great scenic views and good fishing spots.
- Eucalypt Trail: a 500 m walk through tall, wet sclerophyll forest,
starting at the Kioloa Rest Area. The site is clearly signposted from
the highway and the walk features wooden steps and signage with
information on the various eucalypt species.
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Pebbly and Depot Beaches
Pebbly Beach is renowned for its sheltered aspect and the
many wallabies which frequent the beach. It is an ideal place for
families being located in a little bay, enclosed on three sides by hills
and well-established eucalypts. Noted Australian historian, Manning
Clarke and poet R. F. Brissenden lived here.
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Wasp Head
The rocks, cliffs and bays of Wasp Head lie just to the south of the
township Durras. The tracks at Wasp Head lead to fossils, interesting
sandstone formations, an abundance of shells and rock pools and a
one-metre fault line running right up the coast.
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