Bongil Bongil National Park, Nature reserve in Bellingen Shire Council, Australia.
Bongil Bongil National Park is a protected area about 15 km south of Coffs Harbour, with beaches, wetlands, coastal rainforest and estuaries. Visitors can walk in the forests and canoe on the estuaries; the park is home to koalas and about 165 recorded bird species.
The park lies in the traditional territory of the Gumbaynggir people, who had little contact with Europeans until timber plantations were planted in the 1970s. Until the 1960s the area was a favoured camping ground for Aboriginal groups of the region. Its name means "a place where one stays a long time because there is plenty of food".
The name Bongil Bongil comes from the Gumbaynggir language and means "a place where one stays a long time because there is plenty of food". The park lay within Gumbaynggir country, and its people had little contact with Europeans until timber plantations were planted in the 1970s. Numerous Aboriginal traces remain in the park, and management works with local Aboriginal communities to care for them.
The park lies about 15 km south of Coffs Harbour, reached by turning off the Pacific Highway; walking tracks run through the forests and canoes can be launched in the estuaries. The beaches are largely used as nesting sites for seabirds, so keep to the sand below the dune vegetation and give nesting areas a wide berth.
The area is home to one of the state's largest koala populations, often spotted by observant visitors. Birdwatchers find the location equally rewarding, with over 160 species recorded within the park.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,550 contributors worldwide.