Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

Abercrombie River National Park

Abercrombie River National Park preserves the largest remaining intact patch of low open forest in the Blue Mountains area. You'll find three main freshwater streams, including the Abercrombie River, where there's room to camp on the banks and you can catch trout. You can also go swimming or canoeing, or explore some of the park's less accessible areas by 4WD.

The park was set aside to conserve a mixture of vegetation communities that are typical of montane areas, tableland areas and western slopes. Abercrombie River, Retreat River and Silent Creek are important habitats for platypuses and eastern water rats. Wallaroos, red-necked wallabies, swamp wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos are often seen in the eucalypt forest.

• Oberon (40 km)

Aboriginal heritage
The rivers and creeks throughout the park offered food and shelter for local Aboriginal tribes, possibly the Wiradjuri or Gundungarra people. These tribes probably used the Abercrombie River as a trading route for stone tools and even shells from the coast.

The land and waterways, and the plants and animals that live in them, feature in all facets of Aboriginal culture – including recreational, ceremonial, spiritual and as a main source of food and medicine. They are associated with dreaming stories and cultural learning that is still passed on today. We work with local Aboriginal communities to protect this rich heritage.

To find out more about Aboriginal heritage in the park, you can get in touch with the local Aboriginal community. Contact the park office for more details.
 
History in the park
The area that now forms the national park was prospected during the 19th century gold-rushes and there are still some tunnels left behind by the miners. There's also an early 20th century wattle-and-daub hut in the park.