Five Islands Nature Reserve

Five Islands NR is closed to public access Five Islands Nature Reserve was created in June 1960. It covers an area of 27ha. The reserve was originally dedicated as a fauna reserve in 1960 it is considered significant for its biological and Aboriginal heritage values and is managed by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. At the height of the last ice-age some 18,000 years ago, with a lower sea-level, the islands were part of the mainland. When Europeans first visited the area around and immediately south of Sydney in the late 18th century, the mainland coast opposite the Five Islands was occupied by the Tharawal people. Cattle and rabbits were introduced to the islands before 1861. In 1867 a house was built on Big Island by the Perkins family, who lived there until 1872, grazing cattle and catching sharks. In the early 20th century the sea floor to the west of Big Island was mined for shells.