Kattang Nature Reserve

The name 'Kattang' comes from the local language of the Birpai Aboriginal people. Shell middens provide evidence of Aboriginal occupation for thousands of years. The landscape and wildlife of Kattang continue to be an important part of the identity, spirituality and cultural heritage of the Birpai People.

Camden Head Pilot Station, right next to the reserve, is heritage listed as a relic of an era when ships wishing to enter the estuary had to wait, sometimes for days at a time, for the pilot to signal their safe passage. Today the Pilot Station's role is to contribute to community well being and enhance cultural and natural heritage. They also have holiday accommodation so check out their website and get involved.

Whether you're exploring the rock platforms or wandering across the cliff tops, you're sure to see lots of wildlife at Kattang. Washhouse Beach is one of the most diverse rock platforms in NSW, with some 128 species of organisms living there. This small nature reserve also supports a variety of habitats, including rugged and exposed headlands, patches of littoral rainforest, dry eucalypt forest and wet and dry heaths. Why not join the Friends of Kattang to get involved in protecting this precious bushland?

There are 154 types of animals recorded in this reserve: 8 amphibians; 6 reptiles; 17 mammals; and 123 birds. The cliff tops provide an excellent vantage point for whale watching and spotting dolphins. You might also see northern brown bandicoots, koalas and goannas on walking tracks. With 123 bird species spotted here, you'll see plenty of birdlife all year round. Osprey, white-breasted sea eagle and brahminy kites soar overhead. Spring wildflowers attract flocks of Lewin's honeyeater, white-cheeked honeyeater and yellow-faced honeyeater. You might also see migratory birds like the black-faced monarch, dollarbird and rainbow bee-eater in spring and summer. And, of course, if you're lucky, you might see the threatened wompoo fruit-dove or glossy black cockatoo.The black she-oaks here are an important food source for the glossy black cockatoo and the wildflowers on the heath attract feeding birds, insects and mammals with their sweet nectar.