Booderee National Park, Nature reserve in Jervis Bay Territory, Australia.
Booderee National Park covers two sections of the Jervis Bay Territory: the Bherwerre Peninsula on the southern shore of Jervis Bay, with Bowen Island and the southern bay waters, and land bounded by Wreck Bay, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet. Its sea cliffs are the highest in New South Wales, peaking at Steamers Head at 130 m. The Booderee Botanic Gardens, founded in 1951, lie within the park.
What is now the park was declared a nature reserve in 1971 and became Jervis Bay National Park in 1992. The local Aboriginal community was offered two seats on the board of management and declined as a protest over land rights. In 1995 the park was transferred to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community and renamed Booderee, a Dhurga name meaning "bay of plenty" or "plenty of fish"; it is now co-managed with Parks Australia.
The name Booderee was chosen by the local Aboriginal community when the park was transferred to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community in 1995; in Dhurga it means "bay of plenty" or "plenty of fish". The park is managed as an Indigenous Protected Area and co-managed with Parks Australia, and the community declined two seats on the board in 1992 as a protest over land rights.
The park is easily accessible and entering certain areas requires a permit available at the gates. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and check trail conditions, which vary depending on the season.
The park's sea cliffs are the highest in New South Wales, peaking at Steamers Head at 130 m. On Bowen Island, closed to the public, a little penguin rookery breeds. In March 2018, 40 spotted-tailed quolls, listed as endangered, were released here, with 40 more planned for each of 2019 and 2020.
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