The Nadgee Nature Reserve is a

protected Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

that is located in the far south coast region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, in eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The reserve is situated to the immediate south of

Beowa National Park Beowa National Park, formerly Ben Boyd National Park, is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney. It was established in 1971 and officially renamed in 2022 owing to its previous namesake's connection with blackbirding. ' ...

. Its southern border is bounded by the Black-Allan Line that marks the straightline border between New South Wales and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, where it abuts

Croajingolong National Park The Croajingolong National Park is a coastal national park located in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. The national park is situated approximately east of Melbourne and south of Sydney. The name ''Croajingolong'' ...

. Some of the reserve is declared a wilderness area; and additional parts of the reserve accommodate a diverse range of activities including bushwalking, cycling, swimming, fishing and

sea kayaking A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak used for the sport of Watercraft paddling, paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and oceans. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trad ...

History

The area was inhabited by the

Bidawal The Bidawal (also known as Bidhawal and Bidwell) were an Australian Aboriginal tribe of Gippsland, Victoria. According to Alfred William Howitt, the Bidawal were composed of "refugees from tribes". Language Country Bidawal land, basically to ...

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

people, and many shell

midden A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human oc ...

s have been found along the coastline. Art and burial sites are located at Wonboyn Beach within the reserve. The first Europeans to visit the area were survivors of ''

Sydney Cove Sydney Cove (Eora language, Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central ...

'', who encountered members of the Bidawal tribe on 29 March 1797 while en route to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Since then, the region was impacted little by European settlement, with only two farms and surrounding acreage cultivated. In 1954, Allen Strom, Allan Fox and Charles Witheford proposed the gazetting of a reserve, to which the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

responded by naming it the Nadgee Faunal Reserve in 1957. The reserve was enlarged with the addition of the (recently logged) upper catchment of the

Nadgee River The Nadgee River is a mature intermittently closed saline coastal lagoon; or perennial river located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Nadgee River rises on the southern slopes of Mount Nadgee within t ...

in the 1970s.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation types within the park include dry

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

forest,

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

and saltwater wetlands. Much of the vegetation was burnt in

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

in 1972 (from a lightning strike) and 1980 (from a logging burn-off). A variety of mammal species inhabit the reserve including

swamp wallaby The swamp wallaby (''Wallabia bicolor'') is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the black wallaby, with other names including black-tailed wallaby, fern wallaby, black pademelon, stinker (in Qu ...

eastern grey kangaroo The eastern grey kangaroo (''Macropus giganteus'': gigantic large-foot; also great grey kangaroo or forester kangaroo) is a marsupial found in the eastern third of Australia, with a population of several million. Although a large ''M. giganteus ...

common wombat The common wombat (''Vombatus ursinus''), also known as the bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the only one in the genus ''Vombatus''. It has three subspecies: ''Vombatus ursinus hirsutus'', found on the ...

, agile and

dusky antechinus The dusky antechinus (''Antechinus swainsonii''), also known as Swainson's antechinus or the dusky marsupial mouse, is a species of small marsupial carnivore, a member of the family Dasyuridae. It is found in Australia. Taxonomy The dusky antec ...

and

sugar glider The sugar glider (''Petaurus breviceps'') is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much lik ...

Birds

The varied habitats support a wide variety of bird species, 34 of which occur in the heathland areas alone. Species of note include the sooty owl,

eastern ground parrot ''Pezoporus'' is a genus of parrot endemic to Australia. It contains two species: the night parrot (''P. occidentalis'') and the ground parrot (''P. wallicus'') which is divided into three subspecies. The night parrot was previously separated in ...

little tern The little tern (''Sternula albifrons'') is a seabird of the family Laridae. It was first described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name ''Sterna albifrons''. It was moved to the genus '' Sternula'' whe ...

and

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

eastern bristlebird The eastern bristlebird (''Dasyornis brachypterus'') is a species of bird in the bristlebird family, Dasyornithidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, and temperate grassland. It is thre ...

. The reserve lies within the Nadgee to Mallacoota Inlet Important Bird Area, so identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports populations of eastern bristlebirds and pilotbirds as well as other significant fauna.

References

External links

NSW Government park map
* {{Nature reserves of New South Wales , state=autocollapse Nature reserves in New South Wales South Coast (New South Wales) Important Bird Areas of New South Wales 1957 establishments in Australia Protected areas established in 1957 Bega Valley Shire