Balls Head Reserve

Balls Head Reserve
Sydney red gum at Balls Head Reserve
Location in Greater metropolitan Sydney
Type	Nature reserve
Location	Balls Head Drive, Waverton, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia
Nearest city	Sydney
Coordinates	33°50.8′S 151°11.7′E / 33.8467°S 151.1950°E / -33.8467; 151.1950
Designated	1926 by Premier Jack Lang
Etymology	Henry Lidgbird Ball
Managed by	North Sydney Council

The Balls Head Reserve is a forested headland nature reserve situated on Balls Head in Sydney. The headland is in Port Jackson, 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, between Berrys Bay to the east and Balls Head Bay to the west. It is named after Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, a Royal Naval officer who commanded HMS Supply on the First Fleet. The park is accessed via Balls Head Drive, Waverton, New South Wales, Australia.

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History

Indigenous history

The original inhabitants were the Cammeraygal people. Evidence of their occupation includes art sites, middens and a spectacular petroglyph of a marine creature. An Aboriginal burial site within a rock shelter was documented by Sandra Bowdler, an archaeologist from the Australian Museum in 1964.^[1] Until 1916, the Balls Head area was frequented by the local Aboriginal community and sites including middens, art sites and rock engravings remain today. The Aboriginal name for Balls Head is Yerroulbine.

European history

Balls Head was the original foreshore land included in the large Wollstonecraft Estate. In 1912 the Australian Army claimed the land and a Quarantine Depot was established in Berrys Bay to service the boats operating to and from the Quarantine station at North Head. Strong public protests in the early part of the 20th century resulted in Balls Head becoming public parkland (rather than being used for commercial or residential purposes as was mooted) in 1926.^[2]

Balls Head was celebrated in two poems by Henry Lawson. The second of these, 'The Sacrifice of Balls Head' protested against plans to build a coal bunkering depot there in 1916. It stands as an early articulation of conservationist sentiment. A Coal Loader was built by 1920; in 2007, this facility was re-opened as the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, a hub for North Sydney Council environmental and sustainability programs.^[3]

The area was proclaimed as a public reserve by Premier Jack Lang in 1926. By then much of the forest that Lawson had described was gone. A Beautification Committee was established by 1931 led by conservationist Walter Froggatt. Native trees were reintroduced to the headland throughout the decade. Many of these were sourced from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. A stone tablet acknowledging Froggatt's work was unveiled in 1938. It can still be seen near the car park at the southern end of the reserve.

The reserve is now maintained by North Sydney Council and contains a well-preserved natural bushland area, one of the closest to the city of Sydney.^[4] Plants include the Sydney red gum, Port Jackson cypress, blueberry ash and Port Jackson fig. Many birds are found here, as are reptiles, flying foxes, microbats and marsupial mammals.

It is a popular picnic and bushwalking site, with views of the city skyline and harbour.

Reserve features

Several bush walking tracks, including one suitable for wheelchairs
Accessible toilets, picnic tables, seats and electric barbecues
Numerous plaques and depression era elements including remnants of paths, steps and railings dot the reserve.
Aboriginal waterholes and grinding grooves
Foreshore caves and chambers cut by squatters in the 1930s.

References

^ Bowdler, Sandra (4 October 1971). "Balls Head: the excavation of a Port Jackson rock shelter. Records of the Australian Museum" (plates: 17–21). AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. Australian Museum. pp. 117–128. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
^ "Balls Head Reserve". North Sydney Council. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
^ "History of the Coal Loader". North Sydney Council. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
^ "North Sydney Council - Balls Head Reserve". Retrieved 5 May 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balls Head Reserve.

v t e Nature reserves of New South Wales, Australia
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Hunter and Mid North Coast	Awabakal Baalijin Back River Bagul Waajaarr Bandicoot Island Bird Island Bollanolla Boonanghi Boondelbah Boorganna Bowraville Bretti Brimbin Bugan Burning Mountain Bushy Island Camels Hump Camerons Gorge Cedar Brush Coocumbac Island Coolongolook Cooperabung Creek Coramba Corrie Island Coxcomb Darawank Fifes Knob Fishermans Bend Gads Sugarloaf Ganay Garby Goonook Hexham Swamp Jaaningga Jagun Jasper John Gould Juugawaarri Karuah Kattang Khappinghat Khatambuhl Killabakh Killarney Kooragang Koorebang Kororo Lake Innes Limeburners Creek Little Broughton Island Macquarie Mernot Mills Island Moffats Swamp Monkerai Monkeycot Moon Island Moonee Beach Mount Seaview Muttonbird Island Ngambaa North Rock One Tree Island Pambalong Pee Dee Pulbah Island Queens Lake Rawdon Creek Regatta Island Running Creek Seaham Swamp Seal Rocks Skillion Snapper Island Stormpetrel Talawahl The Castles The Glen Tilligerry Tingira Heights Tomalla Towibakh Valla Wallabadah Wallamba Wallaroo Wallis Island Weelah Willi Willi Caves Wingen Maid Wingham Brush Worimi Yahoo Island Yarravel Yessabah
New England Tablelands	Aberbaldie Ashford Caves Bluff River Bolivia Hill Booroolong Burnt-Down Scrub Deer Vale Demon Duval Georges Creek Gibraltar Guy Fawkes River Imbota Ironbark Jobs Mountain Linton Little Llangothlin Mann River Melville Range Mother Of Ducks Lagoon Mount Hyland Mount Mackenzie Mount Yarrowyck Muldiva Ngulin Serpentine Severn River Stony Batter Creek The Basin Tuggolo Creek Watsons Creek Yina
Northern Rivers	Andrew Johnston Big Scrub Ballina Banyabba Billinudgel Boatharbour Broken Head Brunswick Heads Bungabbee Byrnes Scrub Captains Creek Chambigne Chapmans Peak Clarence Estuary Cook Island Couchy Creek Cudgen Cumbebin Swamp Davis Scrub Flaggy Creek Hattons Bluff Hayters Hill Hogarth Range Hortons Creek Iluka Inner Pocket Julian Rocks Koukandowie Limpinwood Little Pimlico Island Marshalls Creek Moore Park Mororo Creek Mount Neville Mount Nullum Muckleewee Mountain Munro Island North-West Solitary Island North Obelisk North Solitary Island Numinbah Richmond River Sherwood Snows Gully South West Solitary Island Split Solitary Island Stotts Island Susan Island Tabbimoble Swamp Tallawudjah Tuckean Tucki Tucki Tweed Estuary Tyagarah Ukerebagh Uralba Victoria Park Waragai Creek Wilson Wilsons Peak Woodford Island Wooyung
Outback NSW	Big Bush Boginderra Hills Buddigower Cocopara Goonawarra Gubbata Ingalba Jerilderie Kajuligah Kemendok Lake Urana Langtree Ledknapper Loughnan Morrisons Lake Mutawintji Narrandera Nearie Lake Nocoleche Nombinnie Pucawan Pulletop Quanda Round Hill Tarawi The Charcoal Tank Yanga Yathong
South Coast and Highlands	Araluen Badja Swamps Bamarang Barren Grounds Barrengarry Bees Nest Bell Bird Creek Belowla Island Bermaguee Bimberi Binjura Black Andrew Black Ash Bobundara Bogandyera Bondi Gulf Bournda Broulee Island Brundee Swamp Brush Island Burnt School Burra Creek Burrinjuck Cambewarra Range Cecil Hoskins Clarkes Hill Comerong Island Coolumbooka Coornartha Courabyra Cullendulla Creek Cuumbeun Dananbilla Dangelong Devils Glen Downfall Eagles Claw Egan Peaks Ellerslie Five Islands Flagstaff Memorial Good Good Goorooyarroo Gungewalla Hattons Corner Illawong Illunie Ironmungy Jerralong Jingellic Joadja Kangaroo River Kybeyan Meringo Merriangaah Montague Island Mount Clifford Mount Dowling Mudjarn Mullengandra Mundoonen Myalla Nadgee Nadgigomar Narrawallee Creek Nest Hill Ngadang Nimmo Numeralla Oak Creek Parma Creek Paupong Queanbeyan Quidong Razorback Robertson Rodway Saltwater Swamp Scabby Range Scott Stony Creek Strike-a-Light Tabletop Tapitallee Tinderry Tollgate Islands Triplarina Ulandra Undoo Wadjan Wanna Wanna Wee Jasper Wiesners Swamp Wogamia Wollondilly River Woollamia Worrigee Wullwye Yanununbeyan Yaouk Yatteyattah
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v t e Parks and gardens in Sydney, Australia
In the Sydney local government area	Balfour Street Park Barangaroo Reserve Belmore Park Centennial Parklands Centennial Park Moore Park Chinese Garden of Friendship The Domain Hyde Park Jessie Street Gardens Macquarie Place Park Observatory Park Paddington Reservoir Prince Alfred Park Redfern Park Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Cove West Archaeological Precinct Sydney Park Victoria Park Wentworth Park Wild Life Sydney Wynyard Park
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Parks and gardens in New South Wales

This page was last edited on 7 October 2023, at 02:19

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