| Type: | protected |
| Nest Hill Nature Reserve | |
| State: | nsw |
| Iucn Category: | Ia |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Coordinates: | -35.5073°N 147.36°W |
| Elevation: | 380-450 |
| Area: | 7.59 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Managing Authorities: | NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service |
| Url: | https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/nest-hill-nature-reserve |
Nest Hill Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve, located in the South Western Slopes region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia.[1] The reserve is located approximately north of Holbrook, and south of Wagga Wagga.[1]
The reserve lies within Wiradjuri country, however little is known about its historic significance to Aboriginal people.[1] The lack of permanent water within the reserve suggests that it may have been of low importance.[1]
The reserve was gazetted as Pulletop State Forest on 4 May 1917,[2] and managed by the Forestry Commission of NSW for logging and timber harvesting activities. The state forest was reclassified as a nature reserve on 1 January 2001.[1] The name Nest Hill is derived from a dominant peak of the same name located south of the reserve.[1]
Nest Hill Nature Reserve is situated on the undulating slopes of County Ridge and is relatively flat in comparison to the surrounding landscape.[1] The reserve is generally dry for most of the year, with flowing water only usually accumulating after summer storms or during the wetter winter months.[1]
119 plant species have been recorded within the reserve, of which 91 were native, and 28 were introduced.[3] Large tree species present within the reserve include white box, red stringybark, red box and scribbly gum.[3]
Native plant species recorded within the reserve include chocolate lily, twining fringe-lily, bulbine lily, early nancy, dusky fingers, common onion orchid, purple burr-daisy, grass tree, box-leaf wattle, silver wattle, woolly wattle, hairy geebung and creamy candles.[3]
The reserve has limited native vegetation structure in the midstorey and understorey due to historic livestock grazing and ongoing grazing by kangaroos.[1]
Four species of reptiles, 20 species of birds, and 7 species of mammals have been recorded within the reserve.[1] Four bird species listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 have been recorded within the reserve, including black-chinned honeyeater, brown treecreeper, diamond firetail and speckled warbler.[4]
Introduced pest species found within the reserve include European fox and European rabbit.[1]