Werakata National Park

The Werakata National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Lower Hunter Region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 3337ha national park is located to the north, east and south of the town of Cessnock (the park is separated into three distinct but closely located sections: near Abermain, near Kearsley and near Kitchener/Abernethy).The national park lies within the Hunter Valley Important Bird Area.South of the national park is the separate Werakata State Conservation Area.HistoryOriginally called Lower Hunter National Park, the Werakata National Park was created in January 1999 with land that had previously been part of the 1130ha Cessnock State Forest . On 1 January 2003, the park was expanded with from the former Cessnock State Forest and also the 531ha Aberdare State Forest .The Werakata State Conservation Area was created in 2007 with an area of.The Hunter region was inhabited by the Awabakal, Worimi, Wonnarua, Geawegal, Birrpai and Darkinjung Aboriginal tribes, although little is known about Aboriginal use of the area in the vicinity of the park. After European settlement in the 1800s, forestry commenced and sawmills were established in and near area the area of the park . The Cessnock and Aberdare State Forests were declared in 1942 and 1963 respectively and logging continued until the forests were transferred to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.