Barrington Tops

Barrington Tops
Plateau
The skyline
The skyline
Map
LocationNew South Wales
Range
Part ofGreat Dividing Range
Highest elevation1,586 m (5,203 ft)
(Brumlow Top)

Barrington Tops is part of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia, between Gloucester and Scone.

In 1934, the area was difficult to access and was described as being "not traceable to any man-made feature".[1][2]

Part of the area has been conserved as the Barrington Tops National Park[3] and as the Barrington Tops State Conservation Area.[4]

Invasive species are a problem in parts of Barrington Tops. Feral animals, including feral horses, goats, dogs, cats, pigs, foxes and deer occur in the area, and control measures are undertaken by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.[5] Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) infests 10,000 ha (20,000 acres) of the national park. Biological control agents including the broom gall mite (Aceria genistae) are being tested for their effectiveness.[6]

Tasmanian devils have been reintroduced by Aussie Ark to enclosures near Barrington Tops in a project to save the endangered species that is at serious risk of extinction.[7] Its 400-hectare (990-acre) Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary was officially opened in November 2021, with the aim of protecting the natural habitat by removing noxious weeds and augmentation with native plants, and returning extirpated species.[8] In late 2020, 26 adult devils were released into the wildlife sanctuary, and by late April 2021, seven joeys had been born, with up to 20 expected by the end of the year.[9] Other breeding programs include the eastern quoll.[10]

  1. ^ "Barrington Tops", The Newcastle and Maitland Catholic Sentinel, iii (4): 98, 1 January 1934, ISSN 2206-5466, The tourist will search in vain on our maps for the area known as "Barrington Tops."
  2. ^ Hancock, Allan (2016), Edgar Marceau the man and his photography : a 1920s photographic legacy of the Barrington Tops, the Allyn Valley and its people, East Gresford, NSW Gresford District Historical Society Inc, retrieved 26 June 2018
  3. ^ "Barrington Tops National Park". New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Barrington Tops State Conservation Area". New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Barrington Tops National Park" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Weed management in NSW national parks" (PDF). New South Wales Government Department of Environment and Conservation. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Devil Ark". Aussie Ark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
    - "Tasmanian devils return to mainland Australia for first time in 3,000 years". Animals. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  8. ^ Clark, Craig (9 October 2020). "Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary". Aussie Ark. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  9. ^ Conroy, Gemma (27 May 2021). "Tasmanian devils give birth in semi-wild sanctuary on the mainland". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  10. ^ Siossian, Emma (10 November 2022). "Record numbers of eastern quoll joeys born at Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary". ABC News. Retrieved 11 November 2022.