Boat Harbour (Kurnell)
| Boat Harbour | |
|---|---|
| Unpatrolled beach | |
Aerial view of Boat Harbour Beach, looking north
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| Location | Kurnell, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°02′16″S 151°12′03″E / 34.03778°S 151.20083°E |
| Access | Captain Cook Drive (road) |
| Beach length | 150 m |
| Beach number | NSW 333 |
| Hazard rating | 3/10 (least hazardous) |
Boat Harbour is a small beach located on the north-eastern side of the Kurnell Peninsula in Sydney, Australia.
The original inhabitants of the land were the Gweagal Aborigines who were a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe of Indigenous Australians. They are the traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney.
The first land grant was issued in 1815. 700 acres (2.8 km2) of land on the Kurnell Peninsula which also included Boat Harbour was issued to James Birnie, a whaler and merchant. He named his land ‘Alpha Farm’ and built himself a cottage. When James Birnie was declared insane in 1828, John Connell gained possession of his property. John Connell passes away in 1848 leaving his estate to his grandsons.
In 1861 the property was sold to Thomas Holt who purchased the land for £3275. Holt, originally from Yorkshire, sailed into Sydney sometime in 1842. He made his fortune during the gold rushes of the early 1850s. Holt moved to Sutherland, and further increased the size of his property holdings to approximately 13,000 acres (53 km2). He erected several mansions and ran his ‘Sutherland Estate’ in the English manner.
In late 2001 Boat Harbour became an aquatic reserve. The new reserve will place restrictions on fishing and bait collection.
The area contains several habitats which include platforms, crevices, rock-pools, boulders and cobbles. Some of the wildlife includes a variety of birds, such as plovers, ruddy turnstone and red-necked stint. From January to late March 2009, an American golden plover was present with a flock of Pacific golden plovers. This species is very rarely recorded in Australia.
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Wikipedia