Copeland Tops State Conservation Area New South Wales | |
---|---|
Bird's nest ferns growing on shatterwood trees at Copeland Tops | |
Nearest town or city | Gloucester |
Coordinates | 31°57′45″S151°48′05″E / 31.96250°S 151.80139°E Coordinates: 31°57′45″S151°48′05″E / 31.96250°S 151.80139°E |
Established | 1 July 2003 [1] |
Area | 22.01 km2 (8.5 sq mi) [2] |
Managing authorities | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |
Website | Copeland Tops State Conservation Area |
The Copeland Tops State Conservation Area is a protected conservation area located near the Barrington Tops in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The 2,201-hectare (5,440-acre) is situated 12 km (7 mi) west of Gloucester.
Relics of the "Mountain Maid" gold mine may be visited with a tour guide. [2] Gold was discovered by timber collectors in 1875. By 1878, around one thousand people were living in the area. Most of the gold mining activity had ceased by 1890. [3] At the end of 1886, the Mountain Maid mine yielded 8,819 ounces (250,000 g) of gold. And the Hidden Treasure mine yielded 9,501 ounces (269,300 g). [4]
Flora include wet sclerophyll eucalyptus forest and a unique "dry" rainforest. Rainforest trees present include shatterwood, black booyong, Moreton Bay fig, and the white cedar. Some of the red cedar grow in excess of 40 metres (130 ft) tall. Of note is the large epiphytic ferns growing in the rainforest, such as birds nest ferns, staghorn fern, and elkhorn ferns.
Koalas, eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, wombats, and greater gliders are some of the many marsupial animals found here. Microbats rest in the gold mine shafts during the day.
The Barrington Tops National Park is a protected national park located in the Hunter Valley, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Gazetted in 1969, the 76,512-hectare (189,070-acre) park is situated between Scone, Singleton, Dungog, Gloucester and East Gresford.
The Gardens of Stone National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales in eastern Australia. The 15,080-hectare (37,300-acre) national park is situated 125 kilometres (78 mi) northwest of Sydney, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Lithgow. The national park draws its name from the natural stone pagodas within its boundaries.
The Kanangra-Boyd National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Southern Highlands and Macarthur regions, in New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 68,660-hectare (169,700-acre) national park is situated approximately 180 kilometres (110 mi) south-west of Sydney and is contiguous with the Blue Mountains National Park and the Nattai National Park. The park was established in 1969.
The Yengo National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Lower Hunter region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 154,328-hectare (381,350-acre) park is situated 85 kilometres (53 mi) northwest of the Sydney central business district, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Cessnock, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Wisemans Ferry, and 155 kilometres (96 mi) southwest of Newcastle.
The Limpinwood Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located on the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The reserve was gazetted in April 1963 with additions made in 1967, over former fauna and crown reserves, and further additions were made in 1988 to make the reserve to its current area of 2,646 hectares. The reserve is situated north-west of the rural locality of Limpinwood, and north of Tyalgum and defines part of the state border between New South Wales and Queensland.
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world. Collectively, the rainforests are a World Heritage Site with fifty separate reserves totalling 366,500 hectares from Newcastle to Brisbane.
The Boorganna Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve located northwest of Taree on the Comboyne Plateau in New South Wales, Australia. The 396-hectare (980-acre) reserve, managed by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, was gazetted in 1904 and is the second oldest nature reserve in the state. The reserve features various forest types, including stands of sub tropical rainforest of which the large rosewood, yellow carabeen and small leaf fig are particularly noteworthy. The reserve is a remnant of the former extensive rainforest on the Comboyne Plateau. The plateau was cleared between 1900 and 1925. Australian red cedar was logged in the area in the nineteenth century. Originally proposed to be part of the world heritage rainforest group. The exploration, knowledge, uses and history of this area by Indigenous Australians is not well known in the present day.
The Mount Hyland Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located in the New England region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 2,519-hectare (6,220-acre) reserve is situated approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of Dorrigo.
The Yatteyattah Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve in the south coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 35-hectare (86-acre) reserve is situated near Milton.
The Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located in the Northern Rivers region in the state of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The reserve is bounded to the north by the border between New South Wales and the state of Queensland. The nearest town is the Queensland settlement of Killarney.
The Gumbayngirr State Conservation Area is a protected conservation area located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 2,561-hectare (6,330-acre) conservation area is situated west of Nambucca Heads and contains a sub–tropical jungle, known as the League Scrub.
The Susan Island Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve containing Susan Island, a river island, that is located in the mouth of the Clarence River, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales in eastern Australia. The 23-hectare (57-acre) reserve is situated near Grafton. The island and reserve is a rare 16.5-hectare (41-acre) example of sub tropical lowland rainforest.
The Wingham Brush Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 8-hectare (20-acre) reserve is a rare example of sub tropical lowland rainforest and is situated on the Manning River.
The Black Bulga State Conservation Area is a protected conservation area located near the Barrington Tops, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The 1,554-hectare (3,840-acre) conservation area is situated 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Dungog, and used to be part of Trevor State Forest and Chichester State Forest.
The Garawarra State Conservation Area is a protected conservation area that is located on the southern suburban fringe of Greater Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 949-hectare (2,350-acre) reserve abuts the Royal National Park and is situated 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, near Helensburgh. Garawarra was gazetted as a park in 1987, and added, together with the Royal National Park, to the Australian National Heritage List on 15 September 2006.
Careys Peak is a peak in the Williams Range, part of the Mount Royal Range, located in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. At 1,544 metres (5,066 ft) above sea level, it is one of the higher points in Barrington Tops National Park, some 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Sydney. The peak is at the edge of the Barrington Tops plateau, within the declared wilderness of the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
Mount Royal is situated at the southern end of the Mount Royal Range in the Barrington Tops region of eastern Australia. It is part of the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
The Bretti Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve located near the Barrington Tops in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The 2,902-hectare (7,170-acre) reserve is situated approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Gloucester. Flora includes wet sclerophyll eucalyptus forest and rainforest. It is most often viewed on a drive along the Thunderbolts Way. The locally rare wompoo fruit dove may be heard in rainforest areas.
The Sea Acres National Park is a national park that is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 76-hectare (190-acre) park is situated near the town of Port Macquarie. The park is a popular tourist area with a 1.3-kilometre (0.81 mi) long boardwalk through a remnant of seaside rainforest. There is also an education centre and cafe. The park was initially declared as a nature reserve in 1987; and gazetted as a national park in October 2010.
The Stotts Island Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve containing the Stotts Island, a river island, that is located in the Tweed River, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales in eastern Australia. The 141-hectare (350-acre) reserve is situated near Tweed Heads and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) northeast of Murwillumbah.