Brindabella National Park
Brindabella National Park lies north-west of the NSW-ACT border abutting Namadgi National Park and covers an area of 21 360 hectares. The importance of the area is enhanced by the protected lands of the Cotter Catchment in the ACT and the Kosciuszko National Park to the immediate south and west. Brindabella National Park can be accessed off the Brindabella Road and can only be reached by 4WD vehicles. Bush camping is permitted within camping areas however no camping facilities are currently provided within the park.
Recreation
Brindabella National Park provides varied recreational opportunities for bushwalking, mountain biking, four-wheel driving, orienteering, bird watching and nature study. Further information about minimal impact recreation and how to leave no trace!
Cultural heritage
Brindabella National Park lies within the tribal boundaries of the Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Brungle Aboriginal people. Occupation of the area has been dated to approximately 5000 years before European settlement, however, few occupation sites have been recorded. The Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Brungle people exploited Bogong moths on the Brindabella Range and appear to have also participated with neighbouring tribes in Bogong Moth feasts on the Bogong Range or Snowy Mountains. Mount Coree was a reliable Bogong Moth aestivation site regularly visited by Aboriginal people. Summer base camps from which moth collection trips to the relevant sites on Mount Coree were undertaken have been recorded.
No systematic archaeological survey has been undertaken in the park. Those archaeological sites that have been recorded within the park are generally small surface scatters of artefacts or camp sites associated with summit Bogong Moth access routes and waterways. Many of the records are a result of opportunistic observations and the recorded sites should not be regarded as a comprehensive indication of Aboriginal sites within the park.
Plants
Much of the park supports a forest of red stringybark and scribbly gum, while more sheltered slopes have forests of brown barrel with ribbon gum. Sub-alpine snow gum and mountain gum forests are found on the more elevated sites. Uncommon river oaks fringe cold air drainage areas adjacent to water courses and alpine ash on sheltered southern slopes.
The alpine tea tree, along with 58 other sub-alpine plants are found here at the northern limit of their distribution.
Animals
The park contains fauna unique to this part of the Alps and is particularly significant as a corridor for native animal movement.
Brindabella supports a diverse range of native animals, including a number of threatened species. Among the large mammals you may see eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, wombats, wallaroos or swamp wallabies. Ring-tail and brush-tail possums, greater gliders and sugar gliders live in the trees. Smaller mammals include the echidna, antechinus, southern bushrat and water rat. There are also reptiles such as the blotched blue tongue lizard and copperhead snake.
About 80 species of birds have been seen in the park, including the yellow-tailed black cockatoo and peregrine falcon. Of particular interest to birdwatchers are the powerful owl, pink robin and olive whistler, all of which are threatened.
The park is also home to a number of other threatened species including the northern corroboree frog, common bent-wing bat, yellow-bellied glider and tiger quoll.
Geology and geomorphology
Much of the park lies on volcanic rocks 400 million years old. Most of these belong to a group known as the Mountain Creek Volcanics, including rhyolite, andesite, dacite, agglomerate and tuff.
The summit area of Mount Coree, which dominates the park, is small, with steep slopes on all approaches and cliffs on the north-west face.
More information about Brindabella National Park
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Queanbeyan NSW 2620
Australia
Phone: +61 2 6297 6144