Location & Description

Dolphin Park is located near Whale Beach between Barrenjoey Road, Whale Beach Road and residential properties in Crane Lodge Place and Dolphin Crescent.  The Reserve occupies 1.07 hectares on a mainly southwest facing slope that reaches the coastal ridgeline. The middle section is used as an informal play area. 

• View location on map

Walking Tracks & Access

Access is provided from Barrenjoey Road, along an informal path to Dolphin Crescent.  There is an informal track from Crane Lodge Place to the grassed section of the Reserve.  No access is available to the ridge from the lower section of the Reserve or Whale Beach Road. 

Plants

The Reserve supports a mixture of vegetation communities. The lower section of the Reserve near Pittwater is a transition between of Swamp Mahogany Forest and Swamp Oak Woodland.

The southern slope supports Spotted Gum Forest dominated by Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata),Spotted Gum Low Open-forest is present on the ridgetop with trees 4-5m high.

Animals

Although the provision of grassed areas in Dolphin Park has disturbed fauna habitat, the upper section of the Reserve contains a thick mesic understorey, rock outcrops and tree hollows. 

The canopy is generally still intact throughout the Reserve, providing mature habitat trees such as Spotted Gums and Swamp Oaks.  The reserve provides suitable habitat for the endangered population of Squirrel Glider, Glossy Black-cockatoo and the Greater Broad-nosed Bat.

Special Features

• Dolphin Park protects an example of bushland in Whale Beach, overlooking Careel Bay in a similar condition to that which occurred when the area was first visited by Europeans
• it protects an example of Spotted Gum Forest, which is significant in NSW
• it provides suitable habitat for the endangered population of Squirrel Glider, and the threatened Glossy Black-cockatoo and the Greater Broad-nosed Bat
• it is adjacent to Careel Bay, a significant estuarine wetland habitat, and forms an important habitat and part of a wildlife corridor for faunal movement on the Peninsula
• it contributes to the landscape quality of Whale Beach and provides a record of the original landscape and the changes wrought by urban development
• it is an education resource and a contact point with nature for residents
• it allows urban residents to undertake informal recreational pursuits in a bushland setting

Related Info

• To find out more about Dolphin Park, download its Plan of Management
• View location on map
• Find out more about Pittwater's amazing Vegetation Communities
• See the native animal species lists for Pittwater