Sandstone Gorge and Bushland at Bomaderry Creek

Overview

Bomaderry Creek Regional Park is a compact patch of protected bushland on the South Coast of New South Wales, between Bomaderry and North Nowra, a little over 150 kilometres south of Sydney. Although the park covers only 82 hectares, it sits within the broader Bomaderry Creek bushland and protects a striking mix of creek gorge, plateau forest and sheltered pockets of moist vegetation.

The landscape changes quickly here. Above the creek the country is relatively level, but Bomaderry Creek cuts through it in a winding sandstone gorge that deepens downstream. That contrast gives the park much of its character, with cliff edges, rock slabs, pools and shaded forest all packed into a fairly small area.

Highlights

The standout feature is Bomaderry Creek Gorge, where the creek has carved a meandering channel through Nowra Sandstone. In places the gorge reaches about 30 metres deep, with benched rock ledges, overhangs, boulder piles, pools and small cascades creating a landscape that feels cooler and more enclosed than the plateau above.

Scenically, the appeal comes from that constant shift between open bushland and the sheltered creek corridor. The gorge supports moist forest and rainforest pockets, while the higher ground has a drier sandstone character. Late winter and spring are especially rewarding, when wildflowers brighten the plateau forests.

Best Time to Visit

This park works well across the year, but late winter to spring is a particularly good time if you want to see the plateau wildflowers at their best. The mix of shade, creekside vegetation and sheltered gorge country also gives it a cooler feel than many exposed bushland areas in warmer months.

After good rain, the creek and cascades tend to add more life to the gorge scenery, while the drier seasons make it easier to appreciate the contrast between the rocky plateau and the greener pockets below.

Plants and Animals

For a relatively small park, Bomaderry Creek Regional Park protects an impressive spread of plant communities. The gorge includes warm temperate rainforest with coachwood, dry rainforest with grey myrtle, taller open forest and water gum growing among the rocks. On the plateau, the vegetation shifts to drier open forest and woodland on sandstone and siltstone soils.

The park is especially important for threatened plants. It supports the endangered Bomaderry zieria, which occurs only within the Bomaderry Creek bushland, along with other threatened species including Albatross mallee, Bauer’s midge orchid and guinea flower. Black sheoak in the park also provides food habitat for the threatened glossy black-cockatoo, and recorded threatened animals include the yellow-bellied glider, masked owl, square-tailed kite, varied sittella and southern myotis.

Culture and Heritage

Bomaderry Creek Regional Park lies in the traditional Country of the Dharawal Aboriginal people, and the creek area has a long and continuing cultural connection. Use of this country dates back at least 2,000 years, with the creek and surrounding bushland providing shelter, food, water and a place to gather.

Nine Aboriginal sites have been formally recorded within the park, including rock shelters with occupation deposit and open artefact scatters, and more sites are known from the wider creek area. The concentration of sites shows how important Bomaderry Creek has been for generations, and the area also holds strong contemporary social and cultural value for local Aboriginal families.