Ben Boyd National Park
Encyclopedia
Ben Boyd National Park is a national park in New South Wales
, Australia
, 383 km (238 mi) south of Sydney
. It is named after the entrepreneur Ben Boyd
who had a variety of interests in the far South Coast
of New South Wales including whaling
and farming. The park itself was established in 1971. Originally 8,900 hectares in size, it has been expanded to 10,486 hectares.
Boyd commissioned the construction of a sandstone
tower overlooking the entrance to the harbour of Twofold Bay
to alert whaling crews of the approach of their prey. The tower was never completed.
The park consists of two sections, on either side of Twofold Bay and the town of Eden. The smaller northern section is bounded on its western border by the Princes Highway. The geology of this section is mainly sedimentary rock (ironstone
and clay
) laid down in the Paleogene
, with some quartzite
outcrops. The main attraction for tourists is the Pinnacles, a multicoloured erosion gully with white sands overlaying rusty red clay. The southern section coastline is metamorphic and Devonian
in age, with some heavily folded sections at Red Point, near Boyd's tower.
The park is fairly flat, with none of the northern section exceeding 100 metres in elevation, and the southern section not much higher; the tallest peak is Haycock Hill at 252 metres. The region is particularly windy, dry and cold, and the headlands are covered in a low ground-hugging heathland community of plants. Further inland, the heath is replaced by open eucalypt woodland, which makes up most of the park's habitat. The two dominant tree species are silvertop ash (Eucalyptus sieberi
) and red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera
). There are also scattered pockets of rainforest
in gullies and protected areas, with species such as the scentless rosewood (Synoum
glandulosum) and smooth mock-olive (Notelaea venosa
).
212 species of bird have been recorded in the park, with the heathlands being home to the Eastern Ground Parrot and endangered Eastern Bristlebird
. The Little Tern
breeds in the sand dunes and beaches and is threatened by recreational four-wheel driving. Fifty species of mammal have been recorded.
Pests recorded include cats and foxes, both which have covered the park, occasional feral dogs, and rabbits in previously cleared areas and picnic areas. Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera
) is a problem weed north of the Pambula River.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 383 km (238 mi) south of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. It is named after the entrepreneur Ben Boyd
Benjamin Boyd
Benjamin Boyd was a Scottish-born Australian pioneer and entrepreneur.Boyd was a man of "an imposing personal appearance, fluent oratory, aristocratic connexions, and a fair share of commercial acuteness". Mrs Georgiana McCrae, with whom he had dinner when he first came to Port Phillip, looked at...
who had a variety of interests in the far South Coast
South Coast, New South Wales
The South Coast refers to the narrow coastal belt from Sydney in the north to the border with Victoria in the south in the south-eastern part of the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is bordered to the west by the coastal escarpment of the Southern Tablelands, which is largely covered by a...
of New South Wales including whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
and farming. The park itself was established in 1971. Originally 8,900 hectares in size, it has been expanded to 10,486 hectares.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
tower overlooking the entrance to the harbour of Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay is a bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. The bay has an area of about 30 square kilometres. Close to North Head is a conspicuous islet, Mewstone Rock. About five km south of the islet is Red Point which forms the southern headland of...
to alert whaling crews of the approach of their prey. The tower was never completed.
The park consists of two sections, on either side of Twofold Bay and the town of Eden. The smaller northern section is bounded on its western border by the Princes Highway. The geology of this section is mainly sedimentary rock (ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
) laid down in the Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
, with some quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
outcrops. The main attraction for tourists is the Pinnacles, a multicoloured erosion gully with white sands overlaying rusty red clay. The southern section coastline is metamorphic and Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
in age, with some heavily folded sections at Red Point, near Boyd's tower.
The park is fairly flat, with none of the northern section exceeding 100 metres in elevation, and the southern section not much higher; the tallest peak is Haycock Hill at 252 metres. The region is particularly windy, dry and cold, and the headlands are covered in a low ground-hugging heathland community of plants. Further inland, the heath is replaced by open eucalypt woodland, which makes up most of the park's habitat. The two dominant tree species are silvertop ash (Eucalyptus sieberi
Eucalyptus sieberi
Eucalyptus sieberi, the Silvertop Ash or Black Ash is a common eucalyptus tree of south eastern Australia. The range of distribution is in the higher rainfall areas, from near sea level to high altitude...
) and red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera, commonly known as Red Bloodwood, is a hardwood tree native to eastern Australia.-Description:It usually grows as a tree, but may take the form of a mallee in very poor soils. As a tree it typically grows to a height of 20 to 34 metres and a trunk diameter of one metre dbh....
). There are also scattered pockets of rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
in gullies and protected areas, with species such as the scentless rosewood (Synoum
Synoum
Synoum is a monotypic genus of evergreen tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. It is endemic to Australia where it is found along the eastern sub-tropical to tropical coast, usually on the margins of rainforests, in Queensland and New South Wales....
glandulosum) and smooth mock-olive (Notelaea venosa
Notelaea venosa
Notelaea venosa is a very common shrub or small tree in eastern Australia. Occurring in or adjacent to rainforest from Lakes Entrance, Victoria to Cunninghams Gap in south eastern Queensland. Common names include Veined Mock-olive, Smooth Mock-olive, Large-leaved Mock-olive and Large Mock-olive...
).
212 species of bird have been recorded in the park, with the heathlands being home to the Eastern Ground Parrot and endangered Eastern Bristlebird
Eastern Bristlebird
The Eastern Bristlebird is a species of bird in the Bristlebird family Dasyornithidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, and temperate grassland...
. The Little Tern
Little Tern
The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
breeds in the sand dunes and beaches and is threatened by recreational four-wheel driving. Fifty species of mammal have been recorded.
Pests recorded include cats and foxes, both which have covered the park, occasional feral dogs, and rabbits in previously cleared areas and picnic areas. Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera
Chrysanthemoides monilifera
Chrysanthemoides monilifera...
) is a problem weed north of the Pambula River.
External links
- Ben Boyd National Park official website, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service