right|thumb|Aboriginal rock carving near Bantry Bay

right|thumb|A [[Alectura lathami|Brushturkey in the bush west of Seaforth]]

thumb|Creek in Garigal NP

The Garigal National Park is a protected national park that is located within the North Shore and Forest District regions of Sydney, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately north of the Sydney central business district.

Split into three distinct sections, divided by natural geography, urban development and road infrastructure, the park comprises the valley of Middle Harbour Creek and its tributaries, the slopes along

the northern side of Middle Harbour as far as and part of the catchment of Narrabeen Lakes.

The park trails are popular with bushwalkers and mountain bike riders, particularly between and in an area known as Cascades after the Cascades Track that runs through the area. There are over 35 trails in the park covering 120km, including both authorised bushwalking and mountain-biking trails, and unofficial or unsanctioned tracks.

Etymology and indigenous heritage

The word Garigal is a derivation of the word Carigal or Caregal used to describe the indigenous people who lived in the area.

There is considerable evidence of past Aboriginal activity in the area, with over 100 Aboriginal sites recorded to date, including shelters, cave art, rock engravings, middens, grinding grooves and a possible stone arrangement.

Location

Much of the park is bounded by residential development along the ridge tops and it is easily accessible at numerous points by road and water. Several other conservation reserves and areas of bushland are adjacent or close by the Garigal National Park, including the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, the Sydney Harbour National Park, the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park (commonly known as the Manly Dam Reserve) and a number of areas of Crown land and other reserves in Northern Beaches, Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby local government areas.

There is also a number of introduced pests, including rabbits and foxes.

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Blandfordia grandiflora Garigal11426428975 e73f7b0aa9 o.jpg|Blandfordia grandiflora

Ceratopetalum gummiferum Garigal.jpg|Ceratopetalum gummiferum

Garigal Petrophile pulchella26183362174 3bd44f4f12 o.jpg|Petrophile pulchella

AT DSC 2504 (16931962708).jpg|Acacia terminalis

Gleichenia dicarpa Garigal 6516385400 6707dda935 o.jpg|Gleichenia dicarpa

Lomatia myricoides IMG 5949.JPG (12148109653).jpg|Lomatia myricoides

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See also

  • Protected areas of New South Wales

References

  • Walking tracks, MTB trails and swimming holes in Garigal National Park