National Parks and Reserves

Lachlan Swamp is home to Sydney’s largest grey-headed flying fox colony and features the Broadleaved Paperbark.

Once a key water source for Sydney, Lach land Swamp is today a remarkable world of trees. including Broad-leaved Paperbark and many different animals including the Grey-headed Flying-fox.

These trees thrive in a wetland environment that offers a constant supply of freshwater from an underground aquifer. Remember that the spring water smell can be pungent due to sulphuric compounds and the water looks orange from naturally occurring iron and bacteria.

Keep your eye out for the Grey-headed Flying-fox, a threatened keystone species, and the other animals living in these forests that provide soil nutrients by dispersing seeds. And at the end of the day, look skyward – after roosting in the trees each day, the bats leave the park to feed as evening falls, creating an iconic trip known by many Sydneysiders. You might also catch the spectacle of the bats skimming across the ponds as they take a drink.