The traditional owners of much of the land now known as the Barrington Coast, are the Worimi people.
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Appropriately, some of our National Parks use names from the Worimi, such as "butibuti", the word meaning "plenty of honey".
Booti Booti National Park occupies part of the 20 kilometre long peninsula between Elizabeth Beach in the south and Forster in the north. Seven Mile Beach connects the highpoints - Cape Hawke in the north and Booti Hill and Charlotte Head in the south, as well as access to the Pacific Ocean and Wallis Lake.
A baker's dozen of members of the Gloucester Environment Group (GEG) visited the southern end of the park on a recent Sunday in February. We left a misty Gloucester and an hour and a half drive later we were under blue skies and looking over a pristine Elizabeth Beach to a blue ocean.
A recently renovated walking track took us north up Booti Hill through shaded forests to eventually descend to the southern end of Seven Mile Beach.
A characteristic of the Park is the variety of forest types - palm forest, rainforest, sclerophyll and dry sclerophyll. We encountered those on the four kilometre walk due to varying aspects, elevation and slope.
The Hill walk provided vistas taking in the ocean, Cape Hawke to the north and Charlotte Head to the south.
The first European to inhabit the area was Captain John Gogerley, in 1882. His homestead, now lost, gave the name to The Ruins campground behind Seven Mile Beach at the base of Booti Hill.
Gogerley occupied most of his time sailing between from Forster to Sydney with loads of timber and oyster shells. He drowned in Wallis Lake leaving his wife Mary running the family farm and raising their six remaining children. John Gogerley and some of his family are buried in the Park with headstones visible at the side of the track.
We passed the Gogerly graves walking to the shores of Wallis Lake.
Nine kilometres in about three hours was justification enough for a refreshing swim, lunch and a drive to Forster for ice cream on our way home
- Gloucester Environment Group member, Tibor Kovats
We had a pleasant and level walk for the next 3.5 kilometres along the eastern shore of Wallis Lake, named after the Commandant of Newcastle from 1816 to 1818. There was evidence of fish traps and buoys reminding us of the bounty in Wallis Lake. Towering palms to the left and serene waters to the right.
After crossing the Lakes Way at Sunset Picnic Area we wound back around Booti Hill and eventually descended back to Elizabeth Beach. Nine kilometres in about three hours was justification enough for a refreshing swim, lunch and a drive to Forster for ice cream on our way home.
We will be off on a new adventure in March.
GEG invites new members or enquiries via gloucester.environment.group@gmail.com