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Latham Report
CENTRAL REGION:

Garigal National Park was gazetted in 1992 over the former Davidson State Recreation Area. Covering about 2150 ha, it is located about 15 km north of Sydney and extends from Bantry Bay and North Seaforth in the south to Elanora Heights in the north. It is roughly contained on the north by Mona Vale Road; on the west by Horace Street / Eastern Arterial Road / Archbold Road; and on the east by Wakehurst Parkway. It comprises the valley of Middle Harbour Creek and its tributaries, the slopes along the northern side of Middle Harbour as far as Bantry Bay, and part of the Narrabeen Lakes catchment. Much of the Park is surrounded by residential development along the ridge tops, but it is also adjacent to other conservation reserves and bushland areas such as Ku-ring-gai Chase and Sydney Harbour National Parks and Manly Dam Reserve.

It features varied scenery of broad ridges and waterfalls, steep slopes and valleys, and high aesthetic quality in a relatively small area. A high diversity of 24 plant comm-unities and 500 species ranges from dry Heath to moist Forest. Several remnant communities have local and regional significance, such as hanging Swamp, Eucalyptus luehmanniana  mallee Woodland, floodplain Wetland, Tall Open Forest and Rainforest; and the Eucalyptus sieberi - E. capitellata - Corymbia gummifera - Angophora costata   and E. paniculata - E. pellita  associations on lateritic and shale soils.

ROTAP species include  Angophora crassifolia, Corybas undulatus, Darwinia procera, Eucalyptus luehmanniana, Genoplesium baueri, Grevillea caleyi, Haloragodendron lucasii, Hibbertia nitida, Leptospermum deanei, Lomandra brevis, L. fluviatilis, Melaleuca deanei, Persoonia hirsuta, Platysace stephensonii  and Tetratheca glandu-losa. Other restricted or regionally rare plant species include Acianthus caudatus, Allocasuarina nana, Bertya brownii, Chiloglottis reflexa, C. trapeziformis, Eucalyptus scias, E. squamosa, Patersonia  sp aff fragilis, Pultenaea hispidula, P. microphylla, Pseudanthes pimelioides, Pterostylis daintreana  and Rimacola elliptica.

Habitat variety supports 18 native mammal, 23 reptile and 160 bird species. Rare or endangered species include Southern Brown Bandicoot, Koala, Platypus, Common Bentwing Bat, Spotted-tail Quoll, Osprey, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Powerful Owl and Broad-headed Snake.

Nearly 100 known Aboriginal sites include occupation shelters (and one of the oldest known for Sydney Harbour), extensive rock engravings, hand prints, middens, grinding grooves and a possible stone arrangement. Many are undisturbed and important surviving examples. Significant European historic places include NSW' only private explosives magazine complex at Bantry Bay, good examples of Federation-style public utility architecture, and Bungaroo - the site of Governor Phillip's camp of 17.4.1788 on his first expedition after reaching the colony.

The Park caters for a wide variety of outdoor recreation activities including bush-walking, picnicking, boating, fishing, swimming, horse riding and educational use.

(Adapted from NPWS December 1995).

The Park's south-west section has a very linear shape and ragged boundary. The proposed Manly Dam Reserve addition adjoins its south-eastern edge. Its north-east section is more compact but its management is presently hindered by its topographically unsatisfactory southern boundary which the proposed Crown Lands and free-hold additions seek to improve. The NPA proposes 3 groups of additions:

2.2.1.1           Proposed Crown Lands and Freehold Addition

2.2.1.2           Proposed Recreation Reserves Addition

2.2.1.3           Proposed Manly Dam Reserve Addition

2.2.1.2 Proposed Recreation Reserves Addition

Location and Description

The proposed Recreation Reserves addition adjoins the south-east of the northernmost section of Garigal National Park and straddles the Wakehurst Parkway. The NPA understands that the NPWS has been researching these areas for adiition to the Park, but information was not made available for this report.

State Electorate

Deep Creek Reserve: Pittwater

Reserves west of Wakehurst Parkway: Davidson

Reserves east of Wakehurst Parkway and south of Cromer Valley Road: Wakehurst

Local Government Area

Deep Creek Reserve: Pittwater, Warringah

Reserves west of Wakehurst Parkway: Warringah

Reserves east of Wakehurst Parkway and south of Cromer Valley Road: Warringah

2.2.1.3 Proposed Manly Dam Reserve Addition

Manly Dam Reserve adjoins the south-eastern edge of Garigal National Park. Its gazettal and addition to the Park was promised by the NSW Government in 1995, but this has not yet occurred. It is currently being considered by the NPWS as a Regional Park under a joint management trust with Warringah Council (similar to Berowra Valley Regional Park's joint management by the NPWS and Hornsby Shire Council). The NPA supports either option, but this report proposes a Manly Dam Regional Park. (See Section 2.7.1).