The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve: Final

1.3.5 Vegetation
Much of the vegetation of JKCR has been
mapped as part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean
Catchment Management Authority (HNCMA)
Western Blue Mountains mapping project
(DEC 2006b). The north east corner of the
reserve, formerly Jenolan SF, has been
mapped at a coarser scale by Keith and
Benson (1988). For simplicity, each
vegetation community was placed into one
of the statewide vegetation classes, as
defined by Keith (2004). Five statewide
vegetation classes occur within the park and
these are shown in Map 3.
The predominant statewide vegetation class
present is Southern Tableland Wet
Fig growing on karst. Photo © M. Schulz
Sclerophyll Forest (60 per cent), with smaller
areas of South East Dry Sclerophyll Forest (21 per cent), Central Gorge Dry Sclerophyll Forest (13 per
cent), Subalpine Woodlands (1.7 per cent) and Eastern Riverine Forest (0.5 per cent). Small areas of
cleared and severely disturbed lands and non-native vegetation are also mapped. Limestone Karst is
also a mapped unit (0.6 per cent of the area); however this represents only the exposed areas of
karst, with a significantly larger area existing underground.
While most of the vegetation of the reserve is relatively intact, there are significant areas of weed
infestation, particularly around the tourist precinct. Many of these weeds are naturalised from the
ornamental gardens established in the 1800s and early 1900s. The most notable weeds are sycamore
maple (Acer pseudoplatinus) and tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum) (DEC 2006a). Radiata pine
(Pinus radiata) is grown extensively in the Oberon region including directly adjacent to the northern
and western borders of the reserve, and has begun to establish within the reserve. Many weeds
species present at JKCR are restricted to the limestone.
1.3.6 Fire history
The reserve has not experienced major wildfire since 1956/57 with the fire history prior to this event
poorly documented, though a major wildfire at Jenolan Caves and the surrounding area is mentioned
in the local media in February 1902 (Bathurst Free Press 1902). It is estimated that fire frequency is
approximately 35 to 50 years (E. Holland cited. in DEC 2006a). In 2004 a small fire of ten hectares
occurred adjacent to the rubbish tip on Kia Ora Hill (DECC 2009). There is a current fire management
strategy that identifies a small area around Caves House and the tourist caves as an ‘Asset protection
zone’ and the remainder of the reserve as a ‘Land management zone’ where the primary objective is
to manage for biodiversity and protect cultural and historic heritage (DECC 2009).
1.3.7 Past and present land-use
The caves at Jenolan were well known to
the Gundungurra indigenous people. This
group used a route along the Jenolan
River to access the Cox’s River and the
Burragorang Valley. They visited the caves
to bathe the sick in the subterranean
waters which were considered to have
curative properties (Gemmell-Smith 2004).
There are also a number of dreamtime
stories known about the caves (DEC
2006a).
Jenolan Caves are reported to have first
become known to Europeans in the first
half of the 17 th Century (Cook 1889). The
Whalan brothers settled there having
reportedly found the caves in a search for
the bushranger James McKeown (see
Road through the Grand Arch. Photo © R. Nicolai/OEH
Catchpoole 2008). In the following
decades the caves became a popular
The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve 7