Cambewarra Range Nature Reserve

Cambewarra was given its name by the traditional custodians of this area - the Dharawal People. These expert hunter-fisher-gatherers lived off the land in family groups and clans along the coastal area of what is now known as Sydney Basin. Cambewarra Mountain was given a name meaning 'mountain of fire' because it was thought to have once been a volcano. Another reason for the name is that cloud usually shrouds its summit - even on a clear day there often appears to be smoke coming from the top.

The reserve also has one of the largest areas of subtropical rainforest remaining in the Illawarra/Shoalhaven area. These types of rainforest develop where the soil is fertile and rainfall is high. Here, you can expect to find strangler figs, palms, large vines, buttressed trunks and large epiphytes. Be sure to keep your binoculars handy for a spot of bird watching, because a myriad of beautiful birdlife call these trees home.

Cambewarra Range Nature Reserve was created in 2001 in an attempt to conserve the area's biodiversity, maintain its ecosystem and protect its geological features. A number of threatened species inhabit the areas that make up the reserve, such as eastern bristlebirds and brush-tailed rock wallabies. Bristlebirds have suffered habitat loss over decades due to coastal development, fire and predation by foxes. The reserve offers a safe haven for this threatened species.