Popran Valley

Popran Valley is located to the north of the Hawkesbury River itself fifty kilometers to the north of the city of Sydney, Australia. Popran Creek flows through the Valley, also known as Glenworth Valley. Popran National Park was created in 1994 and is for the most part made up of sandstone cliffs and gullies. The creation of the park is indicative of the value the area has because of its unique fauna, flora and geology.

The history of the Popran Valley includes pre and post-European settlement. Indigenous people from the 'Daruk' and 'Darukijung' people populated the lower Hawkesbury region- migrating between valleys hunting and fishing.

Early European settlers included emancipated convicts as well as free settlers and records indicate land was taken up from the early 1830s. Activities included timber getting, small farming, dairying and fishing- some farmers remaining in the Mangrove and Popran Valley for several generations.

History of this area - European Settlement

Sydney was an important market for both forestry and agricultural products although most families were nearly self sufficient. Crops included corn, vegetables and fruit. Hardwoods were logged well into the 1980s. In the early days transport was exclusively by boat due to the difficulty in access. The shores of the Popran still have collections of rocks at regular intervals. These rocks were the ballast from boats arriving from Sydney to collect timber from the Valley. Thrown out of these boats onto the tidal, muddy foreshores they served as temporary jetties when the timber was loaded onto the boats for the return trip to Sydney. Some two miles up Popran Creek is Spurt Island named so by Henry Kendall (poet).

External links

* http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-33.4300,151.1800&spn=0.015,0.025&t=k