Robertson Nature Reserve

Robertson Nature Reserve is a 5.3 hectare patch of Robertson Rainforest located on the southern edge of the town of Robertson. This land, which was a Crown reserve dating back to 1884, was gazetted as a nature reserve in 1979.

Although only small, it is an important remnant and one of the few examples of this type of dense cool temperate/ warm temperate rainforest that is protected in the national park estate. This Reserve provides an excellent opportunity for scientific reference and a comparison with other similar rainforest patches nearby, almost all of which occur on private land. 

The Yarrawa Brush previously covered most of the basalt soils surrounding Robertson. Much of the original rainforest was extensively cleared over many years for agriculture, road, rail, rural and residential development. Today, less than about 20% of the original extent remains as highly fragmented and isolated patches, most of which are highly modified. Because so much of the original extent of Robertson Rainforest has been lost and so very little of this vegetation community is conserved in protected areas, the NSW Scientific Committee believed that Robertson Rainforest will become extinct in NSW unless the factors threatening its survival can be ameliorated.