history of the royal national park coastal track
Source: Royal National Park
The Royal National Park is the second oldest National Park in the world, established in 1879 and named by Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. As one of the world’s most biologically diverse national parks it was among the first land areas in Australia to be set aside specifically for conservation. This diverse environment stretches over 15,000 hectares and encompasses many different ecosystems; including picturesque beaches, coastal sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, swamps, eucalypt forests, rainforests, and extensive woodlands.
This area has a rich cultural heritage with many Aboriginal sites and artefacts. For many thousands of years the area known as the Royal National Park was the land of the Dharawal people. They fished and hunted along the coast, travelling in bark canoes, sheltering beneath rock overhangs, and lived in caves and simple structures constructed from palm fronds and other materials. The early European settlers drove them from their traditional lands and introduced various fatal diseases. By the end of the 19th century the Dharawal had all but disappeared. Rock engravings, paintings, axe grinding grooves, shell middens, and the remnants of their stone tools have been found throughout the park. However, the age of the art is unknown as the grooves were regularly rubbed; in general the deeper the grooves the older the engravings. The abundance of Aboriginal heritage like paintings, engravings, drawings and stencils suggests that a large number of people inhabited this area. Archaeologists believe that up to 900 Dharawal lived around Port Hacking prior to white invasion. The Jibbon Point is one such site that has been made accessible to the public and will be explored as part of our Coastal Walk.
The National Park area was originally used for timber, however, in April of 1879 it was proclaimed a National Park encompassing just under 7000 hectares. In 1880 the park was doubled in size and then further expanded in 1883 reaching a total area of 15,133 hectares. The creation of the park was largely due to Sir John Robertson who responded to a social need to provide "breathing spaces" for urban dwellers living in the unhealthy and polluted conditions of the city. The National Park became known as the "lungs" of Sydney. The park was originally managed by the National Park Trust who were empowered to develop it for the "recreation of the inhabitants of the colony". In 1967 the management of the park was transferred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Royal National Park is most recognized as one of the most floristically diverse regions for its size in the temperate parts of the world. Well over 1000 plant species have been recorded, including 26 species which are listed as nationally rare or threatened. The diversity of vegetation in the park have provided a range of habitats for a rich assemblage of native animals including many threatened species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Thanks to the conservation of this area, the park has become a significant regional and international contributor of research and education.
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