Bouddi National Park, Nature reserve in Central Coast, Australia
Bouddi National Park is a 1,532-hectare coastal national park on the Central Coast of New South Wales, 93 km northeast of Sydney. Its rocks are mainly Hawkesbury sandstone, with tessellated pavements and laterite plateaus along the coast. Vegetation falls into heath, Eucalyptus forest and grassy woodland, and Fletchers Glen holds one of the last mature temperate rainforests on the Central Coast.
The reserve was named Bouddi at the park trust's second meeting on 5 July 1936, chosen over Maitland Bay Park, Cape Three Points Reserve and Gerrinbombi Park because Bouddi was the documented Aboriginal name on maps as early as 1828. In 1967 the 530-hectare reserve was dedicated as Bouddi State Park under new legislation, managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1 January 1974 abolished the state park category and renamed it Bouddi National Park.
Bouddi is the documented Aboriginal name of the district's most conspicuous feature, recorded on maps as early as 1828 and meaning "heart". When the park trust met on 5 July 1936 it chose Bouddi over Maitland Bay Park, Cape Three Points Reserve and Gerrinbombi Park.
The park lies 93 km northeast of Sydney in the Central Coast region, near Broken Bay at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. A section extends into the Tasman Sea, protecting land, shore and marine habitats together. Walking trails and camping areas serve visitors; the trust that once managed the reserve drew on the NSW Federation of Bushwalking Clubs.
The marine protected zone has increased fish populations by about 70 percent compared to surrounding waters. This recovery supports other sea life as well, from shellfish to migrating whales that regularly pass along the coast.
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