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Castlecrag Northern Escarpment

Area: 22.8 ha

The Castlecrag Northern Escarpment is a steeply inclined bushland reserve that rises from Sugarloaf Bay in Middle Harbour on the Castlecrag Peninsula.

Sugarloaf Creek flows into the reserve from the western escarpment with a small but significant stand of rainforest species forming a closed forest over the creek. Most of the entire northern escarpment of the Castlecrag Peninsula is included in the reserve. It is bordered by Harold Reid Reserve to the north (Camp Creek acts as a boundary) and edges of properties and roads to the east and south. The reserve surrounds the south arm of Sugarloaf Bay and is located in the Sugarloaf Creek catchment, part of the larger Middle Harbour water catchment.

By 1860 most land on the Castlecrag Peninsula was auctioned and privately owned. However due to the steep topography, rugged landscape, and access only by water, the escarpment was sparsely settled with only a few cottages and boatsheds built in the late 19th/early 20th century along the foreshore.

Containing many large rock outcrops, bluffs and rock ledges, the reserve was significant for the local Gameraygal people. There are several Aboriginal shelters featuring middens and artworks which are recorded on the Aboriginal Heritage Office Site Register. The reserve is an important linkage for wildlife and is a significant part of a continuous reserve system along Middle Harbour. The steep topography, large size and lack of a formal track network has allowed swamp wallabies, brush turkeys and lyre birds to increase and extend their range.