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The Werakata National Park is a
protected Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing 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 th ...
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
that is located in the Lower
Hunter Region The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...
of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, in eastern
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The national park is located to the north, east and south of the town of Cessnock (the park is separated into three distinct but closely located sections: near Abermain, near Kearsley and near Kitchener/
Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...
). The national park lies within the
Hunter Valley Important Bird Area The Hunter Valley Important Bird Area is a 560 km2 tract of land around Cessnock in central-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Description The site has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it r ...
. South of the national park is the separate Werakata State Conservation Area.


History

Originally called Lower Hunter National Park, the Werakata National Park was created in January 1999 with land that had previously been part of the Cessnock State Forest (State Forest No. 874). On 1 January 2003, the park was expanded with from the former Cessnock State Forest and also the Aberdare State Forest (State Forest No. 981). The Werakata State Conservation Area was created in 2007 with an area of . The Hunter region was inhabited by the
Awabakal The Awabakal people , are those Aboriginal Australians who identify with or are descended from the Awabakal tribe and its clans, Indigenous to the coastal area of what is now known as the Hunter Region of New South Wales. Their traditional te ...
,
Worimi The Worimi (also spelt Warrimay) people are Aboriginal Australians from the eastern Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Before contact with settlers, their people extended from Port Stephens in the sout ...
,
Wonnarua The Wonnarua people, otherwise written Wanarruwa, are a group of Aboriginal Australian people united by strong ties of kinship, and who survived in family groups or clans scattered along the inland area of what is now known as the Hunter Region ...
, Geawegal, Birrpai and Darkinjung Aboriginal tribes, although little is known about Aboriginal use of the area in the vicinity of the park. After European settlement in the 1800s, forestry commenced and sawmills were established in and near area the area of the park (most of the timber going to local mines for pit props). The Cessnock and Aberdare State Forests were declared in 1942 and 1963 respectively and logging continued until the forests were transferred to the
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is a directorate of the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment responsible for managing most of the protected areas in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Despite its name the ...
.


Flora and fauna

When the park was first gazetted, the
Spotted Gum Spotted gum usually refers to the Australian tree species ''Corymbia maculata'' but may also refer to other closely related species within the genus '' Corymbia'' as follows: *''Corymbia citriodora'' (usually referred to as the lemon-scented gum) *' ...
-Ironbark vegetation communities found on the park were identified as being poorly represented in the regional reserve system. The park is home to several threatened species including: *
Squirrel glider The squirrel glider (''Petaurus norfolcensis'') is a nocturnal gliding possum. The squirrel glider is one of the wrist-winged gliders of the genus '' Petaurus''. Habitat This species' home range extends from Bordertown near the South Australia ...
*
Grey-headed flying fox The grey-headed flying fox (''Pteropus poliocephalus'') is a megabat native to Australia. The species shares mainland Australia with three other members of the genus ''Pteropus'': the little red ''Pteropus scapulatus, P. scapulatus'', spectacle ...
*
Regent honeyeater The regent honeyeater (''Anthochaera phrygia'') is a critically endangered bird endemic to southeastern Australia. It is commonly considered a flagship species within its range, with the efforts going into its conservation having positive eff ...
*
Swift parrot The swift parrot (''Lathamus discolor'') is a species of broad-tailed parrot, found only in southeastern Australia. The species breeds in Tasmania during the summer and migrates north to south eastern mainland Australia from Griffith-Warialda ...


Other features

* Astills Picnic Area * Kurri Sand Swamp Woodland. * Bushwalking (walking up to Tomalpin hill) * Bicycle trails (leave from Astills picnic area, along Deadmans Trail and return to the picnic area via Gibsons Road). * An old Forestry Hut (off Old Maitland Road).


See also

*
Protected areas of New South Wales The Protected areas of New South Wales include both terrestrial and marine protected areas. there are 225 national parks in New South Wales. Based on the Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) 2020 data there are 2136 separat ...


References


External links

* * * * {{Hunter Region places and items of interest National parks of the Hunter Region City of Cessnock 1999 establishments in Australia Important Bird Areas of New South Wales Protected areas established in 1999