Bidjigal Reserve

Bidjigal Reserve is a reserve in the shire of Baulkham Hills, to the north-west of Sydney. The reserve lies in the suburbs of North Rocks, Northmead, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, West Pennant Hills, and Carlingford. South of Richard Webb Reserve in West Pennant Hills, and north of the M2 Motorway.

The name commemorates the Bidjigal people who lived in the area. In particular, it is said that Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal leader of aboriginal resistance against British occupation, used the area as a base to mount attacks on neighbouring homesteads. The reserve includes a long section of Darling Mills Creek, a tributary of the Parramatta River, and once an important source of water both to the mills in Parramatta, and for drinking.

It includes a number of walking trails which range from short circular walks up to walks of several kilometres in length, some of which join on to the Great North Walk. The reserve is home to a wide range of native flora and fauna, and in recent years there have been reliable recordings of koala, swamp wallaby, echidna, eastern water dragon, and sugar gliders, as well as the ubiquitous brushtail and ringtail possums, owls have also been seen in the reserve. Foxes have been largely eradicated by a continuing baiting program, leading to a significant increase in the number of native animals in the reserve. The reserve also includes a local landmark, known locally as the Aboriginal Cave. This rock shelter was apparently described in times of early European occupation as being a cave used by the Bidjigal people. Several other aboriginal rock shelters also lie within Bidjigal Reserve, including one with a midden dated to 10150 bp, which is the earliest human habitation site known in the Sydney area (although older sites are known in the Blue Mountains). There are also reliable reports of other works of Australian aboriginal art, including hand-stencils and rock engravings, but none have been identified in recent years, and they may have been damaged or destroyed.

In 2001 an agreement was reached between the NSW Government, Baulkham Hills Shire Council and descendants of the Darug to settle an outstanding native title claim. The Darling Mills State Forest and Excelsior Reserve (with the exception of the Ted Horwood Reserve and the Eric Mobbs Reserve) were combined and made into the Bidjigal Reserve. It is dedicated for the purposes of preservation of aboriginal cultural heritage, flora and fauna and public recreation.