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Barrington Tops National Park

The Barrington Tops National Park is a protected national park in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. Gazetted in 1969, the 76512 ha park is situated between Scone, Singleton, Dungog, Gloucester and East Gresford.

The park is part of the Barrington Tops group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

It is also part of the Barrington Tops and Gloucester Tops Important Bird Area.

Geology
Barrington Tops is part of the Mount Royal Range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range. Barrington Tops is a plateau between two of the large peaks in the range. The park is believed to be an extinct volcano and the mountain ranges are made up of a mixture of sedimentary rocks with a granite top. Erosion has weathered the granite and rounded granite boulders can be seen in some areas of the park. Estimates put the age of the rock at 300 to 400 million years, well before Australia separated from Gondwana.

Climate
The climate varies from temperate on the lower altitudes to subalpine at highest elevations. A record low of -17 °C has been registered at 1500 m above mean sea level. Rainfalls fluctuate between 750 mm in the northwest to more than 2000 mm in the southeast.

Flora
The ecology of the national park varies from subtropical rainforests in the gullies to subalpine and alpine regions on the mountain peaks. Snow usually falls on the mountain peaks every year and occasionally snows enough to close roads. Rainfall can exceed 1500 mm per annum.

A large variety of plants and animals reside in the park and the steepness of the terrain ensures that they are not disturbed by humans. Plant life includes a large variety of eucalypt trees including Snow Gums, subtropical and temperate rainforest trees like Antarctic beech, tree ferns, a large variety of mosses and ferns and a wide range of edible plants such as the native raspberry, the native cherry and the lilli pilli.

Fauna
The remoteness and inaccessibility of a large part of the park has allowed some of the more sensitive animals to remain largely undisturbed. A large number of fauna have been catalogued in the park. Some of the more common animals include: barking and sooty owls, eastern grey kangaroos, frogs, pademelons, cockatoos, rosellas, kookaburras, bats and echidnas. It supports a globally important population of rufous scrub-birds, as well as flame robins, pale-yellow robins, paradise riflebirds, green catbirds, regent bowerbirds and Australian logrunners.

Animals such as quolls, native rodents and platypus are reclusive, but may be seen. Not all of the animals in the park are desirable; introduced species such as feral horses, deer, feral pigs, feral goats, foxes, and feral cats are planned to be removed.

History
The traditional owners of the area are Aboriginal Australian peoples, including the Gringai people (southern valleys), the Wonnarua people (western country), and the Worimi and Birpai people (the eastern side).

National Park and World Heritage Area
In 1969 the area between Mount Barrington, Mount Royal and the Gloucester Tops was declared the Barrington Tops National Park. In 1986 it was listed as a World Heritage Area and subsequently a Wilderness Area. Some of the rivers flowing through the Barrington range have been classed as wild rivers meaning they are exceptionally pure and unpolluted. The highest peak is Brumlow Top which rises to a height of 1586 m.

Aircraft crashes
A number of aircraft have crashed in and around the Barrington Tops, Aeroplane Hill being named after one of the crashes. The altitude, frequent fog & cloud, storms and cold weather (causing icing) make this area potentially hazardous to aircraft. One article refers to the "Devil's Triangle".
 * 16 April 1945 – De Havilland Mosquito A52-70. Wreckage found January 1946 in the national park.
 * The propeller, ailerons and machine gun were on display at the Barrington Tops Guest House.
 * 2 September 1948 – Australian National Airlines Douglas DC-3 VH-ANK. 13 killed.
 * 25 September 1967 – RAAF Mirage III-O A3-52. Pilot ejected safely. The ejection seat was later recovered and is on display at Fighter World aviation heritage centre.
 * 14 September 1969 – Lockheed Hudson VH-SML crashed in the foothills. 3 killed.
 * 9 August 1981 – Cessna 210 VH-MDX. 5 killed, multiple searches have not found wreckage or bodies.
 * 3 August 1987 – Aermacchi MB-326H A7-079 (built as CA30-79). Crew ejected. Wreckage located by bushwalkers 28 April 1995.
 * Photo of crew being rescued from a tree.

Barrington Guest House

The Barrington Guest House was built from 1925 on the upper Williams River near Barrington Tops by Norman T. McLeod, licensee of the Royal Hotel in Dungog, using timber cut and milled from the property. It stood on land consisting of 10.5 ha of forest surrounded by National and State Parks and was officially opened in 1930 by Leader of the Country Party Earle Page. During the opening there was some 200 guests that attended.

The guest house was a popular venue for people to stay in the park, until it burned down in a fire at 11pm on 24 September 2006 due to an electrical fault. The fire was not regarded as suspicious. It was undergoing modernisation under new ownership at the time of the fire. There are plans to rebuild, but no significant process has been made, and only part of the old chimney remains on the site. The guest house has undergone many different owners in its history; Mattara Investments that traded as Barrington Guest House and bought the premises in 1976. Due to business troubles however, it was then placed into voluntary administration in 2000, after which the business was than taken over by David and Susan Eissa in February 2002. Only one more owner has been known since (according to the now defunct website); Purchased in January 2004 by Natalie Day and Tony Horley.

Access
Barrington Tops is a popular weekend destination from Sydney and Newcastle. Numerous walking trails and camping grounds are scattered throughout the park. The park also contains well marked and well-maintained gravel roads as well as specific 4WD tracks into less travelled areas. General sightseeing can be accomplished in a non-offroad vehicle. As well as camping facilities, the nearby towns of Gloucester and Dungog have many places to stay. The park is maintained by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and rangers patrol the park daily.

title: Barrington Tops National Park


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Adelaide Football Club

The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia that was founded in 1990. The Crows have fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 1991, and a women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition since 2017. The club's offices and training facilities are located in the western Adelaide suburb of West Lakes, at the site of the club's former home ground Football Park. Since 2014 Adelaide have played home matches at the Adelaide Oval, a 53,500-seat stadium located on the northern bank on the River Torrens in North Adelaide.

The Crows were formed in 1990 as the de facto state team representing South Australia in the AFL. They were originally owned by the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), though they gained administrative independence in 2014. They played their first season in 1991 and finished in 9th place, the highest ranking of any expansion club in the AFL in a debut year. The men's team won both the 1997 and 1998 Grand Finals, and have appeared in 15 finals series in their 33-year history. Adelaide is the most successful team in the AFL Women's competition, and is one of two clubs (the other being the ) that have won multiple premierships; winning in 2017, 2019 and 2022 (S6). It also fields a reserves team in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), along with the other South Australian football team in the Port Adelaide Football Club.

The men's team is currently coached by Matthew Nicks and is captained by Jordan Dawson.

1990s: Foundation and back-to-back triumph
After the VFL was renamed the AFL for the 1990 season, the SANFL clubs unanimously resolved, in 1990, that a team would not be entered into the AFL until 1992. The AFL refused to accept this, and revised negotiations with individual clubs Port Adelaide and Norwood. Two months later, the Port Adelaide Football Club reached terms of agreement with the AFL to enter a team into its competition in season 1991. The other nine SANFL clubs reacted strongly and entered into litigation in an endeavour to halt Port's bid. As the terms offered were more favourable than previously offered, talks were resumed. On 19 September 1990, the AFL approved the bid for a new South Australian club to enter into the league rather than a single existing SANFL club.

The Adelaide Crows played their first season in the AFL in 1991. Inaugural coach Graham Cornes and captain Chris McDermott led Adelaide to a respectable ninth place out of 15 in the league, with 10 wins and 12 losses and a percentage of 89.44. Adelaide's first AFL game was against on Friday 22 March at their then home ground, Football Park. The Crows defeated the eventual premiers by a hefty 86-point margin, winning 24.11 (155) to 9.15 (69). The club reached its first finals series in the 1993 AFL season, eventually losing to Essendon in the preliminary final.

Premiership glory in 1997 and 1998
The year 1997 marked the entry of a second South Australian club,. The Crows finished fourth to qualify for its first finals series since 1993, and hosted fifth-placed in the First Elimination Final. In the first final ever to be played at Football Park, the Crows won 14.15 (99) to 9.12 (66). The next week, Adelaide benefited from the finals system in use at the time and hosted the higher ranked, who had finished two places above the Crows but were forced to play away due to losing the previous week to. The Crows won narrowly in a controversial match, where a clear forward 50 mark to Geelong's Leigh Colbert during a critical stage of the third quarter was not awarded by field umpire Grant Vernon, with the game concluding with the final scores as Adelaide 11.10 (76) to Geelong's 9.14 (68). This set up an away Preliminary Final against the at the MCG. Despite losing Coleman Medallist Tony Modra, who had kicked 84 goals for the season, to an ACL injury in the first quarter and trailing by 31 points at half time, the Crows kicked four unanswered goals in the last quarter to record a two-point victory, 12.21 (93) to 13.13 (91). Darren Jarman kicked a goal to put Adelaide in front with less than two minutes remaining, this qualified the Crows for their first AFL Grand Final, to be played against at the MCG a week later.

St Kilda, chasing just their second premiership in VFL/AFL history, were warm favourites to win the Grand Final, having come first in the minor round and won both of their finals by margins of 46 and 31 points, against an Adelaide side without Tony Modra, Mark Ricciuto and goalsneak Peter Vardy due to injury. However, the Crows again overcame a half-time deficit, kicking 14 second-half goals to win by 31 points, 19.11 (125) to 13.16 (94). Darren Jarman kicked six goals, five of which came in the last quarter, whilst utility Shane Ellen kicked a career-best five and Troy Bond kicked four. Andrew McLeod, who gathered 31 possessions across half-back and in the midfield, won the Norm Smith Medal for the best player on-field in the Grand Final. The win is arguably one of the finest moments in South Australian sporting history.

Few expected the Crows to successfully defend their premiership the following year. Adelaide often struggled in close matches during the 1998 AFL season; seven of their nine losses were by 13 points or less, compared to only three wins by corresponding margins (they finished the regular season fifth on the ladder, with a record of 13–9). The Crows were well beaten by Melbourne in the qualifying final at the MCG by 48 points, and at the time, looked far from a premiership threat. Since season 2000, a loss in the finals by a team outside the top four would result in instant elimination, but the Crows benefited from a quirk in the McIntyre finals system that was in use during the 90's and still progressed to the second week, drawn to play a semi final against the Sydney Swans at the SCG. The Crows bounced back from their disappointing first finals loss and recorded a comprehensive upset 27-point win against the Swans in the wet, which set up a Preliminary Final rematch against the Western Bulldogs. Despite going into the match as underdogs, the Crows played some of their best football of the year to soundly beat the Dogs by 68 points - 24.17 (161) to 13.15 (93). It was a complete contrast to the thriller that took place the previous year, with Matthew Robran kicking six goals and Andrew McLeod, opposed to renowned tagger Tony Liberatore, booting seven.

Like the previous year, Adelaide went into the Grand Final as underdogs, playing against, who had won the premiership in 1996 and had won eleven consecutive matches leading up to the Grand Final. North Melbourne led by 24 points at half-time, 6.15 (51) to 4.3 (27), with only their inaccurate goalkicking keeping Adelaide in the contest. However, as they had in the previous year, Adelaide dominated the second half to win by 35 points, 15.15 (105) to 8.22 (70) - the result making Adelaide the only club during the decade of the 1990s to achieve the feat of winning back to back AFL premierships. Darren Jarman kicked five goals, while Andrew McLeod won his second successive Norm Smith Medal, an unprecedented feat. Club legend Mark Ricciuto won the Crows' Club Champion award in 1998. Following a disappointing year in 1999, premiership coach Malcolm Blight resigned from the role and the Crows entered the new millennium with two premierships under their belt.

2000s: Finals and near misses
The Crows next made the finals in 2001 AFL season, though they lost their opening three matches for the season. Adelaide played fifth-placed at the MCG in the First Elimination Final and were roundly defeated, 17.16 (118) to 6.14 (50). High-profile forward Darren Jarman announced his retirement after the match. Adelaide's impressive 2002 AFL season (in which they achieved a 15–7 win–loss record) came undone at the penultimate stage, losing to Collingwood in the Preliminary Final at the MCG. Ben Hart won his second Malcolm Blight Medal in 2002, with Tyson Edwards finishing runner-up. Brett Burton led the Crows' goalkickers with 51. Hart and Mark Ricciuto were both named as All-Australians. Adelaide then exacted some revenge by defeating Collingwood in the pre-season competition in 2003, the club's first win in that competition. The Crows' impressive 2003 season was eventually halted by the at the Gabba in the semi-finals. That season, Adelaide captain Mark Ricciuto became the first and (as of 2023) only Crow to win the Brownlow Medal for the best and fairest player in the AFL in a three-way tie with Adam Goodes and Nathan Buckley. The Crows returned to finals in 2005 and recorded a famous win in what remains the only Showdown match against rivals in the semi-finals. They then lost once more at the penultimate stage (preliminary final), to the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval by 16 points. This was repeated in 2006 when they again lost to West Coast in the preliminary final, this time at home and by an even smaller margin of 10 points.

Adelaide would qualify for finals for each of the remaining seasons in the 2000s, falling short at the elimination or semi-final on each occasion. Collingwood proved to be the biggest hurdle, knocking the Crows out of the finals race successively in 2008 and 2009. Andrew McLeod and Bernie Vince won the club's best and fairest awards in that time.

Adelaide's finals runs in the 2000s

2010s: Rebuilding and tragedy
The Crows had their biggest rebrand in the club's history on the eve of the 2010 season, shifting their logo to an entirely new design. Adelaide had a disastrous start to the 2010 season, losing their first six matches of the home and away season. They did recover to some extent in the back half of the year, finishing 11th with nine wins and thirteen losses, the first time under coach Neil Craig that the team did not make the finals. The season marked a turning point, with the likes of McLeod, Simon Goodwin and fellow stars Brett Burton, Tyson Edwards and Trent Hentschel all announcing their retirements during the season. Long-term defender and club stalwart Nathan Bock announced he was leaving the club to join new side. These changes led to a disastrous 2011 campaign, which became the worst season in the club's history to that point. After a 103-point loss to fading champions, the club's longest-serving coach Neil Craig stepped down, handing the reins to assistant coach and former premiership captain Mark Bickley as caretaker for the remainder of the season.

Under Bickley the club won three of their next four games, but lost their final two to and, finishing in 14th place with 7 wins and 15 losses. Scott Thompson won the Malcolm Blight Medal (best and fairest award) for the season. New coach Brenton Sanderson began his era at the club with a pre-season premiership in 2012 and followed up that success with an above-expectations regular season; the Crows finishing 17-5 and never once losing consecutive matches. Adelaide eventually qualified to face minor premiers at the MCG in the First Preliminary Final. Hawthorn led for most of the match and despite Adelaide taking the lead with five minutes remaining, the Hawks responded to win the match by five points, in yet another heartbreaking finals series loss for the Crows. Adelaide would then fall down the ladder in the following 2013 and 2014 seasons, narrowly missing the top 8 on both occasions. Failing to reach the finals led to Sanderson being sacked at the end of the 2014 season. The club would move its home matches to the newly redeveloped Adelaide Oval at the start of the 2014 season, though to this day the Crows retain their training and administrative headquarters at their old home stadium, Football Park.

2012: Scandal and Investigation
At the end of 2012, it was revealed that Adelaide had been found guilty of breaching the salary cap and tampering with the draft. As a sign of cooperation with the AFL, Adelaide forfeited themselves from the first two rounds of the 2012 draft. At a hearing at AFL House in Melbourne, both the Adelaide Crows and current CEO at the time, Steven Trigg, were fined $300,000 and $50,000 respectively. The Adelaide Football Club were also suspended from participating in the first two rounds of the 2013 draft. It's widely accepted to be the league's biggest salary cap and list management scandal since Carlton in 2002.

2014: Transfer of SANFL licence
In March 2014, on the eve of the new season, the South Australian Football Commission announced it had struck a deal with the Adelaide Football Club which required the SANFL to transfer its ownership of the Crows' licence to the club, in exchange for payments totalling $11.326 million between 2013 and 2028. The arrangement marked the first time the Adelaide Football Club had independent control of its own administration and came in conjunction with measures designed to solidify the SANFL's control of game development and the sport in South Australia.

2015: Death of Phil Walsh
The 2015 season started incredibly successfully for the Adelaide Football Club with a 77-point win over reigning preliminary finalists. Newly appointed coach Phil Walsh oversaw a rapidly improving team that became known for their skilled ball use and ability to grind out wins. During the season, Adelaide was cleared of any wrongdoing by the AFL in the Eddie Betts affair, which became newsworthy following an allegation that Betts's transfer to the Crows from had been illegally signed and approved as much as 18 months prior to his move.

Tragically, on 3 July, two days prior to Adelaide's then-scheduled round 14 match against, coach Phil Walsh was stabbed to death by his son at the age of 55 in his Somerton Park home. His son Cy Walsh would later be found not guilty of murder due to mental incompetence and placed under a lifetime psychiatric supervision licence, ordering that he be detained indefinitely in a secure psychiatric facility. The tragedy was followed by an outpouring of sympathy and tributes from the club's fans and the wider AFL community. The match against the Cats was cancelled, with both teams receiving two premiership points each. Adelaide's SANFL team's match against, scheduled for the next day, was postponed until later in the season.

On 6 July, assistant coach Scott Camporeale was appointed interim coach for the remainder of the season, while premiership coach John Worsfold was hired as coaching director to support Camporeale. Inspiringly, the team rebounded to win six of their next seven games and qualify for the 2015 finals series, where they defeated the Western Bulldogs by seven points in a thrilling elimination final at the MCG. Their season ended when they lost to eventual premiers the next week.

2016–2019: Don Pyke era
Star midfielder for many years Patrick Dangerfield left the club at the end of the 2015 season (a season in which he won the club's best and fairest) and Don Pyke, a former premiership player and assistant coach with who had also been an assistant coach at Adelaide from 2005 to 2006, was appointed Adelaide's senior coach for at least three years. Adelaide was widely tipped to slide out of the finals in 2016  but the Crows proved to be one of the successes of the season, comfortably qualifying for a home elimination final and defeating  by 62 points, before being eliminated the next week by eventual beaten grand finalists,  in the semi-finals. The club had a dominant 2017 season, winning their opening six games and never falling below second place for the entire season. Adelaide claimed their second McClelland Trophy as minor premiers. The Adelaide Crows entered the 2017 finals series as favourites for the premiership; they defeated and  by 36 and 61 points respectively to qualify for the Grand Final, their first since 1998, where they faced. Despite starting as rampaging hot favourites, the Crows lost the match by 48 points and finished runners-up for the first time in their history.

The club struggled to replicate its 2017 form in the 2018 AFL season. Prior to the season, Adelaide players went on a controversial pre-season camp that led to a decline in morale among the club's players. Adelaide struggled with injuries during the year, including Captain Taylor Walker, Rory Sloane, Brad Crouch, Tom Lynch, Rory Laird, and Richard Douglas. Combined with the loss of Cameron and Lever, the Crows struggled throughout the year but held on to win twelve games, including against 2017 Premiers and soon-to-be 2018 Premiers West Coast. The club finished 12th on the ladder with 12 wins, 10 losses, and a percentage of 104.1, and below crosstown rivals Port Adelaide who finished 10th, but with 3.5 more percentage points. This put Adelaide out of the finals for the first time since 2014. One highlight towards the end of the year was Rory Sloane who, despite rumours of a trade home to Victoria, signed a five-year contract to effectively play out his time as a one-club player.

There were lofty aspirations going into 2019, with many expecting them to play finals or even in the premiership. Despite fewer injuries, the club failed to meet these lofty expectations of finals, finishing 11th with 10 wins, 12 losses, and 100.9 percentage points. There was much media coverage given to the team throughout the season, with concerns raised about player retention and the coaching staff, especially with players like Bryce Gibbs, Josh Jenkins, and Eddie Betts dropped on and off throughout the season due to issues of form. Following the end of their season, the club began an external review of their football operations, with many musing about the future of players and coaching staff. Prior to the conclusion of the review, co-captain Taylor Walker resigned his captaincy after four years to focus on his football and family. A week later, Coach Don Pyke stepped down, a decision unrelated to the reviews that were occurring.

2018 Adelaide Crows pre-season camp
The 2018 Adelaide Crows pre-season camp was a summer camp undertaken by players of the Adelaide Football Club from January 29 to February 2 in the lead-up to the 2018 AFL season. In Eddie Betts' biography, he released details of what happened at the camp. These revelations caused many to question what had been said to that point regarding the camp. Following the release of Eddie Betts biography, Josh Jenkins released a statement with further details from the camp. His opposition to aspects of the camp led to him being ostracised and was the reason he left the club.

2020–2021: COVID-affected seasons
Former Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney assistant coach Matthew Nicks was appointed as Adelaide's senior coach on October 15, 2019, replacing the outgoing Pyke. Under new coach Nicks, the Crows lost the first 13 matches of the coronavirus-affected 2020 AFL season and ultimately claimed their first wooden spoon in club history. However, the Crows' disastrous season did end with some optimism, as the Crows broke the drought in round 15 against and won three matches in a row towards the season's conclusion. The Crows received their highest-ever draft pick at the 2020 AFL draft, used to draft Riley Thilthorpe.

The Crows won their first game of the 2021 AFL season, beating the reigning Grand Finalists Geelong in an upset victory. The Crows improved slightly over their disastrous 2020 campaign, losing only one of their first four games. Walker was banned from the AFL for six games between the 2021 and 2022 AFL seasons due to racist comments directed towards Robbie Young of during a SANFL match. After requesting a move home to South Australia and subsequently nominating the Crows, high-value Sydney wingman Jordan Dawson was traded to Adelaide in the 2021 trade period. The trade would prove influential in Adelaide's rise out of the bottom four in 2022.

2022–present: Post-COVID era
The Crows hosted the first-ever Friday night Showdown in Round 3, and claimed one of their best-ever wins via an after-the-siren bending kick from the recruit Dawson, who received best-on-ground honours. Captain Rory Sloane ruptured his ACL in round 5. In his absence, the role of captain rotated between Reilly O'Brien, Ben Keays, Brodie Smith, and Tom Doedee for the remainder of the season. Adelaide traded in Izak Rankine at a high price, leaving them no first-round draft picks in the 2022 AFL draft until they matched the bid for Max Michalanney, son of Jim as the club's first father–son pick. Rory Laird equalled the records of Simon Goodwin, Andrew McLeod and Mark Ricciuto as a three-time Malcolm Blight Medallist.

The Crows headlined the first-ever Gather Round, held in Adelaide in April, as they had a return to their form of 2018 and 2019, defeating multiple top-eight teams. A dubious non-decision involving Jordan Dawson and forward Jamie Elliott in Round 15 sparked controversy at a critical stage in the game. A similar incident occurred in Round 23 against, when a Ben Keays goal was disallowed, costing the Crows their first AFL finals series in seven years. Adelaide finished 2023 in 10th on the ladder, their best position since 2017. Taylor Walker also had a career-best year and finished second in the Coleman Medal. Walker, along with first-time Malcolm Blight Medal winner and newly-appointed captain Jordan Dawson, became Adelaide's first selections in an All-Australian team since Rory Laird in 2018.

Club guernsey
Adelaide currently has three guernsey designs which are used in different matches throughout the season. The club's guernseys are currently supplied by Irish sportswear company O'Neills.

Home guernsey
The home guernsey features navy blue, red and gold hoops. It is worn at all matches designated as home games for the club as well as in selected away games (currently only Geelong, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, and Sydney). The jumper is worn with navy shorts at all home and away games, except for away Showdowns, where it is paired with white shorts. It has had only minor variations through its history since debuting with the club in 1991, including adding a white outline to the numbers from 1996 to 2020 which has now been removed since the start of the 2021 season, and the removal of yellow cuffs and addition of navy blue panels down the sides (due to manufacturers template design) in 2006. In 2009 the yellow cuffs and full hoops returned. In 2010 the hoops were cut off again at the sides. For 2016, the club removed the side panels, returning to the full hoops of the original design.The original base design/idea has never changed in the club's 30-year history.

Clash guernsey and Gather Round guernsey
In 2024, Adelaide began to wear a new design for their clash guernsey. It features the flying crow found on the club's old logo. The crow is in blue, the above background yellow and the below background red. The design derives from the 1996 preseason design, also found in the club's away guernsey from 2008 to 2009. A key factor behind this change is the popularity for the club's Gather Round guernsey, which debuted in 2023 and featured the same crow design in a "stealth" style. Adelaide will wear both this new clash guernsey and their pre-existing Gather Round guernsey moving forward in 2024.

Indigenous guernseys
The club's Indigenous guernsey has been a rotating design since it was first introduced in during the 2013 season vs. North Melbourne. The first iteration of the Adelaide Indigenous guernsey was a simple swap from Navy to Black, representing the colours in the Australian Aboriginal Flag. Since 2014 however, they guernsey has featured art on a navy base from a wide number of indigenous artists and past players, such as Andrew McLeod and Ben Davis. The 2023 edition of these guernseys was the first to be shared between the women's and the men's teams. The most recent of these was designed by Izak Rankine and his cousin Harley Hall, celebrating their shared Ngarrindjeri heritage. It was revealed in March of 2024.

ANZAC guernsey
The club wore their first commemorative ANZAC guernsey in 2024. The guernsey features the chevrons of the sergeant rank insignia of the Australian Army, and a soldier with a bugle. It marks a new design trend not before seen in Adelaide's guernseys, with chevrons used rather than the traditional hoops, and the use of a gradient. The guernsey was worn in round 7 against. The proceeds of the auctioned player-issue guernseys will be donated to the RSL.

Past
In previous seasons, the Crows have had variations of alternate guernseys.

Pre-season guernsey (1996–1998)
The club briefly used an alternate design in the pre-season competition. It was still in the club colours, but featured the club logo prominently on the front and continuing over onto the back. This design would go on to inspire multiple clash guernseys and the Gather Round guernsey.

Away guernsey (1999–2009)
The away guernsey was originally intended for use in all matches designated as away games, except finals. The design had changed several times over the years since it was first used in 1999. From 2006 the red was removed from the top of the guernsey, moving it closer to the home guernsey. Its usage had waned since the introduction of the "clash" guernsey, to the point where it was only used twice in 2007, against the Western Bulldogs in round 2 and Collingwood in round 22. In a few away matches that year, the club also continued to use the traditional "home" guernsey, something which had rarely been done since the away strip was introduced. In response to this, a new away guernsey was introduced in 2008 featuring more red and yellow with a flying crow on the front – similar in design to the mid-90s pre-season jumper.

Past clash guernseys (2006—2023)
The clash guernsey was first introduced for season 2006 and was radically different from the "home" and "away" designs at the time. It was worn at all away games where the AFL deemed there to be a clash with the home team's guernsey design. Initially, the only clubs officially on the "clash list" were Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle, Melbourne and Richmond. Despite this, the AFL forced the club to wear it against other teams, such as Hawthorn and St Kilda in 2007, West Coast in 2008 and the Brisbane Lions in 2008 and 2009. Eventually, the clash jumper was required to be worn in nearly all away games.

The first clash guernsey was red, and was worn from 2006 to 2009. The club first adopted a white clash guernsey in 2010. It featured the club logo on the front with stylised curves in club colours on the front and back with navy stripes down the sides. The design continued to be changed a number of times over the years, but remained predominantly white until the end of the 2020 season.

There were yellow and red clash guernseys for 2021, before solely moving to the red guernsey for 2022 and 2023. These designs were similar to the alternative guernsey used from 2016 to 2017.

Alternative guernsey (2016–2017)
The alternative guernsey was the same design as the white clash guernsey of the time, but with a gold base. It was worn in away games in which it provided a greater contrast with the home team than either the home or white clash guernseys. Those teams were North Melbourne, Carlton, Fremantle and Western Bulldogs football clubs. It was always worn with white shorts.

Heritage guernsey (2004–2007)
During the mid-2000s, the Crows adopted three different guernsey designs to wear during the AFL's Heritage Round. The 2004 iteration featured the tri-colour home guernsey but with the AFC crest on the chest and removal of white stroke to the numbers. All heritage guernseys featured each player's name and debut number above the manufacturer's jock tag. Controversially during the 2005 heritage round, the Crows wore an adaptation of a 1930s South Australian state guernsey, with the AFC monogram replacing the SA monogram, which prompted outrage from Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams. The club returned to a similar home design for the 2006 and 2007 Heritage Rounds, with the left panel of the guernsey featuring the colours of all SANFL clubs, before the Heritage Round was scrapped by the AFL.

Club song
The club song of the Adelaide Football Club is "The Pride of South Australia", and is sung to the tune of US Marines Hymn. The lyrics to "The Pride of South Australia" were written by the inaugural crows CEO Bill Sanders.

The first club song, and the song used in the Club's inaugural AFL game and victory against Hawthorn, was "Here We Go Camry Crows".

AFL Women's Team
The Adelaide AFLW team is the club's women's team in the AFL Women's league. A founding member of the AFLW, the football club launched a bid to enter a team in the 2017 AFL Women's season in April 2016. The bid was constructed in partnership with AFL Northern Territory, with the club to share resources and facilities between its Adelaide base and AFLNT's Darwin location. The bid became a success in June of that year when the league announced they had been awarded one of eight inaugural licences.

Under inaugural coach Bec Goddard, the team won the first ever AFLW premiership in 2017. The season was also a highlight for individual success, with co-captain Erin Phillips winning the league most valuable player and best on ground in the grand final. Missing the finals in 2018, Goddard quit as coach and was replaced by Matthew Clarke for the 2019 season. Winning six out of the seven home-and-away games, the club returned to finals and won its second premiership with a 45-point win against. Erin Phillips repeated her individual success by winning the league MVP for the second time and the grand final best on ground despite leaving the ground injured in the third quarter. It was announced in August 2019 that the partnership between Adelaide and AFLNT would not continue. During the COVID-19-interrupted 2020 season, the Crows slumped to only two wins and failed to reach the finals. The club quickly rose back up the following year and won seven of nine home-and-away matches, and they claimed the minor premiership for the 2021 season before going down to Brisbane by 18 points in the 2021 grand final. Adelaide bounced back the next year to win the 2022 AFL Women's season 6 Grand Final by 13 points, earning their third premiership, the most of any club in the league.

In 2022, AFL rivals were introduced into the women's competition. The two teams met in the first-ever AFLW Showdown on the 30th of September. The occasion drew in a crowd of 20,652 at Adelaide Oval, which was the highest attendance for any game in 2022 season 7. Following their historic back-to-back premierships, Adelaide had consecutive preliminary final exits in season 7 and 2023, with loses to eventual runners-up and  respectively. Despite this, Adelaide finished 1st in the 2023 home-and-away season, becoming the first team to achieve this on four occasions.

Season summaries
^ Denotes the ladder was split into two conferences. Figure refers to the club's overall finishing position in the home-and-away season.

SANFL team
The Adelaide Crows were granted a license to field a stand-alone reserves men's team in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in 2014. Prior to this date AFL-listed players at the club were drafted to SANFL clubs, and would play for them when not selected for the AFL team.

Rivalries
Adelaide has a fierce rivalry with fellow South Australian AFL team Port Adelaide. Matches between the two teams are known as the Showdown. The Showdown rivalry significantly draws upon the bitter, winner take all, competition for the two South Australian licences to join the AFL in the 1980s and early 1990s. The Showdown is often considered the best, and most bitter, in the Australian Football League with Malcolm Blight, Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend, stating in 2009 that "there is no doubt it is the greatest rivalry in football".

Membership base and sponsorship
In 2006, the club made history becoming the first club in VFL/AFL history to have more than 50,000 members (with 50,138). They broke that record in 2007, signing up 50,146 members after only round one of the season. The club failed to continue this record run and subsequently signed 48,720 members in 2008, barely maintaining their pole position, before slipping to 45,515 in 2010; however, the trend reversed and later breached all-time highs in 2014 when they signed 54,249, although five other clubs had surpassed their membership base by this point, with Collingwood leading with nearly 80,000 members by this point. Adelaide's membership peaked for the 2019 season with 64,437, and their 2022 membership was 63,009.

The club has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Toyota since its inception, leading the club to be known in promotional materials as the "Camry Crows".

Two-time Grand Slam tennis champion Lleyton Hewitt was made the club's number-one ticket holder in December 2002. International pop singer Guy Sebastian became the number-one ticket holder in April 2024. Former federal politician Kate Ellis is the number-one female ticket holder, while Greg Champion, a musician and radio broadcaster, is the Melbourne number-one ticket holder. Australian golfer Adam Scott is also an honorary member of the club.

Hall of Fame
The Adelaide Football Club established their Hall of Fame in 2015, for its 25th year in the AFL. It honours the greatest contributors to the club and specifically includes members who have made a "profound" impact. 12 members have been inducted, including nine players, two administrators, and a coach.

"Team of the Decade"
While some sides named their "Team of the Century" to coincide with the AFL centenary celebrations in 1996, Adelaide only joined the league in 1991, and so later on named their "Team of the Decade", covering the period from 1991 to 2000. As well as earning selection in the team, Mark Ricciuto was named 'Player of the Decade' and Mark Bickley 'Team Man of the Decade.'

Coaches

 * Graham Cornes, 1991–1994
 * Robert Shaw, 1995–1996
 * Malcolm Blight, 1997–1999
 * Gary Ayres, 2000–2004*
 * Neil Craig, 2004–2011**
 * Mark Bickley, 2011 (interim)
 * Brenton Sanderson, 2012–2014
 * Phil Walsh, 2015***
 * Scott Camporeale, 2015 (interim)
 * Don Pyke, 2016–2019
 * Matthew Nicks, 2020–present

* Gary Ayres was told that his contract would not be extended when it expired after the 2004 season, and he decided to quit immediately. Assistant coach Neil Craig took over from round 14 as a caretaker coach and was later appointed senior coach for 2005 and beyond.

** Neil Craig resigned the day after a 103-point loss to, allowing assistant coach Mark Bickley to coach the remaining six games in the season. Post-season, the club underwent a search for a new coach and hired Brenton Sanderson for the role from 2012.

*** Phil Walsh died midway through his first year as coach, the victim of stab wounds in a domestic incident. Assistant coach Scott Camporeale was appointed interim coach for the remainder of the season. After the season, Don Pyke was appointed senior coach from 2016.

Captains

 * Chris McDermott, 1991–1994
 * Tony McGuinness, 1995–1996
 * Mark Bickley, 1997–2000
 * Mark Ricciuto, 2001–2007
 * Simon Goodwin, 2008–2010
 * Nathan van Berlo, 2011–2014*
 * Taylor Walker, 2015–2019**
 * Rory Sloane, 2019–2022**
 * Jordan Dawson, 2023–present

* Nathan van Berlo missed the entire 2014 season after injuring his right Achilles tendon in pre-season training. Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield acted as co-captains during his absence.

** Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane were co-captains for the 2019 season. After the season, Walker stepped down, leaving Sloane as the sole captain of the club.

Past players
See List of Adelaide Football Club players

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Adelaide Football Club


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Bellinger River National Park

Bellinger River National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, about 410 km north of Sydney. The main feature of the park is the Bellinger River and the unspoilt forests on its upper reaches. In a word, the untouched wilderness of steep slopes and valleys, with numerous waterfalls that further enhance the impression of this beautiful national park.

28 species of birds have been recorded in the park.

title: Bellinger River National Park


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Beowa National Park

Beowa National Park, formerly Ben Boyd National Park, is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 578 km south of Sydney. It was established in 1971 and officially renamed in 2022 owing to its previous namesake's connection with blackbirding. Beowa means "orca", an animal of significance to the traditional owners, the Thaua people.

The park forms part of the Ulladulla to Merimbula Important Bird Area.

History
The park was established in 1971 covering 8,900 ha and was originally named after Benjamin Boyd. Boyd was a wealthy pastoralist and businessman in the 1840s, with interests in shipping (including whaling), based on the South Coast of NSW. At the time, the area was part of the District of Port Phillip and Boyd was elected to the NSW Legislative Council for the electoral district of Port Phillip. He was the first in Australia to engage in blackbirding, a practice akin to slavery, when a ship he had commissioned brought 65 Melanesian labourers to Boyd Town in 1847. Boyd commissioned the construction of a sandstone tower overlooking the entrance to the harbour of Twofold Bay to alert whaling crews of the approach of their prey. The tower was never completed.

In the wake of the George Floyd protests around the world and in Australia and the Black Lives Matter movement gaining pace in mid-2020, calls for the national park to be renamed were renewed. Matt Kean, the NSW Environment Minister, promised to seek a briefing about renaming the park and then to consult with local elders and the community. In November 2021, Kean announced Ben Boyd National Park would be renamed Beowa Natural Park, after consultations with more than 60 representatives from Aboriginal and South Sea Islander communities. In September 2022 it was officially renamed, under new environment minister James Griffin. On 11 November 2023, Thaua and South Sea Islander elders conducted a ceremony together to mark the park's name change. The name Beowa had been selected in honour of the orca, which is significant to the Thaua people. According to their mythology, their ancestors are orcas, and when one of them dies they are reincarnated as an orca.

The park has been expanded from its original 8,900 ha to cover 10,486 ha over time.

Description
The park consists of two sections, on either side of Twofold Bay and the town of Eden. The smaller northern section is bounded on its western border by the Princes Highway. The geology of this section is mainly sedimentary rock (ironstone and clay) laid down in the Paleogene, with some quartzite outcrops. The main attraction for tourists is the Pinnacles, a multicoloured erosion gully with white sands overlaid by rusty red clay. The southern section coastline is metamorphic and Devonian in age, with some heavily folded sections at Red Point, near Boyd's tower.

The park is fairly flat, with none of the northern section exceeding 100 metres (300 ft) in elevation, and the southern section not much higher; the tallest peak is Haycock Hill at 252 metres (827 ft). The region is particularly windy, dry and cold, and the headlands are covered in a low ground-hugging heathland community of plants. Further inland, the heath is replaced by open eucalypt woodland, which makes up most of the park's habitat. The two dominant tree species are silvertop ash (Eucalyptus sieberi) and red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera). There are also scattered pockets of rainforest in gullies and protected areas, with species such as the scentless rosewood (Synoum glandulosum) and smooth mock-olive (Notelaea venosa).

Flora and fauna
The park forms part of the Ulladulla to Merimbula Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for swift parrots. It was recorded in 1996 that 212 species of bird had been recorded in the park, with the heathlands being home to the eastern ground parrot and endangered eastern bristlebird, while the little tern breeds in the sand dunes and beaches. At the time, the tern was threatened by recreational four-wheel driving.

Fifty species of mammal had been recorded by 2010. Pests recorded include cats and foxes, occasional feral dogs, and rabbits. Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) was a problem weed north of the Pambula River.

title: Beowa National Park


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Ben Halls Gap National Park

Ben Halls Gap National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 251 km north of Sydney.

Near the national park are villages like Nundle and Murrurundi and the town of Quirindi.

One of the main features of the park are the extraordinary ancient eucalyptus forests.

title: Ben Halls Gap National Park


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Biamanga National Park

Biamanga National Park is a protected area in New South Wales, Australia, 408 km south of Sydney and 40 km north of Bega. The park forms part of the Ulladulla to Merimbula Important Bird Area because of its importance for swift parrots.

Its name derives from Yuin elder Biamanga, aka "King Jack Mumbulla", after whom Mumbulla Mountain was also named. It is an important Aboriginal site for the Yuin people and a prominent landmark that can be seen from across the Bega Valley, also known as Biamanga. Proclaimed in 1994 and extended in 1997, the park covers 13,617 ha. It is seen by the traditional owners as "part of a single cultural landscape" with the Gulaga National Park, and also has cultural links to Umbarra (Merriman Island), Barunguba (Montague Island), and Dithol (Pigeon House Mountain).

In November 2021 Mumballa Mountain was ascribed the dual name of Biamanga.

Geology
The mountain is the remnants an ancient shield volcano, and granite rock formations and boulders are visible along the course of Mumbulla Creek.

History
The park lies in the lands of one of the Yuin peoples, who have inhabited the area for thousands of years.

20th century
Extensive logging was taking place in the area up until the 1970s, and in 1967 some of the rock was blasted with dynamite in the interests of improving television reception, and a television transmitter tower for WIN-4 was built on the mountain. After concerns had been raised by local people, the NSW Government set up an advisory committee in 1977 to investigate the woodchipping industry and in the same year 1977 Guboo Ted Thomas, a Yuin elder, led a protest against the destruction of the forest on Mumbulla Mountain. On 15 July 1980, the New South Wales Government declared an area of around 7,540 ha an "Aboriginal place" and a "Protected Archaeological Area" under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW).

The park was proclaimed in 1994 and extended in 1997.

21st century
Further protests against logging activities took place in 2010.

On 30 November 2021 Mumballa Mountain was ascribed the dual name of Biamanga.

Description
The park covers 13,617 ha. It is seen by the traditional owners as "part of a single cultural landscape" with the Gulaga National Park.

Flora and fauna
There are monkey gums and ribbon gum along the creeks, and the park is home to chef's cap correa, an endangered species.

The park forms part of the Ulladulla to Merimbula Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for swift parrots. Azure kingfishers and superb fairywrens abound in the park.

Management
Biamanga has been jointly managed by the traditional owners and the National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW since 2006. The traditional custodians are represented by two Local Aboriginal Land Councils, the Merrimans and Bega LALCs, which own the title to the land and lease it back to the New South Wales Government for use as a national park.

Aboriginal significance and sites
The mountain and surrounds have important cultural links to Umbarra (Merriman Island), Barunguba (Montague Island), and Dithol (Pigeon House Mountain). The mountain is of particular significance to the people of Wallaga Lake.

The park contains important Aboriginal sites, in particular Biamanga, also known as Mumbulla Mountain, which is part a large ceremonial and cultural track on the South Coast of New South Wales that includes other Aboriginal sacred sites of particular importance to the Yuin peoples. The mountain was named after Yuin leader King Jack Mumbulla, aka Jack Mumbler, whose "tribal" name was Biamanga. King Jack would spend time communing with the ancestor spirits on the highest peak of the mountain and send smoke signals for his people to see. Initiation ceremonies were held by Yuin people at various spots on the mountain, with the last recorded one held there in 1918. It has been described as a "men's law mountain".

Independent evidence of the sacredness of the site was provided in 1964 by linguist Luise Hercus and by musician and linguist Janet Mathews, but only made publicly available in the late 1970s; as well as by notes made much earlier by Alfred William Howitt, an ethnologist who attended a Yuin initiation ceremony in 1883.

The Biamanga protest site is of additional significance both to Yuin and to all other Indigenous Australians, "as a representation of embodying the Australian Aboriginal campaign for land rights and Aboriginal self-determination.

title: Biamanga National Park


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Bimberamala National Park

Bimberamala National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia. It is located thirty kilometres west of Batemans Bay and ten kilometres north of Kings Highway. This is a park of steep and wooded landscapes. The Bimberamala River flows through a deeply incised valley, creating a lot of water holes.

Five endangered animal species have found their habitat here.

title: Bimberamala National Park


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Bindarri National Park

Bindarri National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 431 km northeast of Sydney.

It is considered the epicentre of biodiversity, due to the rare and endangered species found here, such as fish bone fern, southern quassia and palm orchid.

One of the natural beauties of this park is the mouth of the river Urumbilum, which, descending through the Great Escarpment, carved through spectacular waterfalls.

title: Bindarri National Park


text:
Biriwal Bulga National Park

Biriwal Bulga National Park is an Australian national park in New South Wales. It is approximately 45 km north west of Taree and 60 km west of Port Macquarie on the Bulga Plateau.

The national park contains biodiverse ecosystems as well as culturally significant Indigenous Australian sites. The residents of the park range from animals to trees and bushes. The animals reside in an escarpment terrain. The park's soil varies in depth depending on the slope. There is a higher than average amount of annual rainfall which attributes to the types of native plants found.

There are different conservation and management plans in place to maintain the natural and cultural heritage of the park whilst also providing research opportunities for visitors. The plans are set out and authorised by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services. Some plans include conservation regions for koalas and plants, limiting the spread and influence of pests and prevention of potential bushfires.

Etymology and indigenous heritage
The name Biriwal Bulga originates from the Indigenous Birpai or Biripi people who have resided in the area for over 15,000 years. The Indigenous Australians in the local neighbourhood speak the Birpai language. The language spoken by the tribes surrounding the Birpai people is Gadjang.

Campsites and artifacts found within the park indicate the habitation of Indigenous Australians within the area. Truyard Pty. Ltd estimated that originally anywhere from 800 to 1000 Indigenous Australians inhabited in the national park and surrounding regions. The people were dispersed throughout the land in smaller clan groups, with the most prominent being the Winmurra people.

History
Exploration occurred initially in the surrounding areas of Biriwal Bulga in the 1800s after European settlement. It wasn't until 1982 when settlers began making discoveries within the park. The date of the first discoveries, mark Biriwal Bulga National Park as one of the latest National Parks to be discovered in the Port Macquarie region. Originally the park was a part of the

In the early 1900s, Bulga State Forest Area was predominantly utilised for timber harvesting and logging operations. This resulted in the implementation of a pine plantation within the National Park. In 1990, the State government placed a moratorium on further harvesting to ensure survival of the ecosystem. This resulted in the area shifting from Bulga State Forest Area to a conservation national park known today as Biriwal Bulga.

Region description
Biriwal Bulga is a 5813-hectare national park on the northern edge of the Bulga plateau. It ranges in elevation from 130m to 670m. The landform is predominantly dissected foothills, which contribute to its elevation. The most common rocks are mudstone and shale. Its average rainfall during the year ranges from 1300-1600mm. If there is vegetation cover over the land, the rainfall can potentially cause erosion of soil.

The park has few visitors due to its remote location and lack of accessibility for two-wheel drive cars and bike tracks. There are no facilities or walking trails within the national park. The nearest recreational facilities are at Tapin Tops National Park and Ellenborough Falls at Elands.

Weelah Nature Reserve
Weelah Nature Reserve is situated in the south-east of Biriwal Bulga National Park, covering an area of 37 ha. It contains one of the few rainforest remnants on the Bulga Plateau.

Fauna
Seventy-four fauna species have been recorded in the area. Amongst these seventy-four species; according to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service,"“the following are recorded as vulnerable and at risk of becoming endangered: powerful owl, glossy black cockatoo, fruit doves, spotted-tailed quoll, brush-tailed phascogale, yellow-bellied glider, koala, long-nosed potoroo, large bent-wing bat”."The most common are koalas. There different sub-species of koalas which interact with the natural flora forming the ecosystem within the park. These sub-species often roam and move from neighbouring regions into the park. An estimated 500-1000 individual koalas are recorded throughout the Biriwal Bulga region.

Flora
Sixteen types of plants have been recorded within Biriwal Bulga National Park. The predominant plants are dry sclerophyll forests. During its early discovery, the park was subject to selective logging for businesses due to its dense forests. The logging caused forest destruction and disturb the natural ecosystem of the park.

The 1950s brought an end to all logging in the parkand since, the majority of forest has been restored. The Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia (CERRA) World Heritage Area has identified the park as a potential addition to its list as a development listing due to its undisturbed and intact rainforest. As of 2004, there were no recorded threatened plant species.  Plectranthus suaveolens is listed as the only rare plant found. The plants listed as endangered by the NSW Wildlife Services are vine (Cynanchum elegans) and ground orchid  (Diuris flavescens) .

Catchment
Biriwal Bulga National Park drains the majority of its rainfall into surrounding creeks which eventually lead to the Hastings River. The main nearby body of water is the Doyles River, which is approximately 6 km in length. This is found on the south-eastern border of the park. Inside the park are two catchments of water, Green Gully Creek and Big Creek. The water that leaves the park supplies stock on some downstream farms and partially supplies Port Macquarie.

Pests
Biriwal Bulga national park contains different animals, some of which are considered pests and disturb the natural ecosystem of the park. The pests sighted within the area are wild dogs, foxes, pigs and cats. The most prevalent danger are wild dogs, in particular, dingoes. Dingoes pose threats to the native koala population within the national park. Their speed allows them to track and hunt koalas that have left their trees. Foxes and pigs are also a concern for the park's natural catchment. The pests’ movement throughout the park can cause damage to the soil. This can lead to increase in erosion which cause dirt to be run-off along with the water to the park's neighbouring catchments.

In addition to animal pests, there are also plants and weeds which threaten to damage the habitat. In 1968–1969, a pine plantation plot was established as a trial for future pine plantation programs on the plateau. These pine trees have started to disperse to the surrounding areas outside their original allocation. This can cause problems if left uncontrolled as it damages the natural ecosystem of the park. There are also a number of pest plants which have invaded into the park from the neighbouring Yarras Mountain Trail. The most common of which is known as the lantana.

Fires
Due to the areas densely covered forest, the park is susceptible to fires. These fire pose as a threat to the wet sclerophyll communities which are abundant in the park. The fires have the capability to burn the rainforest and threaten the biodiversity within the park if they occur regularly. The main type fire is vegetation fire, most commonly known as bushfire.

Biriwal Bulga National Park was one of the areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfire season in Australia. The fire burned during the periods of mid-December to mid-January. The torrential rain and large thunderstorms helped firefighters to contain the spread throughout the park.

Bacteria
Within the National Park, there are some bacteria that pose potential problems to the wildlife which inhabit it. A bacterium pathogen dangerous to the wildlife, in particular koalas is: Chlamydia pecorum. This pathogen is an infectious disease which harms koalas and potentially could cause fatality. It is dangerous due to the ease of which it spreads from animals to animals. As koalas, move regularly from neighbouring regions into the national park, the spread of this disease is apparent in the park. There are management plans in place to restrict the influence of bacteria on the koala population within the park.

Management
Biriwal Bulga National Park is recognised as a significantly cultural land to Indigenous Australians. Any discussion in plans of conservation must be directly consulted with a member of the Biripi people The Biripi people must be involved in negotiations of plans in order to maintain the Aboriginal heritage within the park. Currently there are nine recognised sites in Biriwal Bulga that are significant to the local Indigenous population. A further two potential significant sites are being investigated with the help of the Indigenous community around Biriwal Bulga.

The issues of pests within the park has been identified by the NPWS Mid-North Coast regional pest management. They have included strategies such as preparing a mapping of areas within the park that display high activities of pest animals and plants. This allows for wildlife services to control the growth of pests, ensuring that they are kept only within those area. The maps allow for services to plan for conservation sites and ensure that native species have minimal interactions with pests. There is a focus on park services to help control the pines surrounding the plantation area. This is to ensure the prevention of weed spreading into the natural habitat.

Biriwal Bulga is recognised as a conservation site for koalas. The terrain and environment surrounding the park provide stability for steady growth of the koala population. The national park's lack of human visitors allows for the koalas to live peacefully and undisturbed. Research and surveys are suggested to be conducted to ensure that the growth of koalas is being monitored. This is to ensure that koalas are not at risk of the potential bacteria that could cause a decrease in population.

Biriwal Bulga's dense forest are a concern for the bushfire seasons which occur in Australia. To preserve the national park's habitat, back-burning is a method that prevents fires from destroying the ecosystem. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services attempts to establish strong communication with the local Rural Fire Services to ensure a fire free interval of land is maintained every 10 to 15 years.

To implement all the management plans mentioned above, easier access into the national park is required. The NSW wildlife service's plan to negotiate with relevant neighbours of the park for the development of safety tracks to ensure for easier access into the park. If this occurs, the park wishes to establish guidelines to ensure that visitors will not disturb the local ecosystem.

NSW wildlife service's plans to promote Biriwal Bulga as a remote location that offers visitors the experience to be self-reliant in nature. Facilities will not be developed and instead visitors will be encouraged to use the facilities offered by surrounding areas. This encouragement can be done through signs within the park or uploading information onto the park's website. Services plan to monitor activities of visitors to ensure that they are following guidelines set up to ensure for safety of both visitors and the park. Suggestions for monitoring activities include surveys of how many utilise the park as well as observing whether occupants have left belongings behind such as valuables or rubbish.

title: Biriwal Bulga National Park


text:
Blue Mountains National Park

The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 267954 ha national park is situated approximately 80 km west of the Sydney CBD, and the park boundary is quite irregular as it is broken up by roads, urban areas and areas of private property. Despite the name mountains, the area is an uplifted plateau, dissected by a number of larger rivers. The highest point in the park is Mount Werong at 1215 m above sea level; while the low point is on the Nepean River at 20 m above sea level as it leaves the park.

The national park is one of the eight protected areas that, in 2000, was inscribed to form part of the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Greater Blue Mountains Area. The Greater Blue Mountains was one of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007. The Blue Mountains National Park is the most central of the eight protected areas within the World Heritage Site and it forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The park is also listed on the Australian Heritage Register and the overall complex of Blue Mountains regional walking tracks is listed on the State Heritage Register.

History
The genesis of the national park was a proposal by early conservationist Myles Dunphy for a Greater Blue Mountains National Park in 1932. This included large areas of what are today the Blue Mountains National Park, and the Wollemi, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai, Gardens of Stone, and Thirlmere Lakes, along with other smaller nature reserves; all managed by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. In September 1959 the Blue Mountains National Park was gazetted covering 63000 ha. In 2000 it was included as part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. In 1999, 37 walking tracks were added to the State Heritage Register, extending from and the Nepean River in the east; to Mount Tomah in the north; to Wolgan Valley and  in the northwest; to Jenolan Caves and  in the west; and in the south, numerous walks leading down the plateau from Katoomba, Leura and Wentworth Falls.

Geography
The Blue Mountains National Park lies on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. The plateau slopes gently down from west to east from a height of around 1100 m above sea level near to less than 200 m above sea level around Glenbrook. There are four major rivers that have most of their catchment inside the park: the Wollangambe River in the north, the Grose River in the centre, and the Coxs and Wollondilly rivers in the south. The latter two flow into Lake Burragorang, which is located just outside the park and is the site of Warragamba Dam, the major source of drinking water for Sydney. A small section of the Nepean River passes through the park. All of the major rivers flow from west to east.

Geology
Structurally, the Blue Mountains are part of the greater Sydney Basin. The Sydney Basin consists of layers of sedimentary rocks laid down over the past 300 million years. The Blue Mountains and Great Dividing Range were formed about 50 million years ago, when the area was uplifted. More recently, volcanic flows covered large areas of the mountains in basalt. These have largely worn away, leaving only occasional outcrops on the high peaks.

Biodiversity
The park contains a small range of eucalypt species across a variety of habitats including wet and dry Sclerophyll, Mallee, swamps, wetlands and grasslands. Some species are of significance to our understanding of plant evolution including the Wollemi Pine, of which fewer than 100 trees are known. Notable plant families include Myrtaceae, Fabaceae and Proteaceae including 114 endemic and 177 threatened species.

This range of habitats supports a rich variety of fauna, including a third of Australia's bird species, and numerous mammals, reptiles and frogs. Notable endangered and endemic species include the Regent Honeyeater, Broad-headed snake and the Blue Mountains water skink.

Tourism
The Blue Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in NSW with more than half of domestic visitors originating from Sydney and one of the easiest locations to spot wild kangaroos in Sydney. The majority of tourists to the Blue Mountains see the national park from one of the many lookouts between Wentworth Falls and Blackheath, and many of these never actually set foot in the park. Activities for the visitor include short walks to lookouts above cliffs and waterfalls, overnight and longer walks to more remote areas of the park and more extreme sports such as canyoning, abseiling, rock climbing and mountain biking. A number of Blue Mountains sightseeing and adventure tour companies can assist visitors in safely experiencing these activities. It is also home to the world's steepest railway, the Katoomba Scenic Railway.

The national park is renowned for the Three Sisters rock formation. Both north and south of Blackheath, the cliffs are the most spectacular as the rock faces are several hundreds metres tall. Visitor numbers have increased to 5.2 million in 2016 from 3.6 million in 2008.

Southern Blue Mountains
The Blue Labyrinth is a forested eroded plateau directly south of the Great Western Highway, stretching from Wentworth Falls to Glenbrook, stretching from Kings Tableland in the west to Warragamba Dam and the Nepean River in the east, and the Burragorang Valley to the south.

The national park extends south as far as the Wollondilly River, west of Mittagong, New South Wales. This area was greatly affected by the construction of Warragamba Dam from 1948 to 1960. This required the flooding of the Burragorang Valley, which created Lake Burragorang and in the process cut the southern part of the Blue Mountains off from areas to the east, for example Camden, Picton and Bargo. Properties and homesteads in the southern part of the mountains were forced to close down, leaving many derelict homes and ruins. These included Bran Jan House and Kowmung House on Scotts Main Range, as well as Twin Peaks, south of Yerranderie.

An exclusion zone of approximately three kilometres was created around Lake Burragorang to protect Sydney's water supply, but a through-track was allowed from Yerranderie to Balloon Pass, then further east, for the benefit of bushwalkers. This pass was later incorporated into the long-distance Katoomba to Mittagong Trail.

title: Blue Mountains National Park


text:
Bongil Bongil National Park

Bongil Bongil National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 427 km northeast of Sydney.

Many migratory birds and animals have found refuge in the Bongil Bongil National Park, and the surrounding forests are home to one of the largest koala populations in NSW. About 165 species of birds have been recorded in the park.

title: Bongil Bongil National Park


text:
Boonoo Boonoo National Park

Boonoo Boonoo National Park (pronounced 'bunna bunoo' ) is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 571 km north of Sydney and 26 kilometres north east of Tenterfield off Mount Lindesay Road.

The Boonoo Boonoo River passes through the park and includes a cascading 210-metre waterfall and a rainforest filled gorge. Bushwalking, swimming and bush camping are among the attractions of this area. In this park, the weather can be extreme and unpredictable, so visitors must be prepared for various surprises.

Boonoo Boonoo is the Aboriginal name given to the area which means 'poor country with no animals to provide food', however, the environment changed and it became home to Kangaroos and Wallabies.

Many wild animals have found their habitats in the diverse vegetation of the park that includes among others such ROTAP species as Callistemon flavovirens.

title: Boonoo Boonoo National Park


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Booti Booti National Park

Booti Booti National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 282 km, by road, north-north-east of Sydney. The holiday town of Forster-Tuncurry lies immediately to the north.

History
The first European to inhabit the area was a Captain J. Gogerly who sailed from Forster to Sydney with loads of timber. He and some of his family are buried in the park. Mining for mineral sands took place at Seven Mile Beach from 1969 to 1975, and at Elizabeth Beach from 1969 to 1970. The park was declared a state recreation area from 30 September 1977, then a national park in 1992.

Geography
Geographically, the National Park is made up of three hill complexes – the 224 m high Cape Hawke to the north, and 169 m high Booti Hill and 96 m high Charlotte Head in the southern end. The three areas are connected by low–lying estuarine and aeolian sands. The stretch of land between Cape Hawke and Booti Hill is around 10 km long and ranges between 400 m and 3.25 km wide. It separates Wallis Lake from the ocean. Cape Hawke and Charlotte Head were once islands, which became joined to the mainland by built-up sand deposits.

Flora
654 species of native plants have been recorded from Booti Booti National Park. This formed 46 distinct plant communities within the park boundaries. 17% of the park is classified as rainforest. Seven distinct wet sclerophyll forest and ten dry sclerophyll forest communities have been recorded.

Five species recognised as threatened by the New South Wales Government occur within the park – these are Allocasuarina defungens, A. simulans, Chamaesyce psammogeton, Cynanchum elegans and Senna acclinis.

104 exotic species have been recorded from the park. Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera var. rotundata) has infested sand dunes and cliff areas, having spread from nearby beach habitat. Lantana camara infests the rainforest at Cape Hawke, particularly disturbed habitat. Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia) and coast morning glory (Ipomoea cairica) are vines that grow over and smother native vegetation in the park.

Fauna
Booti Booti National Park has had 210 species of bird recorded within its limits.

Activities
Activities at Booti Booti National Park include hiking, swimming, birdwatching, mooning and, during winter, whale watching. Camping sites are located at The Ruins, in the Booti Hill area at the park's southern end. A lookout is located on top of Cape Hawke.

title: Booti Booti National Park


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Border Ranges National Park

The Border Ranges National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. A small portion of the national park is also located in South East Queensland. The 31729 ha park is situated approximately 150 km south of Brisbane, north of.

The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

Geology
The Border Ranges region, which includes the McPherson Range, Tweed Range, Lamington Plateau and Levers Plateau, were formed from the erosion of the Tweed Volcano over many years. A number of volcanic plugs remain in the Border Ranges National Park. Notable for extensive stands of Nothofagus moorei (Antarctic beech), the park offers a 64 km gravel road circuit through sub tropical, cool and warm temperate rainforest types. The area was extensively logged during the 20th century, providing timber to a number of nearby sawmills. The Lions Road and the Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor pass through the park at its narrow middle section.

Flora and fauna
Border Ranges and Lamington National Park are recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, containing a mixture of northern and southern flora species (the McPherson-Macleay overlap) with a number of endemic, rare and endangered species. Fauna is similarly diverse and species like the Hastings River mouse, have been rediscovered in the park in recent years.

Lower areas of the park contain eucalypt forests that provide habitat for eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies and koalas. Pademelons and potoroo are also found in the park as well as a diverse array of birdlife including the rare Albert's lyrebird. The park is part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of several species of threatened birds.

The Border Ranges contains one of Australia's most diverse range of spider species within its montane rainforests.

Facilities
Two camp grounds (car/camper and walk-in tent camping only) and a number of picnic areas, some with shelters, water and composting toilets, are available at various points in the rainforest adjacent to the road, and one picnic spot at Blackbutts Lookout, has extensive views to Mount Warning, and of the Tweed Valley, an erosion caldera which, while broken by the sea on its eastern flank, is considered larger in size than the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

title: Border Ranges National Park