Oak Creek Nature Reserve

Location, access and how to get there

The Oak Creek Reserve is located north of the village of Wee Jasper on the eastern side of the Goodradigbee River. There are no roads or trails that provide public vehicular access to the Reserve. Walking into the Reserve from Wee Jasper Road would involve crossing private property and should only be undertaken with the landowner's permission. The nearest private road access point to the Reserve is off the Wee Jasper Road about 78 kilometers from Canberra GPO (1 hour 15 minutes drive). Some visitors have accessed the Reserve from the Goodradigbee River side, but this would require a kayak or similar and is apparently quite tricky to clamber out when water levels in Lake Burrinjuck are low.

http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Bushwalking opportunities

Day walking is permitted in the Reserve, although note access issues. Overall, walking here is probably not worth the effort for the average bushwalker, and is not encouraged by the National parks and Wildlife Service in any case.

Camping and other facilities

Camping and fires are not permitted in the Reserve.

Features

Size
404 hectares.
Natural features

The Reserve is divided into two sections by Sugarloaf Creek. The highest peak is in the far south of the Reserve and is a little under 550 meters elevation. There are five forest ecosystems within the Reserve.

Heritage features

No Aboriginal heritage sites or historical sites have been identified.

References

Oak Creek Nature Reserve Plan of Management (2010) - link

National Parks and Wildlife Service - Oak Creek Nature Reserve website - link

Wikipedia - link

Burrinjuck Nature Reserve

Location, access and how to get there

The Burrinjuck Nature Reserve is located on the northern end of Lake Burrinjuck. It can only be accessed by car from Burrinjuck Road, which enters the Reserve about 104 kilometers (1 hour 15 minutes drive) from Canberra GPO. Around 2.2 kilometers into the Reserve, two management trails intersect with Burrinjuck Road, the Childowla Trail to the west and the Link Trail to the east, but private vehicles are not permitted on management trails within the Reserve. Burrinjuck Waters State Park, about 6.2 kilometers into the Reserve along Burrinjuck Road, has a range of visitor facilities and a single walking trail north into the Reserve.

http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Bushwalking opportunities

Walking is permitted in the Reserve and there are two specific walking tracks: a section of the Hume and Hovell Walking Track which passes through the Reserve east of Burrinjuck Road and then into the Burrinjuck Waters State Park, and a very steep hiking trail from the State Park to Mount Barren Jack. There is also a network of about 30 kilometers of management trails in the Reserve west of Burrinjuck Road that could be walked. 

Camping and other facilities

Camping and fires are not permitted in the Reserve. There are, however, camping and other facilities in the adjacent Burrinjuck Waters State Park.

Features

Size
5,207 hectares.
Natural features

The highest peak is Mount Barren Jack at 966 meters, and there are two other significant peaks in the Reserve: Mount Little Jack (883 meters) and Mount Europe (843 meters). Barren Jack Creek flows through much of the Reserve before flowing into Lake Burrinjuck. Other creeks flow out of the Reserve to the north, east and west. There are six forest ecosystems within the Reserve and sixteen Threatened species of fauna.

Heritage features

There are seven recorded Aboriginal heritage sites in the Reserve, and more are believed to exist. There are also fourteen identified historical sites.

References

Burrinjuck Nature Reserve Plan of Management (2010) - link

National Parks and Wildlife Service - Burrinjuck Nature Reserve website - link

Wikipedia - link
Burrinjuck Waters State Park website - link

Black Andrew Nature Reserve

Location, access and how to get there

The Black Andrew Nature Reserve is located immediately south of Burrinjuck Dam and is 10 kilometers northwest of Wee Jasper. Trails enter the Reserve on the west, south and east sides, but all pass through private land and require landowner permission to use. Private vehicles are not permitted on management trails within the Reserve. The nearest points of vehicular access are about 100 kilometers or a two-hour drive from Canberra GPO via Mountain Creek Road and Wee Jasper.

http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Bushwalking opportunities

Walking is permitted in the Reserve, though no facilities have been or seem likely to be put in place to encourage it. There are no formed walking tracks, and as noted above, access is problematic. Three management trails run through the Reserve, but they do not interconnect within the Reserve boundary and their total combined length within the Reserve is only around 12-13 kilometers.

Camping and other facilities

Camping and solid fuel fires are not permitted, and there are no visitor facilities in the Reserve.

Features

Size
1559 hectares.
Natural features

The highest peak is Black Andrew Mountain at 935 meters. MacPhersons Swamp Creek and its tributaries flow through the Reserve. There are seven distinct forest ecosystems within the Reserve and surveys undertaken in 2004 found six vulnerable species of fauna.

Heritage features

There are a number of Aboriginal heritage sites in the Reserve and an abandoned mine in the southwest.

References

Black Andrew Nature Reserve Plan of Management (2006) - link

National Parks and Wildlife Service - Black Andrew Nature Reserve website - link

Wikipedia - link