TOWARRI NATIONAL PARK, WINGEN MAID NATURE RESERVE AND CEDAR BRUSH NATURE RESERVE PLAN OF MANAGEMENT NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Part of the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) July 2004 This plan of management was adopted by the Minister for the Environment on 20 July 2004. Acknowledgments This plan of management is based on a draft plan prepared by staff of the Hunter Region of NPWS. Rachel-Ann Robertson was the principal author with Stephen Wright contributing much information. Graeme McGregor, Alison Ramsay, Dave Brown, Ken England, Sandro Condurso and Mel Schroder provided information and comments. Members of the public were a valuable source of information. Input and assistance from the Towarri Plan of Management Steering Committee, Hunter Regional Advisory Committee and the Planning Subcommittee of the National Parks Advisory Council is also acknowledged. Cover photograph of the Liverpool Range from Heavens Ridge in Towarri National Park by Graeme McGregor, NPWS. © Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) 2004: Use permitted with appropriate acknowledgment ISBN 1 74122 011 4 FOREWORD Towarri National Park, Wingen Maid and Cedar Brush Nature Reserves are located approximately 25 kilometres north of Scone and 160 kilometres north-west from Newcastle, in the Upper Hunter Valley. The national park and nature reserves contain part of the Liverpool Range and are located at the junction of three biogeographical areas: the NSW North Coast, Brigalow Belt and Sydney Basin. The Liverpool Range provides part of an important east-west corridor linking the Great Dividing Range and Warrumbungle Ranges and supports a significant number of threatened and endemic plant and animal species as well as other species that reach their northern, western or southern distribution limit. The national park and nature reserves also contain sites of Aboriginal and European cultural heritage and high quality scenic landscapes. The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 requires that a plan of management be prepared for each national park and nature reserve. A plan of management is a legal document that outlines how a park or reserve will be managed in the years ahead. A draft plan of management for Towarri National Park and Wingen Maid and Cedar Brush Nature Reserves was placed on public exhibition 29th November 2002 until 10th March 2003. The exhibition of the plan of management attracted 20 submissions which raised 12 issues. All submissions received were carefully considered before adopting this plan of management. This plan of management provides for the conservation of natural and cultural heritage values while providing opportunities for sustainable public use. Strategies and programs to protect, and where necessary restore, the natural and cultural values of the area will be implemented. In addition, provision will be made for picnicking and camping near the Washpools, an additional area for group camping and for short and longer bushwalks including along the Liverpool Range. This plan of management establishes the scheme of operations for Towarri National Park, Wingen Maid Nature Reserve and Cedar Brush Nature Reserve. In accordance with sections 75 and 76 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, this plan of management is hereby adopted. BOB DEBUS Minister for the Environment CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 LOCATION, GAZETTAL AND REGIONAL SETTING ...................................... 1 1.2 LANDSCAPE CONTEXT.................................................................................. 2 1.3 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................... 2 2. MANAGEMENT CONTEXT.................................................................................... 4 2.1 LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ................................................... 4 2.2 MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES......................................................................... 4 3. MANAGEMENT DIRECTIONS............................................................................... 5 4. CONSERVATION OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE............................ 7 4.1 GEOLOGY AND LANDFORM .......................................................................... 7 4.2 NATIVE PLANTS.............................................................................................. 8 4.3 NATIVE ANIMALS.......................................................................................... 11 4.4 ABORIGINAL HERITAGE .............................................................................. 13 4.5 HISTORIC HERITAGE ................................................................................... 14 5. PARK PROTECTION ........................................................................................... 16 5.1 SOIL EROSION.............................................................................................. 16 5.2 WATER QUALITY .......................................................................................... 16 5.3 INTRODUCED SPECIES ............................................................................... 17 5.4 FIRE MANAGEMENT..................................................................................... 21 6. VISITOR OPPORTUNITIES AND EDUCATION .................................................. 24 6.1 VISITOR INFORMATION ............................................................................... 24 6.2 RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES.................................................................. 25 (a) Public vehicular access.............................................................................. 27 (b) Horse riding ............................................................................................... 28 (c) Day use and camping ................................................................................ 28 (d) Bushwalking and walking tracks ................................................................ 30 (e) Cycling ....................................................................................................... 30 (f) Rock climbing and abseiling ....................................................................... 31 6.3 COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES........................................................................... 31 7. RESEARCH AND MONITORING......................................................................... 33 8. OTHER USES ...................................................................................................... 34 9. MANAGEMENT FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS............................................... 35 10. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................. 37 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 41 PLANNING AREA MAP 1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 LOCATION, GAZETTAL AND REGIONAL SETTING Towarri National Park, Wingen Maid and Cedar Brush Nature Reserves are located approximately 25 kilometres north of Scone and 160 km north-west from Newcastle, in the Upper Hunter Valley (see the map). In addition to the park and reserves, there are a number of recent acquisitions that have not yet been gazetted as either national park or nature reserve (see the map). Collectively the park, reserves and recent acquisitions are referred to as “the planning area. The planning area totals 6,627 hectares and includes part of the Liverpool Range that constitutes the Great Dividing Range in this area. The planning area separates the Hunter Valley and the Liverpool Plains and forms the watershed between the Hunter and Namoi catchments. The planning area experiences a rainfall of up to 900 mm on southern slopes and snow falls in the sub- alpine areas every 2-3 years in winter and occasionally in spring and autumn. Towarri National Park was gazetted in 1998 following the purchase of several key properties that were combined with Vacant Crown Land. The park covers an area of 5,035 hectares fragmented into six separate parcels, being the Washpools Range, Glen Range, Castle Rock, Central, Stringybark Top and Fern Top (see the map). At the time of writing acquisitions were still being added to Towarri National Park. Wingen Maid Nature Reserve is one kilometre to the east of Towarri National Park. Part of Wingen Maid Nature Reserve was under Crown lease for 7 years from 1922 and remained as Vacant Crown Land until the first 718 hectares were gazetted as a nature reserve in 1974. Further lots of crown and freehold land were added in 1981, bringing the total area to 1,095 hectares. Wingen Maid was originally conserved because it is a prominent scenic landmark in the Upper Hunter Valley and contains an interesting mix of vegetation communities. Cedar Brush Nature Reserve was gazetted in April 1977 as part of the Government’s Rainforest Conservation Policy and is located 200 metres to the west of the central portion of Towarri (see the map). The reserve totals 206 hectares and protects one of the most complex western extents of rainforest on the Liverpool Range. The planning area is located in the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Scone and Murrurundi. The main industries in the area include viticulture, quarrying, dairying, cropping, and grazing of sheep, cattle and goats. Tourist attractions in both LGAs include wineries, bed and breakfasts and horse studs (Scone is known as the ‘Horse Capital of Australia’). Surrounding