Yuraygir is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, located northeast of Sydney. It was created in 1980, a result of the merger and enlargement of two national parks, Angourie and Red Rock National Parks, both of which had been established in 1975. At the time of its establishment in 1980, the park was fragmented, and parcels of land were bought over the following two decades to unite segments into a more contiguous protected area. Sometimes these acquisitions required protracted negotiations (and legal disputes) with land owners.
Etymology
The name is a phonetic translation of the local indigenous tribe who had lived in the area, and had formerly been transcribed variously as Jeigir, Jiegera, Jungai, Yagir, Yegera, Yegir, Yiegera or Youngai.
Description
Covering of coastline, it is the largest coastal park in New South Wales. and takes four days to complete. There are 48 beaches, including the highly regarded -long Shelley Beach.
Thirty species of mammal have been recorded within the park, including the threatened rufous bettong (Aepyprymnus rufescens), tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa) and
squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis). Swamps and wet heath are habitat for the threatened eastern ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) and eastern grass owl (Tyto longimembris).
Pests include feral pigs, cats, dogs and horses, and foxes, while problem weeds include groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia), bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotunda), lantana (Lantana camara) and
slash pine (Pinus elliottii).
See also
- Protected areas of New South Wales
- High Conservation Value Old Growth forest