Cattai National Park

Cattai National Park New South Wales
IUCN category II (national park)
Hawkesbury River viewed from Cattai Wharf
Cattai National Park
Nearest town or city	Windsor
Coordinates
Established	24 April 1992 (1992-04-24)
Area	4.24 km2 (1.6 sq mi)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
Website	Cattai National Park
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

The Cattai National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Hawkesbury region of Sydney, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 424-hectare (1,050-acre) national park is situated approximately 55 kilometres (34 mi) northwest of the Sydney central business district and approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Windsor.

Location and features

File:Cattai national park picnic area.jpg

Cattai National Park picnic area

Thomas Arndell's cottage

The national park is situated on the Hawkesbury River and consists of three areas, Cattai Park at the junction of Cattai Creek and the Hawkesbury River, Hope Farm which adjoins Cattai Park to the north, and Mitchell Park approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) upstream along Cattai Creek.

Part of the national park was an original First Fleet grant and the park contains important historic and archaeological resources, including a homestead built in the 1820s, ruins of a stone windmill which is thought to be the oldest industrial building in Australia, convict-built dry stone walls, and a range of other features which reflect changes in the place since the early nineteenth century. The national park also contains a number of Aboriginal sites which are of importance to our understanding of the Cattai area prior to European settlement.

The Cattai Homestead, which was constructed around 1820, and its curtilage is listed by the National Trust and the Australian Heritage Commission. The Hope Farm Mill on Hope Farm, which is also listed on the Register of the National Estate, was probably constructed around 1806 and is believed to be the oldest industrial site in Australia.

See also

• Protected areas of New South Wales
• Cattai, New South Wales