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Barren Grounds Nature Reserve

1956 establishments in AustraliaIUCN Category IIImportant Bird Areas of New South WalesNature reserves in New South WalesNew South Wales protected area stubs
Protected areas established in 1956Southern Highlands (New South Wales)Use Australian English from August 2019
E9516 Drawing Room Rocks
E9516 Drawing Room Rocks

The Barren Grounds Nature Reserve is a protected nature park located in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. The 2,024-hectare (5,000-acre) reserve is situated east of Budderoo National Park, and west of the city of Kiama. The reserve can also be accessed from the south, via a local road and a bush walk from the town of Berry. It is not far from the Nameless Sylvan Reserve owned by Bush Heritage Australia. The nature reserve has several good lookouts that offer views of the coast. Interesting rock formations can be seen at Drawing Room Rocks, a geological feature in the southern part of the reserve. The former Barren Grounds Bird Observatory is located in the park.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Barren Grounds Nature Reserve (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Barren Grounds Nature Reserve
Griffiths Trail, The Council of the Municipality of Kiama

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Wikipedia: Barren Grounds Nature ReserveContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -34.683333333333 ° E 150.71666666667 °
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Address

Griffiths Trail

Griffiths Trail
2577 The Council of the Municipality of Kiama, Barren Grounds
New South Wales, Australia
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E9516 Drawing Room Rocks
E9516 Drawing Room Rocks
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Nearby Places

Foxground, New South Wales
Foxground, New South Wales

Foxground is a locality in the Municipality of Kiama, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located two kilometres from the Princes Highway, 20 kilometres south west of Kiama. Broughton Creek flows through the valley. The name Foxground is derived from the once abundant Grey-headed Flying Foxes. Foxground was originally known as "The Flying Foxes Camping Ground". The indigenous people of this area are from the Wadi Wadi and Yuin tribes. The first white men to explore the valley were likely to be Cedar cutters in the 1820s or possibly earlier. As early as 1814, cedar cutters explored the area around nearby Gerringong. In 1890 explosions were detonated in an attempt to remove the Flying Foxes.After clearing of the rainforest, the area was used mostly for dairy farms. The first white settler was John Blow. His original house was built from split timber slabs, with a bark roof. However, as his circumstances improved, he built a new home, "Willow Glen" which still stands today. An attractive rural valley; now without the shops, school, churches, or the combined milk depot/post office of the past. The school closed in 1950. The Church of England structure was built in 1873, and destroyed by fire in 1954. A Wesleyan church was built in 1861, and sold in 1901. Photographer Jeff Carter moved onto a 45-hectare abandoned farm in the area with his Californian wife Mare in 1962 and together they set up a wildlife sanctuary which is documented in her book A Wild Life - Bringing up a Bush Menagerie.The relatively fertile soils and generous rainfall produced high quality sub-tropical rainforest in the area. Significant species include Australian Red Cedar, Camphorwood, Yellow Ash, Deciduous Fig, and Illawarra Plum. The rare Socketwood occurs here in private property. Average annual rainfall at nearby Kiama is 1,256 mm. However, in 1950 Foxground received 4,263 mm, one of the highest annual rainfalls ever recorded in New South Wales.