Hat Head National Park

Hat Head National Park South West Rocks
Coordinates	31°04′49″S 153°01′49″E / 31.08028°S 153.03028°E / -31.08028; 153.03028
Established	28 July 1972
Area	74 km² (29 sq mi)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

Hat Head is a national park on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, 461.7 kilometres (286.9 mi) north-east of Sydney. It lies within the Hastings-Macleay Important Bird Area.^[1] Within the park is the eponymous village of Hat Head, with about 320 inhabitants.^[2]

Geography

Location

Hat Head National Park is located on the

South West Rocks and Kempsey. The park consists of beaches, sand dunes, rocky headlands, rainforest and wetlands.^[3] The average altitude is eight metres.^[4]

History

For the Dunghutti people some parts of the park remain a significant place as of their traditional land. The different areas of the park and the sea provided a rich source of food like fish and shellfish. The park is culturally important to Aboriginal people as it contains ceremonial grounds, burial sites, shell middens and campsites.[5]

Biodiversity

Hat Head National Park is rich with birdlife such as

black sheoak, grass trees, glossy black cockatoo, red-necked and swamp wallabies as well as eastern grey kangaroos, sugar gliders, grey-headed flying fox and short-beaked echidna

. The regent skipper (butterfly) is only found in Hat Head National Park and Limeburners Creek National Park.^[6]

Leisure

Several walking tracks, fishing and whale watching can be done or just relax at the rocky headlands. Birdwatchers can look for black swans and spoonbills in the park's wetlands, hawks and eagles soaring above beach cliffs and shorebirds like curlews and plovers around the beach.^[7]

References

^ BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Hastings-Macleay. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 06/07/2011.
^ "Map of Hat Head in New South Wales showing Smithtown-Gladstone (highlighted in purple) - Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia". www.bonzle.com. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
^ Website of National Park
^ "Hat Head National Park topographic map, elevation, relief". topographic-map.com. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
^ Information about Aboriginal culture NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
^ Description National Park NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
^ Website of National Park

External links

Description National Park NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service

v t e National parks of New South Wales, Australia
Central West & Orana	Abercrombie Breelong Capertee Conimbla Coolah Tops Drillwarrina Gardens of Stone Garrawilla Goobang Goulburn Kanangra-Boyd Lachlan Valley Marrangaroo Nangar Popran Turon Warrumbungle Weddin Mountains Wollemi
Far West	Brindingabba Culgoa Gundabooka Kalyarr Kemendok Kinchega Koonaburra Mallee Cliffs Mungo Mutawintji Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp Paroo-Darling Sturt Toorale Yanga
Hunter & Central Coast	Barakee Barrington Tops Belford Ben Halls Gap Biriwal Bulga Booti Booti Bouddi Brisbane Water Coolah Tops Coorabakh Crawney Pass Crowdy Bay Dharug Gir-um-bit Goulburn River Gin-Doo-Ee Hunter Wetlands Karuah Middle Brother Mount Royal Myall Lakes Saltwater Scone Mountain Tapin Tops Tilligerry Towarri Tomaree Wallarah Wallingat Watagans Werakata Woko Wollemi Wyrrabalong Yengo
Illawarra-Shoalhaven	Bimberamala Budawang Budderoo Bugong Conjola Dharawal Heathcote Jerrawangala Jervis Bay Macquarie Pass Meroo Morton Murramarang Royal Seven Mile Beach
New England-North West	Bald Rock Barool Basket Swamp Boonoo Boonoo Ben Halls Gap Burral Yurrul Butterleaf Capoompeta Carrai Cascade Cataract Cathedral Rock Coolah Tops Cottan-Bimbang Couradda Crawney Pass Cunnawarra Dowe Gibraltar Range Guy Fawkes River Indwarra Kings Plain Koreelah Kwiambal Maryland Mount Clunie Mount Kaputar Mount Nothofagus Mummel Gulf New England Nowendoc Nullamanna Nymboida Oxley Wild Rivers Single Timbarra Tooloom Towarri Warra Warrabah Washpool Watsons Creek Werrikimbe
North Coast	Arakwal Bago Bluff Bellinger River Bindarri Biriwal Bulga Bongil Bongil Border Ranges Broadwater Bundjalung Bungawalbin Carrai Chaelundi Cottan-Bimbang Crowdy Bay Dooragan Dorrigo Dunggir Fortis Creek Gibraltar Range Goonengerry Guy Fawkes River Hat Head Junuy Juluum Kumbatine Limeburners Creek Mallanganee Maria Mebbin Middle Brother Mooball Mount Jerusalem Mount Nothofagus Mount Pikapene New England Nightcap Nymboi-Binderay Nymboida Ramornie Richmond Range Sea Acres Toonumber Ulidarra Washpool Werrikimbe Willi Willi Wollumbin Yabbra Yarrahapinni Wetlands Yarriabini Yuraygir
Riverina-Murray	Benambra Brindabella Cocoparra Jimberoo Jindalee Kalyarr Kosciuszko Lachlan Valley Livingstone Minjary Murray Valley Murrumbidgee Valley Oolambeyan Willandra Woomargama Yanga
Southeast & Tablelands	Abercrombie Bangadilly Beowa Biamanga Blue Mountains Bournda Brindabella Budawang Budderoo Clyde River Deua Eurobodalla Gourock Gulaga Kooraban Kosciuszko Mares Forest Macquarie Pass Mimosa Rocks Monga Morton Mount Imlay Murramarang Nattai South East Forests Tallaganda Tarlo River Wadbilliga Yanununbeyan
Sydney & Surrounds	Berowra Valley Blue Mountains Cattai Dharawal Dharug Garigal Georges River Heathcote Kamay Botany Bay Kanangra-Boyd Ku-ring-gai Chase Lane Cove Malabar Headland Marramarra Nattai Royal Scheyville Sydney Harbour Thirlmere Lakes Wollemi Yengo
Protected areas of New South Wales

Federal divisions		Cowper Lyne
State electorates	Coffs Harbour Myall Lakes Oxley Port Macquarie
Local government areas	Bellingen Coffs Harbour Kempsey Nambucca Valley Port Macquarie-Hastings Greater Taree
Cities	Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Towns / suburbs	Arakoon Batar Bellingen Birdwood Boambee Bonny Hills Bonville Bostobrick Bowraville Camden Haven Collombatti Comboyne Coopernook Coramba Corindi Beach Crescent Head Cundletown Dorrigo Ellenborough Forster Frederickton Hannam Vale Harrington Hat Head Herons Creek Jerseyville Karangi Kempsey Kendall Kew Kinchela Kindee Kolodong Korora Krambach Kundabung Lake Cathie Lansdowne Laurieton Long Flat Lowanna Macksville Manning Point Mylestom Nambucca Heads Nana Glen Newee Creek New Entrance North Haven Oceanside Old Bar Park Beach Raleigh Repton Sawtell Scotts Head Smithtown South West Rocks Taree Taylors Arm Telegraph Point Thora Toms Creek Tinonee Toormina Tuncurry Ulong Urunga Valla Warrell Creek Wingham Woolgoolga Wauchope
Rivers	Apsley Barnard Barrington Bellinger Bowman Camden Haven Cells Christmas Coolongolook Cooplacurripa Crawford Dawson Doyles Ellenborough Forbes Georges Hastings Kalang Kunderang Lansdowne Macleay Manning Maria Mummel Myall Lakes Myall Nambucca Never Never Nowendoc Pappinbarra Pipers Ralfes Rosewood Rowleys Smiths Lake Stewarts Taylors Throne Tobins Walcrow Wallamba Wallingat Wallis Lake Wang Wauk Williams Wilson
Ranges and mountains	Banda Banda Three Brothers
National parks / Nature reserves / Important Bird Areas	Coocumbac Island Nature Reserve Dooragan NP Ellenborough Falls Hastings-Macleay IBA Hat Head NP Kattang Nature Reserve Limeburners Creek NP Maria NP Middle Brother NP Sea Acres NP
Major tourist attractions	Big Banana Billabong Zoo North Coast Regional Botanic Garden Willi Willi Caves

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