Towra Point Nature Reserve

Towra Point Nature Reserve New South Wales
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Aerial photograph of Towra Point and surrounding waters.
Towra Point Nature Reserve
Nearest town or city	Kurnell
Coordinates	34°00′23″S 151°09′55″E / 34.00639°S 151.16528°E / -34.00639; 151.16528Coordinates: 34°00′23″S 151°09′55″E / 34.00639°S 151.16528°E / -34.00639; 151.16528
Established	August 1982 (1982-08)
Area	6.03 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	Towra Point Nature Reserve
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

The Towra Point Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located in Sutherland Shire, southern Sydney, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 603-hectare (1,490-acre) reserve is situated on the southern shores of Botany Bay at Kurnell, within the Sutherland Shire. The reserve is protected under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance as an important breeding ground for many vulnerable, protected, or endangered species. The Towra Point Aquatic Nature Reserve is located in the surrounding waterways.

Kurnell was inhabited by the Dharawal people, and there are three middens and one relic that still remain today at the Towra Point Nature Reserve.

Captain Cook mapped Botany Bay when he landed in 1770, including Towra Point. Early European colonalists ran horses and cattle on Towra Point, despite the poor condition of the land for such a purpose. In 1827, "Towra Point" and "Towra Bay" were recorded as local names by the surveyor Robert Dixon. Another name known for the area was "Stinkpot Bay". In 1861, Thomas Holt bought Towra Point, and divided it into paddocks for grazing or growing corn. Sheep grazing was particularly disastrous, and many thousands of sheep died of footrot and are buried at Towra Point. In the late 1870s, Thomas Holt began oyster farming at Weeney Bay in Towra Point. In 1935, the Parks and Playgrounds Movement of NSW opposed an application to mine for shell at Towra Point. During World War II, a radar station was established, and a causeway built. In 1946, Towra Point was considered as a location for a second Sydney airport.