Beecroft Peninsula
The peninsula is a remnant of a Permian sandstone and siltstone plateau, overlain with a patchy veneer of Tertiary and Quaternary sand and gravel deposits.
The eastern coast consists of almost continuous cliffs, rising up to 91 metres at Point Perpendicular and erosion processes have created caves, blowholes, small peninsulas, clefts, arches, and stacks such as the Drum and Drumsticks.
The peninsula is connected to the mainland at its northern end by the Carama Isthmus, a sand swamp, which is 211 m wide, at its narrowest width, at low-water mark.
The vegetation on the Beecroft Peninsula is a complex mosaic of heathland, eucalypt forest, and rainforest, mangroves, saltmarsh and swamps.
Shrubland communities are dominated by scrub she oak, heath banksia, tick bush (Kunzea ambigua) and Leptospermum epacridoideum.
Open forest communities dominated by several eucalypts, rough barked apple (Angophora floribunda), and black she oak (Allocasuarina littoralis) are restricted to deep soils in sheltered positions.
[11] The Beecroft Peninsula supports two plant species that are listed as vulnerable both nationally and in New South Wales, the coastal mint bush Prostanthera densa[12] and the magenta lilly pilly (Syzygium paniculatum).
[15] The non-flying mammalian community is relatively impoverished in diversity and includes the brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), bush rat (Rattus fuscipes), the common ringtailed possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), long-nosed bandicoot (Parameles nasuta), the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), the red-necked wallaby (M. rufogriseus) and the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolour).
[15] In recognition of its outstanding natural, cultural and historic values which encompasses a diverse range of vegetation, rare plant, bird and mammal species and sites of Aboriginal and historical significance, the Beecroft Peninsula was listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004, giving it protection by Federation environmental legislation.
Important management options include protecting and restoring remnants, relocating paths, removal of invasive weeds and hazard reduction burns in the vicinity of the forest area.
The eastern bristlebird is a nationally endangered small, brownish bird approximately 200 mm in length, cryptic and ground dwelling living in low dense vegetation cover.
[27] In 2000, the eastern bristlebird had not been recorded from the Beecroft Peninsula for over a century and re-establishment of extinct populations was identified as an important recovery action for the species.
It is a rare and iconic endemic of coastal and sub-coastal heathlands in southern Australia including the Beecroft Peninsula where there is an estimated maximum population size of 450 individuals.
[19] Like most natural reserved land areas in Australia, the Beecroft Peninsula and its biodiversity are threatened by predation by introduced feral species and invasive plants.
[8] Low soil fertility on Beecroft Peninsula means that few weeds species can grow except in cleared areas and they do not usually enter undisturbed vegetation.
[15] This undoubtedly underestimates the time that Aboriginal people have lived in the area because radiocarbon dates obtained from nearby coastal sites elsewhere in New South Wales demonstrate occupation back to 20 000 years.
There are a large numbers of middens mainly located near the beaches on the southern and western sides of the Peninsular that contain evidence of past patterns of Aboriginal exploitation of marine resources.
Other sites providing evidence of past Aboriginal activity in the area include rockshelters with occupation debris, artefact scatters, grinding grooves, ceremonial grounds and rock shelters with paintings and stencils on the walls.
