Mount Hyland Nature Reserve

This unique patch of high altitude rainforest forms part of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. These cool temperate forests are only found at altitudes over 1,000m. Interestingly, Antarctic beech trees are absent from this patch of rainforest, possibly due to fire or drought.

Mount Hyland was named after an early settler to the area who established a cattle station to the south of the mountain range. Hyland lived a basic existence in a slab shelter built from nearby stringybark trees. Although life was tough and he moved on, his name remains.

Mount Hyland Nature Reserve is located within the Traditional Lands of the Gumbaynggirr People. Aboriginal people in the area have a strong connection to their traditional lands and maintain connection through conservation and resource management. Sites of high cultural significance are located along the traditional walking routes between Boyd River and high country around the village of Ebor.

One of the more famous animals that are protected within this isolated reserve is the Hastings River mouse. Once thought to be extinct in NSW, it was rediscovered in the early 1980s. Other threated animals found in the area include the long-nosed potoroo and spotted-tailed quoll. Another of the fascinating animals protected within this rainforest remnant is the threatened pouched frog. Only 2cm in length, the male frog has two pouches on either side, which are used to carry the baby tadpoles after they've hatched.