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Haycock Point picnic area

Pambula-Haycock area in Beowa National Park

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Learn more about why this park is special

Haycock Point picnic area is in Pambula-Haycock area. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

Aboriginal culture

Pambula River Mouth. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE

The Yuin People are the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Beowa National Park and they have a long and complex relationship with the coastal environment. Some of the best preserved mounded middens on the east coast of Australia are found in the park along the Pambula River. These middens contain the shells of oysters, mussels and sometimes the bones of sea and land mammals—collected by Aboriginal people from the rock platforms, reefs and estuaries along the park’s coastline.

  • Severs Beach Severs Beach, in Beowa National Park in the whale watching town of Eden on NSW’s Sapphire Coast, offers Aboriginal heritage, fishing, beach walks and more.

Rocks tell a story

Rock platform at Barmouth Beach. Photo: John Spencer/DPIE

The park’s stunning rock formations, inlets and headlands are the result of extensive geological folding. Most of Beowa National Park lies on red, brown and green shales, sandstones, siltstones and quartzites. These were formed in the Devonian period around 360 million years ago, before dinosaurs roamed the earth. You can see these rock types exposed along the cliffs and headlands. The Devonian period is known as The Age of Fishes and internationally-significant fish fossils have been found in several places along the park’s coastline.

Refuge for threatened species

Pied oystercatcher. Photo: Michael Jarman/DPIE

Several threatened species take refuge in the Pambula-Haycock area. North of Pambula River there's an important population of yellow-bellied gliders—listen carefully for their trademark crackles and shrieks. Around 50 native mammals and nearly 150 species of birds have been recorded in Beowa National Park. This includes 1 critically endangered bird, 4 endangered animal species and 25 vulnerable species.

Plants and animals protected in this park

Animals

  • Five pelicans stand at the beach shore in Bundjalung National Park as the sun rises. Photo: Nick Cubbin © DPE

    Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

    The curious pelican is Australia’s largest flying bird and has the longest bill of any bird in the world. These Australian birds are found throughout Australian waterways and the pelican uses its throat pouch to trawl for fish. Pelicans breed all year round, congregating in large colonies on secluded beaches and islands.

  • Australian fur seals, Montague Island Nature Reserve. Photo: OEH

    Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus)

    The largest fur seal, Australian fur seals are found in isolated rocky outcrops and islands along the NSW coast. They come ashore to form breeding colonies and can often be seen at Barunguba Montague Island Nature Reserve.

Look out for...

Australian pelican

Pelecanus conspicillatus

Five pelicans stand at the beach shore in Bundjalung National Park as the sun rises. Photo: Nick Cubbin © DPE

The curious pelican is Australia’s largest flying bird and has the longest bill of any bird in the world. These Australian birds are found throughout Australian waterways and the pelican uses its throat pouch to trawl for fish. Pelicans breed all year round, congregating in large colonies on secluded beaches and islands.

Environments in this area

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