Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is located around Cessnock in central-eastern New South Wales. It is defined by Spotted Gum and Box-Ironbark woodlands and remnants used by Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters. The IBA includes Aberdare State Forest, Pelton SF, Broke Common, Singleton Army Base (where few records of Regent Honeyeaters reflect infrequent access by birdwatchers), Pokolbin, Quorrobolong, Abermain, Tomalpin, patches of bush around the towns of Paxton and Ellalong and private bush land owned by mining companies. The IBA extends north of Cessnock to include all of Werakata National Park (multiple records of Swift Parrots), west as far as Broke, and south to the edge of the Pokolbin, Corrabare and Heaton State Forests and Watagans National Park, as the key birds do not use these hilly forests. An arbitrary eastern boundary is taken as Highway 82 north to Mulbring, then minor roads north to Maitland. The boundary could be extended south-west to include Laguna and Wollombi where 12 Regent Honeyeaters nested in 1999. Extensive areas are used for underground and open-cut coal mining, and other areas are are used for vineyards, residential development, industrial development and military training.
The IBA provides habitat for a variety of birds. For example, 132 species of bird, including 12 species listed as threatened at state level or above, have been recorded in Werakata National Park (NSW NPWS 2007). The near threatened Diamond Firetail is locally uncommon around Broke (A. Morris pers. comm. 2008).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Ensure that industrial development does not occur on remnant Spotted Gum or Box-Ironbark woodlands. Ensure that coal mining does not occur on these woodlands.
Werakata National Park
Commonwealth/Federal (Department of Defence); state government (Department of Environment and Climate Change); private leasehold.
Thanks to Alan Morris as compiler of the nomination.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lower Hunter Valley (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lower-hunter-valley-iba-australia on 27/12/2024.
