| Type: | protected |
| Benambra National Park | |
| State: | nsw |
| Iucn Category: | II |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Coordinates: | -35.7806°N 147.0985°W |
| Elevation: | 300-640 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area: | 13.99 |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Established Footnotes: | [3] |
| Managing Authorities: | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Url: | https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/benambra-national-park |
The Benambra National Park is a protected national park that is located 30km (20miles) north-east of Albury, 20km (10miles) south-east of Culcairn, and 20km (10miles) south-west of Holbrook, New South Wales, in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia.[2] The park is almost entirely surrounded by private land, however access can be gained by contacting the National Parks & Wildlife Service.
Benambra National Park was initially declared a forest reserve in 1879, and in May 1918 it was reclassified as state forest.[4] [2] The national park was gazetted in 2001, to protect remnant areas of White Box and Red Box woodlands, which have been extensively cleared across New South Wales.[3] The park has a history of use for grazing and small scale timber harvesting for firewood and fencing.[2]
In 1985 the entire park was burnt, after a lightning strike started a fire north-west of the reserve, which then burnt through park and stopped on a property adjacent to the eastern boundary of the park.[2]
Benambra National Park is situated at the northern end of the Great Yambla Range, a prominent 23km (14miles) long outcrop of cliff faces and flat-topped peaks, which forms part of the Lachlan Fold Belt.[2] The park has an altitudinal range between and above sea level, covering steeply sloping hills, with only the north-eastern section of the national park being on relatively flat, low-lying country.[2]
A large cave known as 'Morgan's Cave' exists within the park, which was reputedly used in the 1860s as a refuge by the notorious bushranger Dan Morgan.[2]
The park is almost entirely surrounded by private land.[2] There is no public vehicle access to the park, however access to the park for activities such as bushwalking and birdwatching, can be gained by contacting the National Parks & Wildlife Service office in Tumut.[2] [3]
The park comprises several vegetation communities. Red Box-White Box-Dry Shrub Open Forest makes up 69 percent of the park, Red Box-Long-leaved Box Grassy Forest makes up 8 percent, Red Box Swampy Flat Woodland makes up 7 percent, Dwyer's Red Gum-Black Cypress Pine Grass Woodland makes up 5 percent, and 2 percent is Currawang Wattle-Drooping She-oak Shrubland. Woolly ragwort, listed as Vulnerable in NSW under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016,[5] occurs within Benambra National Park.[2]
Invasive plants found in the park include St. John's wort, Paterson's curse and Tree of Heaven.[2]
Threatened birds recorded in the park include Black-chinned honeyeater, Regent honeyeater, Grey-crowned babbler, Hooded robin, Diamond firetail, Painted honeyeater, Swift parrot, Turquoise parrot, Brown treecreeper, and Speckled warbler.[2] Threatened mammals recorded in the park include Southeastern long-eared bat, Squirrel glider, Eastern pygmy possum and Yellow-footed antechinus.[2] [6] Reptiles found in the park include the Yellow-faced whipsnake.[7]
Several introduced pest species occur, including the European fox, feral goat, feral cat and European rabbit.[2]