Dooragan National Park, Nature reserve in Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, Australia.
Dooragan National Park is a nature reserve near Port Macquarie that combines eucalyptus forests with rainforest sections across its protected landscape. Multiple walking trails of varying difficulty wind through the different vegetation zones and lead to viewpoints overlooking the surrounding landscape.
The mountain became a timber reserve in 1892 and was later renamed Camden Haven State Forest. Logging took place in parts of it, but large areas stayed untouched because the terrain was too difficult to access. In 1970 a road to the summit was built and the area opened to the public.
The park takes its name from Dooragan, the youngest of three Birpai brothers in a local Dreaming story; the witch Widjirriejuggi killed them and they were buried where the mountains stand. Captain James Cook named the peaks Three Brothers on 12 May 1770, noting they "bore some resemblance to each other". The Birpai name and Cook's English name now sit side by side on the same mountain.
The reserve is accessible from several points, with main entry areas near the nearby town of Laurieton. Visitors should allow time for walking and wear sturdy footwear, as trails cross varying terrain.
The park is named after Dooragan, the youngest of three Birpai brothers in a local Dreamtime story; a witch named Widjirriejuggi killed them, and the mountains mark their burial places. Captain Cook, passing on 12 May 1770, independently called the peaks Three Brothers because they resembled each other.
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