Where

Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve in Country NSW

Distance

0.5km loop

Time suggested

15 - 30min

Grade

Grade 3

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

Please note

• The weather in the area can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching.

To build up an appetite or to walk your food off afterwards, take a stroll along Wingecarribee River walking track, which begins and ends at Cecil Hoskins picnic area. The track is a short easy walk that’s flat with few obstacles and no stairs, so it’s ideal for all age groups.

The track takes you west along the river past Bong Bong weir, then loops back through regenerating forest on Wingecarribee floodplain. You’ll see various types of eucalypts as you follow this walking track, including the less well-known gums, like snow, swamp, black sallee and manna eucalypt trees.

Keep your binoculars in easy reach for birdwatching. Through the forest, you may see woodland birds such as white-throated needletails, welcome swallows and spotted pardalote. Eastern grey kangaroos also inhabit the forest. And did you know you can find platypus shyly hiding in the lagoon?

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Aboriginal culture

The reserve lies within the traditional land of the Bong Bong people. Cultural, linguistic and spiritual knowledge associated with this area continues to be passed on today. NPWS works in collaboration with local Aboriginal communities to protect this rich heritage.

The weir and the wherefore

Bong Bong weir was built in the 1920s to create a water supply for Moss Vale. The lagoon and swamp areas, which developed as a result of this weir, were declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1932. During the 1965-8 drought, Wingecarribee Council considered destroying the weir to allow water to be released for Berrima Cement Works, situated downstream. This proposal was so strongly opposed by the local community, however, that the idea was abandoned. The reserve supports stands of Paddys River box, native to the Moss Vale district and south of Jenolan, as well as snow gum banksia and a range of other native species. The lagoon itself is deep enough for large aquatic plants to thrive, such as tall spikerush, ribbonweed, yellow bladderwort and water milfoil. Other aquatic species include water snowflake, starwort, water primrose, river buttercup and nardoo.

Wetland creatures

Over 90 bird species inhabit the reserve and around one third of these, including pacific black ducks, black swans, dusky moorhens and grey teals, are waterbirds that are dependent on the lagoon. So if you're keen on bird watching, be sure to bring your binoculars along. Platypus and kangaroos also make their homes in and around the lagoon. The reserve also supports stands of Paddys River box, native to the Moss Vale district and south of Jenolan, as well as snow gum banksia and a range of other native species. The lagoon itself is deep enough for large aquatic plants to thrive, such as tall spikerush, ribbonweed, yellow bladderwort and water milfoil. Other aquatic species include water snowflake, starwort, water primrose, river buttercup and nardoo.

Who was Cecil Hoskins?

When the reserve was gazetted in 1975, it was named after Sir Cecil Hoskins. This man was a local resident for 40 years who not only had a keen interest in creating parks and gardens, but also contributed to the purchase of the land for the reserve.