Boat Harbour (Kurnell)
Encyclopedia
Boat Harbour is a small beach located on the north-eastern side of the Kurnell Peninsula
in Sydney
, Australia
. Boat Harbour has been classed as one of the most polluted beaches in Sydney.
Aborigines who were are a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe of Indigenous Australians. They are the traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney.
The first land grant
was issued in 1815. 700 acres (2.8 km²) of land on the Kurnell Peninsula which also included Boat Harbour was issued to James Birnie, a whaler
and merchant
. He named his land ‘Alpha Farm’ and built himself a cottage. When James Birnie was declared insane in 1828, John Connell gained possession of his property. John Connell passes away in 1848 leaving his estate
to his grandsons.
In 1861 the property was sold to Thomas Holt who purchased the land for £3275. Holt, originally from Yorkshire, sailed into Sydney sometime in 1842. He made his fortune during the gold rushes of the early 1850s. Holt moved to Sutherland, and further increased the size of his property holdings to approximately 13000 acres (52.6 km²). He erected several mansions and ran his ‘Sutherland Estate’ in the English manner.
In late 2001 Boat Harbour became an Aquatic Reserve. The new reserve will place restrictions on fishing and bait collection.
, crevices, rock-pools
, boulders and cobbles. Some of the wildlife includes a variety of birds, such as Plovers, Ruddy Turnstone
and Red-necked Stint
. From January to late March 2009, an American Golden Plover
was present with a flock of Pacific Golden Plover
s. This species is very rarely recorded in Australia.
s made from corrugated iron or shipping containers.
Cronulla sand dunes, Kurnell Peninsula
The Cronulla sand dunes are located on the Kurnell Peninsula in the local government area of Sutherland Shire, Sydney Australia.The Cronulla sand dunes are a protected area that became listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 26 September 2003.-History:...
in 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...
, 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...
. Boat Harbour has been classed as one of the most polluted beaches in Sydney.
History
The original inhabitants of the land were the GweagalGweagal
The Gweagal are a clan of the Tharawal tribe of Indigenous Australians, who are traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
Aborigines who were are a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe of Indigenous Australians. They are the traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney.
The first land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
was issued in 1815. 700 acres (2.8 km²) of land on the Kurnell Peninsula which also included Boat Harbour was issued to James Birnie, a whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
and merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. He named his land ‘Alpha Farm’ and built himself a cottage. When James Birnie was declared insane in 1828, John Connell gained possession of his property. John Connell passes away in 1848 leaving his estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
to his grandsons.
In 1861 the property was sold to Thomas Holt who purchased the land for £3275. Holt, originally from Yorkshire, sailed into Sydney sometime in 1842. He made his fortune during the gold rushes of the early 1850s. Holt moved to Sutherland, and further increased the size of his property holdings to approximately 13000 acres (52.6 km²). He erected several mansions and ran his ‘Sutherland Estate’ in the English manner.
In late 2001 Boat Harbour became an Aquatic Reserve. The new reserve will place restrictions on fishing and bait collection.
Wildlife
The area contains several habitats which include platformsCarbonate platform
A carbonate platform is a sedimentary body which possesses topographic relief, and is composed of autochthonous calcareous deposits . Platform growth is mediated by sessile organisms whose skeletons build up the reef or by organisms which induce carbonate precipitation through their metabolism...
, crevices, rock-pools
Tide pool
Tide pools are rocky pools by oceans that are filled with seawater. Many of these pools exist as separate entities only at low tide.Tide pools are habitats of uniquely adaptable animals that have engaged the special attention of naturalists and marine biologists, as well as philosophical...
, boulders and cobbles. Some of the wildlife includes a variety of birds, such as Plovers, Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone
The Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
and Red-necked Stint
Red-necked Stint
The Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
. From January to late March 2009, an American Golden Plover
American Golden Plover
The American Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.Adults are spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Their face and neck are black with a white border; they have a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black....
was present with a flock of Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Golden Plover
The Pacific Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black...
s. This species is very rarely recorded in Australia.
Housing
There is no permanent housing located on or near the beach, though the site houses many temporary shackShack
A shack is a type of small house, usually in a state of disrepair. The word may derive from the Nahuatl word xacalli or "adobe house" by way of Mexican Spanish xacal/jacal, which has the same meaning as "shack". It was a common usage among people of Mexican ancestry throughout the U.S...
s made from corrugated iron or shipping containers.