Macquarie Pass National Park is a national park in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 (Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

), 90 km southwest of Sydney. It is located around the pass of that name, which is on the Illawarra Highway

Illawarra Highway

Illawarra Highway connects Wollongong to NSW Southern Highlands. It links Princes Highway and Hume Highway and signed as National Route 48.It is named after the geographical area it crosses, the Illawarra region...

.

Macquarie Pass National Park was established in 1970 and protects a range of eucalypt

Eucalypt

Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...

 forests and rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

. The pass was opened in 1898. It has been a major route into and out of the Illawarra coastal plain ever since. There is a major power line running east-west through the park. Picnic facilities are provided at two sites at the bottom of Macquarie Pass

Macquarie Pass

Macquarie Pass is a 8 kilometre long section of the Illawarra Highway passing through Macquarie Pass National Park. It was opened in 1898.Macquarie Pass links the Southern Highland town of Robertson to the coastal town of Albion Park, descending the Illawarra Escarpment via a very narrow bitumen...

.

As well as a diverse array of birdlife the park has swamp wallabies

Wallaby

A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...

 and wombats.

Walking Tracks

The Macquarie Rivulet track is two kilometres long and easy to medium grade. A track goes along 30 metres to a parking area near a picnic area and rivulet. An old track continues on along the north side of the rivulet which is flat for several hundred metres, then becomes steeper, dropping back to the rivulet by a large boulder. Birds found here include Dollarbird, Azure Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Golden Whistler, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Black-faced Monarch and Rufous Fantail.

The Cascade Falls Walk is a one kilometre track, easy grade. It goes beside Cascade Creek at the base of Macquarie Pass to a small waterfall. Birds found here include Green Catbird, Rose Robin, Red-browed Finch, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Lewin's Honeyeater, Crimson Rosella. Fungi are apparent here.

Clover Hill Road is a 3.5 kilometre track, easy grade. It follows a maintenance trail to Macquarie Rivulet and several waterfalls and a large boulder. The track goes to a parking area after 3 kilometres. The track then deteriorates near a Turpentine grove. It then comes to a dilapidated concrete causeway over the rivulet. Crossing it, it goes to Rainbow Falls and a balancing rock. The rock is about 50 metres tall and the waterfall is behind it. Birds here include White-throated Treecreeper, Large-billed Gerygone, Bassian Thrush, Topknot Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wonga Pigeon, King Parrot, Grey Goshawk, Lewin’s Honeyeater, and nocturnal spotlighting may produce Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl.

The Glenview walk is a two kilometre track, easy grade. It goes through tall forest past power lines and eastwards, ceasing at the park boundary. Birds here include Variegated Fairy-wren, Brush Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Crested Shrike-tit, Golden Bronze-cuckoo

The Upper Cascade Creek Walk is a two kilometre track of moderate grade.

The Brown Barrel Walk is an easy to moderate grade track half a kilometre in length that goes from Nurrewin past power lines and through rainforest and moist eucalypt forest. Birds here include Superb Lyrebird, Pilotbird, Cicadabird, Logrunner, Rose Robin, Golden Whistler, King Parrot, Topknot Pigeon. Its name derives from Eucalyptus fastigata

Eucalyptus fastigata

Brown Barrel or Cut-Tail is a common eucalyptus tree of south eastern Australia.It can grow in excess of 60 metres in height, though is mostly seen between 30 and 45 metres tall. Brown Barrel grows in cooler areas of high rainfall with fertile soils...

, or Brown Barrel.

The Mount Murray Road Track is a one and a half kilometre track of easy grade. It follows the powerline easement in a loop track. Birds include Red-browed Treecreeper, Satin Flycatcher, Black-faced Monarch and Rufous Fantails in late spring to autumn months.

Fact sheet

• Area: 11 km² (1064 ha)
• Coordinates: 34°34′10"S 150°39′25"E
• Date of establishment: December 3, 1969
• Managing authorities: New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
• IUCN
  World Conservation Union
  The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges." The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of...
  
  category: II

Macquarie Pass National Park is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and they offer a brief online summary of the park.