Beecroft Peninsula is the northern headland of

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Austral ...

, on Australia's east coast. On the western and southern sides of the peninsula steep sandstone cliffs rise out of the ocean, up to 91 metres at its southernmost point, Point Perpendicular. White sandy beaches are found along the northern, eastern and southern sides interspersed with numerous intertidal reefs. The Beecroft Peninsula encompasses an area of about 5250 hectares just south of the town of Currarong, about 200 kilometres south of Sydney. The historic Point Perpendicular Lighthouse, and its grounds, constructed in 1899 at Point Perpendicular, is the southern tip of the peninsula at the northern entrance to Jervis Bay. A large part of the Beecroft Peninsula, about 4200 hectares, is under the administration of the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Fo ...

for use as a live-firing range called the Beecroft Weapon Range. Access to this weapons range is restricted to the public at certain times.

Territorial status

The whole peninsula is within New South Wales in the state electorate of South Coast, the NSW local government City of Shoalhaven and the federal electorate of Gilmore. The ownership of

crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it ...

(which, in Australia refers to all government-owned land) on the southern coast of the peninsula was transferred from

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

to the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

in 1909 by the same

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation Primary legislation and secondary legislation (the latter also called delegated legislation or subordinate legislation) are two forms of law, created respectively by the legislat ...

that transferred the ownership of the

Jervis Bay Territory The Jervis Bay Territory (; JBT) is an internal territory of Australia. It was established in 1915 from part of New South Wales (NSW), in order to give the landlocked Australian Capital Territory (ACT) access to the sea. It was administered ...

on the southern side of Jervis Bay. Then in 1915, the jurisdiction over Jervis Bay Territory was transferred to the Commonwealth to be administered by the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

, but the region on the Beecroft Peninsula was excluded from the transfer. It remains a part of New South Wales. Most of the remaining land on the peninsula has subsequently been purchased by the Commonwealth to be used by the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. Because of the association with the nearby Jervis Bay territory and because it is occupied by the Navy, there is sometimes the mistaken belief that the southern strip of the peninsula is either a part of the ACT or a separate federal territory.

Geology

The Beecroft Peninsula is the best example of a Permian cliffed coast in New South Wales. The peninsula is a remnant of a Permian sandstone and siltstone plateau, overlain with a patchy veneer of Tertiary and Quaternary sand and gravel deposits. The eastern coast consists of almost continuous cliffs, rising up to 91 metres at Point Perpendicular and erosion processes have created caves, blowholes, small peninsulas, clefts, arches, and stacks such as the Drum and Drumsticks. The western coast dips gently into the bay with several low cliffs and sandy beaches. The peninsula is connected to the mainland at its northern end by the Carama Isthmus, a sand swamp, which is 211 m wide, at its narrowest width, at low-water mark.Dexter, N., P. Meek, S. Moore, M. Hudson and H. Richardson. 2007. Population Responses of Small and Medium Sized Mammals to Fox Control at Jervis Bay, Southeastern Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology 13: 283–292. Beecroft Peninsula occurs near the southern boundary of the Hawkesbury Sandstone geological unit. Accordingly, the place has a high number of flora and fauna species at the limit of their distribution.

Biodiversity

Flora

The vegetation on the Beecroft Peninsula is a complex mosaic of heathland, eucalypt forest, and rainforest, mangroves, saltmarsh and swamps.Skelter, N. and P. Adam. 1994. Beecroft Peninsula vegetation survey. Report for the Australian Nature Conservation Agency and the Department of Defence. The most widespread vegetation community is heath and this area of heath is the largest remaining on the south coast of New South Wales. There are 573 plant species occurring in eight major and 27 minor vegetation types. Heathland dominated by heath banksia (''

Banksia ericifolia ''Banksia ericifolia'', the heath-leaved banksia, or lantern banksia, is a species of woody shrub of the family Proteaceae native to Australia. It grows in two separate regions of Central and Northern New South Wales east of the Great Divid ...

'') and scrub she oak ('' Allocasuarina distyla'') occurs over approximately 50% of the peninsula. Other heath communities dominated by narrow-leaved bottlebrush (''

Callistemon linearis ''Melaleuca linearis'', commonly known as narrow-leaved bottlebrush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. It is a medium-sized shrub with narrow leaves with a rigid point, ...

'') and '' Lepidosperma filiforme'' are restricted to the northwest. Shrubland communities are dominated by scrub she oak, heath banksia, tick bush (''

Kunzea ambigua ''Kunzea ambigua'', commonly known as white kunzea, poverty bush or tick bush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is found mainly on sandstone soils in eastern Australia. Growing up to high and wide, it bears small white flowers in ...

'') and ''

Leptospermum epacridoideum ''Leptospermum epacridoideum'' is a species of plant that is endemic to a restricted area of the South Coast of New South Wales. It is a bushy shrub with compact bark, elliptical to more or less circular leaves, white flowers arranged singly on ...

''. The regionally-uncommon "she oak shrubland" is widespread on the peninsula. Open forest communities dominated by several eucalypts, rough barked apple (''

Angophora floribunda ''Angophora floribunda'', commonly known as the rough-barked apple, is a common woodland and forest tree of the family Myrtaceae native to Eastern Australia. Reaching 30 m (100 ft) high, it is a large tree with fibrous bark and cream-wh ...

''), and black she oak ('' Allocasuarina littoralis'') are restricted to deep soils in sheltered positions. There are three forest communities; littoral rainforest, swamp oak (''

Casuarina glauca ''Casuarina glauca'', commonly known as the swamp she-oak, swamp oak, grey oak, or river oak, is a species of ''Casuarina'' native to the east coast of Australia. It is found from central Queensland south to southern New South Wales. It has becom ...

'') forest, and turpentine (''

Syncarpia glomulifera ''Syncarpia glomulifera'', commonly known as the turpentine tree, or yanderra, is a tree of the family Myrtaceae native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, which can reach in height. It generally grows on heavier soils. The cream fl ...

'') forest restricted to a single site at the head of Plutus creek. Woodland communities dominated by bloodwood (''

Corymbia maculata ''Corymbia maculata'', commonly known as spotted gum, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth, mottled bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of three, whit ...

''), silvertop ash ('' Eucalyptus sieberi''), coast tea-tree (''

Leptospermum laevigatum ''Leptospermum laevigatum'', commonly known as the coast tea tree, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia, but has been widely introduced in other places where it is often considered to be a weed. It has th ...

''), ''Leptospermum trinervium'' and saw banksia (''

Banksia serrata ''Banksia serrata'', commonly known as the saw banksia, the old man banksia, the saw-tooth banksia or the red honeysuckle and as wiriyagan by the Cadigal people, is a species of woody shrub or tree of the genus '' Banksia'', in the family Prot ...

'') are associated with sand dunes. Swamp communities dominated by jointed twig-rush ('' Baumea articulata''), swamp paper-bark ('' Melaleuca ericifolia'') and common reed (''

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

'') occur in depressions adjacent to creeks. A small area of grey mangrove (''

Avicennia marina ''Avicennia marina'', commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae (formerly in the Verbenaceae or Avicenniaceae). As with other mangroves, it occurs in the intert ...

'') occurs near Chinaman's beach. A sedgeland dominated by slender twine-rush ('' Leptocarpus tenax'') and '' Ptilothirix deusta'' is restricted to the north western of the peninsula. The Beecroft Peninsula supports two plant species that are listed as vulnerable both nationally and in New South Wales, the coastal mint bush '' Prostanthera densa'' and the magenta lilly pilly ('' Syzygium paniculatum''). Littoral rainforest is a nationally critically endangered ecological community.Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 2015. Littoral Rainforest and Coastal Vine Thickets of eastern Australia: a nationally threatened ecological community, viewed on 27 April 2015, http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/19747170-3fd3-4930-9ca5-6ca89508b571/files/littoral-rainforest.pdf

Fauna

Twenty-three native mammal species have been recorded on the Beecroft Peninsula.Department of Environment 2015, Beecroft Peninsula in Australian Heritage Database, viewed on 16 May 2015, http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;search=place_name%3Dbeecroft%2520%3Bkeyword_PD%3Don%3Bkeyword_SS%3Don%3Bkeyword_PH%3Don%3Blatitude_1dir%3DS%3Blongitude_1dir%3DE%3Blongitude_2dir%3DE%3Blatitude_2dir%3DS%3Bin_region%3Dpart;place_id=105539 The non-flying mammalian community is relatively impoverished in diversity and includes the brown antechinus (''Antechinus stuartii''), bush rat (''Rattus fuscipes''), the common ringtailed possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus''), the brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), long-nosed bandicoot (''Parameles nasuta''), the sugar glider (''Petaurus breviceps''), the eastern grey kangaroo (''Macropus giganteus''), the red-necked wallaby (''M. rufogriseus'') and the swamp wallaby (''Wallabia bicolour'').Dexter, N. and P. Meek. 1998. An analysis of bait-take and non-target impacts during a fox-control exercise. Wildlife Research 25:147–155. There are eight species of bat including the vulnerable large footed myotis (''Myotis macropus''). One hundred and twenty-six bird species have been recorded, including 12 species of honeyeater, the endangered eastern bristlebird (''Dasyornis brachypterus''),Office of Environment and Heritage. 2012. National Recovery Plan for Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis brachypterus, viewed on 27 April 2015, http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/7ca9c6cc-7225-4ca5-af9a-80bb28e47ae7/files/eastern-bristlebird-recovery-plan.pdf the vulnerable ground parrot (''Pezoporus wallicus''),Office of Environment and Heritage. 2014. Eastern Ground Parrot – profile, viewed on 16 May 2015, http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10608 two pairs of the vulnerable powerful owl (Ninox strenua), and the vulnerable masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae). Thirty-five bird species are protected by international bird treaties (JAMBA, CAMBA, and the Bonn Convention) including the endangered pied oystercatcher (''Haematopus longirostris'') and the vulnerable sooty oystercatcher (''Haematopus fuliginosus''). Nineteen species of terrestrial reptile have been recorded, including six species of skink and six snake species, including the death adder (''Acathophis antarcticus''), which may be declining in southern NSW. The common scaly-foot (''Pygopus lepidopodus''), a legless lizard, occurs on the peninsula, this species is recognised as the most primitive of the legless lizards and has strong Gondwanic associations. Twelve species of amphibian have been recorded from streams and swampy areas.

Conservation and Management

In recognition of its outstanding natural, cultural and historic values which encompasses a diverse range of vegetation, rare plant, bird and mammal species and sites of Aboriginal and historical significance, the Beecroft Peninsula was listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004, giving it protection by Federation environmental legislation. Its reservation as a firing range has meant that very little of the original vegetation in the area has been cleared and remains in relatively good condition, despite periodic localised short-term damage by military exercises, providing a wide diversity of good quality habitat for native fauna. The land of the Beecroft Peninsula is managed by the Department of Defence's Shoalhaven Environment Team as of 2015.Department of Defence. 2015. Welcome to Beecroft Weapons Range, viewed on 24 April 2015, http://www.pointperp.com/PDF/Welcome_to_Beecroft_Weapons_Range.pdf There is no current management plan for the area.

Littoral rainforest

The nationally critically endangered littoral rainforest community is found on the western side of the peninsula and is a remnant of coastal rainforests that were once extensive in southern Australia. It contains several species near the southern limit of their distribution; these include ribbonwood ('' Euroschinus falcata'' var.''falcata''), plum pine (''

Podocarpus elatus ''Podocarpus elatus'', known as the plum pine, the brown pine or the Illawarra plum, is a species of ''Podocarpus'' endemic to the east coast of Australia, in eastern New South Wales and eastern Queensland. It is a medium to large evergreen tre ...

''), coast canthium ('' Canthium coprosmoides''), deciduous fig ('' Ficus henneana''), flintwood (''

Scolopia braunii ''Scolopia braunii'' is an Australian rainforest tree. Common names for this species include flintwood, mountain cherry, brown birch and scolopia. The habitat is Australian coastal rainforests of various types. The natural range of distribution ...

''), celery wood (''

Polyscias elegans ''Polyscias elegans'', known as the celery wood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in a variety of different rainforest types, from fertile basaltic soils, to sand dunes and less fertile sedimentary soils. The range of nat ...

''), and Cissus sterculiifolia. The rainforest also contains a mixture of sub-tropical and temperate rainforest species. As such, this community is significant in the study of the latitudinal shift from sub-tropical to temperate forests. The littoral rainforest behind Long Beach is a well-preserved example of rainforest on sand – a rare vegetation type in New South Wales. Littoral rainforest is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, weed invasion, inappropriately placed paths and inappropriate fire regimes. Important management options include protecting and restoring remnants, relocating paths, removal of invasive weeds and hazard reduction burns in the vicinity of the forest area. There is no recovery plan for this community type.

Small mammals

From 1993 to 2002 a study was conducted on the peninsula that measured the response of the small and medium-sized mammal populations to continuous fox control. The bottle-necked entrance to the otherwise ocean-ringed peninsula make for ideal geography for fox control. The most surprising result of the study was the appearance of the long-nosed bandicoot, which had never previously been recorded from the Beecroft Peninsula, despite surveys. Remains of the bandicoot are however found in relatively recent Aboriginal middens. The long-nosed bandicoot not only appeared on the peninsula but increased significantly in abundance from the time it was first recorded in 2000. Similarly, the bush rat had also never been recorded and appeared in the fauna surveys after the commencement of fox control. A third species, the common ringtailed possum, showed a significant increase in abundance as a result of the fox control study. The brown antechinus, the black rat, the brushtailed possum and the sugar glider showed no significant change in abundance. This nine year fox control study on the Beecroft Peninsula provides compelling evidence that small to medium-sized "critical weight range" mammal populations have been driven to extinction or near extinction by fox predation and recover when the ongoing predation pressure of foxes is removed. This conclusion is supported is further supported by the retention of most of original vegetation on the peninsula so historical mammal decline was not due to the common cause of habitat destruction.

Eastern bristlebird

The eastern bristlebird is a nationally endangered small, brownish bird approximately 200 mm in length, cryptic and ground dwelling living in low dense vegetation cover. In 2000, the eastern bristlebird had not been recorded from the Beecroft Peninsula for over a century and re-establishment of extinct populations was identified as an important recovery action for the species. During 2003–2005, 45 birds were successfully translocated from the Bherwerre Peninsula, on the opposite side of Jervis Bay, to the Beecroft Peninsula.Baker, J., R. J. Whelan, L. Evans, S. Moore, and M. Norton. 2010. Managing the Ground Parrot in its fiery habitat in south-eastern Australia. Emu 110:279–284. The reintroduction has shown medium-term success; in 2012 the Beecroft population had grown to 94 birds. The eastern bristlebird recovery plan identifies habitat fragmentation, widespread and frequent fires and predation as threatening processes and appropriate fire management of habitat, feral predator control, controlling invasive weeds as very high priority.

Eastern ground parrot

The eastern ground parrot is a distinctive, bright grass-green, long-tailed, ground-dwelling parrot of the coastal and sub-coastal heaths, reaching 30 cm long. It is a rare and iconic endemic of coastal and sub-coastal heathlands in southern Australia including the Beecroft Peninsula where there is an estimated maximum population size of 450 individuals. A long-term study of ground parrot habitat found that the species occurs in long-unburnt habitat and that fire should not be used to manipulate the ecological functioning of habitat for the persistence of ground parrot population. Frequent and widespread fire had been identified as a threat to the eastern ground parrot and management recommendations include exclusion of fire for at least 7 years after a fire.

Environmental Threats

Like most natural reserved land areas in Australia, the Beecroft Peninsula and its biodiversity are threatened by predation by introduced feral species and invasive plants. Five species of feral mammal have been recorded, including the red fox (''Vulpes vulpes''), feral cat (''Felis catus''), black rat (''Rattus rattus''), rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') and house mouse (''Mus domesticus''). Foxes are a significant threat to the peninsula's non-flying small mammal population. Low soil fertility on Beecroft Peninsula means that few weeds species can grow except in cleared areas and they do not usually enter undisturbed vegetation.Ingwersen, F. 1976. Vegetation of the Jervis Bay Territory. Australian Government Publishing Service. There are 23 weed species on the peninsula and the major species are '' Senecia Madagascariensis'', '' Protoaparagus aethiopucus'' and '' Kalanchoe tubiflora''. Erosion is responsible to localised habitat degradation as there are many secondary vehicular tracks that have become severely eroded following major rains and side tracks have been created through heath communities in places where original roads have become impassable. Fire frequency, some of which are started by naval exercises, may adversely impact on some the plants and animals.

Aboriginal Heritage

Archaeological evidence demonstrates that Aboriginal occupation of the Beecroft Peninsula extends back at least 7000 years. This undoubtedly underestimates the time that Aboriginal people have lived in the area because radiocarbon dates obtained from nearby coastal sites elsewhere in New South Wales demonstrate occupation back to 20 000 years.Zakharov, J. 2010. A review of Aboriginal cultural factors for the Jervis Bay area, New South Wales. Wetlands (Australia) 6:9–18. The Beecroft Peninsula is of particular significance to the Jerrinja and Wreck Bay Village Aboriginal communities as part of their traditions. Their stories describe the movement of ancestral beings, including Bundoola, Spandula, the Bip Bip women and others, as they formed the landscape, people and the law. The Beecroft Hill area, the Devils Hole area, the Drum and Drumsticks area and the Duck Hole area form part of these stories while the southern part of Jervis Bay has strong cultural associations for women. The stories of the activities of ancestral beings create links with neighbouring regions and Aboriginal people with traditional links to the area say that Jervis Bay is the birthplace of the thirteen tribes of the south. There are a large numbers of middens mainly located near the beaches on the southern and western sides of the Peninsular that contain evidence of past patterns of Aboriginal exploitation of marine resources. Other sites providing evidence of past Aboriginal activity in the area include rockshelters with occupation debris, artefact scatters, grinding grooves, ceremonial grounds and rock shelters with paintings and stencils on the walls.