Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
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Oxley Wild Rivers National Park New South Wales |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
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Apsley Falls, located within the national park
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 Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
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| Nearest town or city | Walcha |
| Coordinates | 30°59′47″S 152°00′36″E / 30.99639°S 152.01000°ECoordinates: 30°59′47″S 152°00′36″E / 30.99639°S 152.01000°E |
| Established | 26 September 1986 |
| Area | 1,452.33 km2 (560.7 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service |
| Website | Oxley Wild Rivers National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of New South Wales |
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The 145,223-hectare (358,850-acre) park is situated 445 kilometres (277 mi) north of Sydney and is named in memory of the Australian explorer John Oxley, who passed through the area in 1818 and is one of the largest national parks in New South Wales.
The park is part of the Hastings-Macleay Group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park (OWRNP) was World Heritage listed in recognition of the extensive dry rainforest that occurs within the park, and the associated rich biodiversity that includes several rare or threatened plants and animals. There are at least fourteen waterfalls in the park.
For thousands of years, the Northern Tablelands and these valleys were the tribal lands of the Dangaddi aboriginal people, whose descendants are now concentrated in the lower Macleay River. Some marked trees have been found and a limestone cave shelter has been excavated near Kunderang Brook.
In 1818 explorer John Oxley and his party tried to descend the Apsley valley, but steep gorges blocked the way until they proceeded around the head of the Apsley Falls. After Oxley passed through the cedar-getters were the first white people to penetrate these remote gorges and valleys in search of Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata) which was floated down-river to Kempsey.
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Wikipedia