Nurragingy Reserve

Nurragingy Nature Reserve is a protected area with historical significance.

It is owned by Western Sydney Parklands Trust and operated by Blacktown City Council. The Reserve, located in Knox Rd, Doonside and Rooty Hill, New South Wales, was opened in 1981 and is considered a site of state heritage significance.

The Reserve is associated with Nurragingy and Colebee, two significant Aboriginal figures from the early colonial period. They were jointly granted the land in 1816, which holds value for both the contemporary Aboriginal community and the wider Australian community. It symbolizes Aboriginal resilience and enduring connections to the land.

The name "Nurragingy" honors the Aboriginal person of the Dharruk tribe who received the first land grant from Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1819. Previously, the land was part of the Cumberland Timber Forest, a commercial timber supplier. In the 1970s, the New South Wales state government purchased the land to create a green belt for Western Sydney. In 1981, a portion of the land was designated as a recreational area.

The Reserve is surrounded by diverse vegetation, including vulnerable and regionally specific species such as Shale-Gravel Transition Forest, Alluvial Woodland, and Shale Plain Woodland. It is also part of a Grey Box and Forest Red Gum woodland. Various plant species, including Cabbage Gum, Casuarina glauca, and Melaleuca spp., can be found near the creeks and ponds. The Reserve is also home to numerous herbs, grasses, and wetland species.

Visitors to the Reserve can explore unique features such as bridges, pavilions, waterfalls, a native