Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve
| Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve New South Wales | |
|---|---|
  Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve | |
| Nearest town or city | Byron Bay |
| Coordinates | 28°36′41″S 153°37.′44″E / 28.61139°S 153.62889°E |
| Established | March 1961 |
| Area | 40.47 km2 (15.6 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve |
| See also | Protected areas of New South Wales |
The Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located on the Julian Rocks in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, in Australia.[1]
The 4,047-hectare (10,000-acre) reserve comprise two small islands, situated in the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) northeast of Byron Bay.[1]
Features
[edit]According to Indigenous folklore from the Bundjalung people, a jealous husband threw his spear at the canoe of his wife and her lover. The canoe broke in two and sank to the bottom of the ocean. Only the back and the front of the boat stuck out of the water.[2]
The islands were sighted by Captain James Cook when he passed through the area in 1770. However, he did not name them. The rocks are referred to as the Juan and Julia Rocks in Staff Commander Howard’s 1883 survey report of Cape Byron Bay and in his sketch of Byron Bay.[2] These names are a reference to the protagonists of Lord Byron poem Don Juan.[3]
In 1982, after pressure from locals, the area surrounding the rocks was established as a marine reserve, with all fishing and commercial exploitation banned for a 500 metres (1,600 ft) range around the rocks. The area is home to large numbers of marine species, including leopard sharks, grey nurse sharks, wobbegong, a variety of nudibranchs. It's one of about a dozen critical habitats for the grey nurse shark in NSW.[2] Scuba divers identify the site as one of the top sites in Australia for its wide variety of marine life.
From May to September, humpback whales are commonly spotted traveling between the rocks and the mainland and are a common sighting on the short boat trip between the mainland and the rocks. The Cape Byron Marine Park, declared in 2002, surrounds the reserve. A sanctuary zone within the marine park was declared in 2006.[4]
In July 2023, it was announced that the landmark would officially be renamed Nguthungulli in order to improve Indigenous representation.[5] This name is the Bundjalung language word used the refer to the 'Father of the World' and, in the same language, these rocks have also been referred to as Sulaoma Billigin for which no translation is available.[6][7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Getting to know Byron Bay: Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve". The Official ByronBay.com Guide. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Julian Rocks Nature Reserve Plan of Management, January 2011" (PDF). Environment NSW. 2011. ISBN 9781742930862. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Brunswick Valley Historical Society Inc; Brunswick Valley Historical Society, (compiler,) (2019), Labels and landmarks : the many meanings of Brunswick Valley place names, Brunswick Valley Historical Society Inc, ISBN 978-0-9585921-9-2
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Julian Rocks Nature Reserve: Plan of management (PDF) (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2011. ISBN 978-1-74293-086-2. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Coen, Susie (3 July 2023). "Byron Bay landmark to be renamed Nguthungulli in aboriginal overhaul". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve". NSW Place and Road Naming Proposals System. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "Julian Rock (Islet)". NSW Place and Road Naming Proposals System. Retrieved 20 May 2025.