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Natural Environment

Bray, James Samuel

A local character for nearly 50 years, James Samuel Bray was an amateur naturalist, prolific author and erratic entrepreneur in late-colonial Sydney. Despite representing the colony at exhibitions as far afield as Melbourne and Calcutta, Bray perennially skirted the edges of scientific and social respectability. Often ostracised in life, and soon forgotten after his death, he nevertheless embodied the 'antiquarian imagination' that took root in the Australian colonies from the 1870s until World War I.

Ku-ring-gai Tree Lovers' Civic League

Founded by Annie Forsyth Wyatt in the 1930s, the Tree Lovers' Civic League grew out of concern at the destruction of the natural environment.

McGarvie’s list and Aboriginal Dyarubbin

This essay follows on from Introducing the Dyarubbin Project: Aboriginal history, culture and places on the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales

Muogamarra Nature Reserve

JD Tipper established this sanctuary in the 1930s, and it became a state government reserve in 1953.

The Dyarubbin Project: Aboriginal history, culture and places on the Hawkesbury River

The winner of the State Library of NSW Coral Thomas Fellowship in 2018-19 was a collaborative project, The Real Secret River: Dyarubbin. Based on a list of Aboriginal words recorded along Dyarubbin (the Hawkesbury River) in the 1820s by Reverend John McGarvie that is held in the Mitchell LIbrary, winning the Fellowship allowed the team behind the project to work on the recovery, recognition and revitalisation of the river's Darug and Darkinjung history, culture and Language.

Wyatt, Annie

Wyatt was a tireless advocate for heritage protection and conservation who believed that women could make a difference in community issues. She helped found the National Trust and save some of Sydney's most iconic buildings.

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979

Legislation first enacted in 1979 ensure the proper management and conservation of threatened species and their habitat.

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Greater Blue Mountains Area

UNESCO world heritage area of 1.03 million hectares of sandstone plateaux, escarpments and gorges dominated by temperate eucalypt forest. It is noted for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwana isolation on the Australian continent.

Spread across eight adjacent conservation reserves, it constitutes one of the largest and most intact tracts of protected bushland in Australia. The eight reserves are: from the south, Thirlmere National Park; Nattai National Park; Kanangra Boyd National Park; Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve; Blue Mountains National Park; Gardens of Stone National Park; Wollemi National Park and Yengo National Park.

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Sydney Coastal River Flat Forest

Endangered eucalypt forest bioregion that occurs along the extensive riverbanks and floodplains of the Cumberland Plain, particularly along the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system. It is part of the River-flat eucalypt forest on coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions. In 2019 a new, more encompassing name for the ecological community, 'Coastal floodplain eucalypt forest of eastern Australia' was suggested by the scientific community.

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Australian Forest League (NSW)

New South Wales branch of forestry management and tree preservation association that was formed in May 1914. The national association was formed with representatives from each state's branch in Victoria November 1914.

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Environment Protection Authority

Independent authority responsible for education, regulation and licensing of activities which impact the environmental health of the state.

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Gould League

As an organisation initially devoted to bird protection it was responsible for introducing many children to Australian birdlife. Today it continues to play a role in environmental protection and education.

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Harbour Foreshores Vigilance Committee

Association formed in 1905 to protect public access to the foreshores of Sydney Harbour and to lobby for the resumption of areas of private land to create public reserves.

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Ku-ring-gai Tree Lovers' Civic League

Early conservation organisation, a forerunner of the National Trust of Australia.

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Land and Environment Court of New South Wales

Environmental and planning court responsible for interpreting and enforcing environmental law in the state of New South Wales.

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National Trust of Australia (NSW)

An independent community-based organisation that has advocated the conservation of built, cultural and natural heritage since its foundation in Sydney in 1945.

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Naturalists' Society of New South Wales

Society which promoted the study of natural history.

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New South Wales Planning and Environment Commission

Successor to the State Planning Authority in 1974 to take over planning responsibilities in the context of environmental concerns and needs.

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Gurangatty

Powerful being in Darug/Darkinyung culture. A gigantic eel-being or rainbowed serpent who possibly created the Hawkesbury river and its valley. He may have been the same Being as Gurangatch, who in the mythology of the nearby Gundungurra people, tore up rock and earth with his powerful body in his desperate flight to escape the hunter Mirrigan, the tiger-quoll, and so created the Coxs and Wollondilly rivers.

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Bennett, George

Physician and naturalist whose interest in the unique flora and fauna in Australia lead him to establish his medical practice in the colony.

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Bradley, Eileen Burton

Bush regenerator who opposed the use of chemicals and controlled burns to control weeds and developed, with her sister, an alternative method of hand weeding and minimum disturbance to encourage regrowth.

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Bradley, Joan Burton

Bush regenerator who with her sister, promoted native plants by using hand weeding and minimum disturbance to encourage regrowth.

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Caley, George

First naturalist to study eucalypts, he made an early attempt to cross the Blue Mountains and explored much of the Sydney region with Aboriginal help.

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Kemp, Michael

Local resident and environmentalist in the Hawkesbury area, whose family have lived in the region for several generations.

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Notting, William Albert

Accountant and estate agent who was a keen sailor and the Commodore of the Sydney Sailing Club. He recognised the importance of keeping access to Sydney Harbour in public hands and as founder and secretary of the Harbour Foreshore Vigilance Committee in the early 1900s lobbied the state government to resume lands and create public reserves.

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Serventy, Vincent

Author, ornitholigist and conservationist.

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Tipper, John Duncan (JD)

Conservationist and electrical engineer who was passionate about preserving and protecting the bush and the Aboriginal sites along the Hawkesbury River.

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Waterhouse, Mary Jane

Devout Methodist, charity worker and keen naturalist.

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Wyatt, Annie

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Conservationist and founder of the National Trust movement.

Mitchell Park

Part of Cattai National Park on Cattai Creek. The surrounding bushland includes huge forest red gums and a rare remnant rainforest

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Muogamarra Nature Reserve

A wildlife sanctuary on a plateau of Hawkesbury sandstone.

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Yengo National Park

World heritage listed national park between the Lower Hunter and Hawkesbury that forms part of the Great Dividing Range. Founded in 1993, it is one of the eight conservation areas in the Greater Blue Mountains Heritage area. The Macdonald River (Gununday) flows from the north west to the south east of the park, where it reaches the Hawkesbury River.

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