Mount Remarkable National Park

Mount Remarkable National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about 238 kilometres (148 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide and 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Port Augusta. It is also the name of the highest peak in the Park, with a height of 960 metres (3,150 ft).

This article is about the protected area. For the mountain in South Australia, see Mount Remarkable.

Mount Remarkable National Park
South Australia
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1]
Mount Remarkable National Park
Nearest town or cityMelrose
Port Germein
Port Pirie
Coordinates32°46′53″S 138°03′46″E
Established1 January 1952 (1952-01-01)[2]
Area182.71 km2 (70.5 sq mi)[2]
Visitation50,000 (in 2006)[3]
Managing authoritiesDepartment of Environment and Water
WebsiteMount Remarkable National Park
Footnotesnearest towns and cities[4]
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Description

The national park consists of three separate areas.[4] The first is the parcel of land (often called a 'block') located immediately west of the town of Melrose and consists of three areas: the Warren Bonython Link, Mambray Creek and Mount Remarkable. This block occupies 165.83 km2 (64.03 sq mi).[4]

The second parcel of land is known as the Telowie block and has an area of 0.35 km2 (0.14 sq mi). It is located on the west side of the Telowie Gorge Conservation Park about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) east of the town of Port Germein and about 24 km (15 mi) south of the block located at Melrose.[4]

The third parcel of land is known as the Napperby block. It consists of 16.72 km2 (6.46 sq mi) and is located immediately east of the town of Napperby, about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the Telowie Gorge Conservation Park and about 12 km (7.5 mi) north-east of the city of Port Pirie.[4]

It is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.[1]

History

Land associated with the Park at Mambray Creek and Alligator Gorge first obtained protected area status in 1952 as 'national pleasure resorts' declared under the then National Pleasure Resorts Act 1914. They were managed by the South Australian Government Tourist Bureau from 1952 to 1967.[5]

In 1964, the National Parks Commission submitted a proposal to the Government of South Australia for "comprehensive national parks" covering an area larger than that of the existing national pleasure resorts. This resulted in the creation of three separate reserves - the Alligator Gorge Wildlife Reserve, the Mambray Creek Wildlife Reserve and the Mount Remarkable Wildlife Reserve, that were respectively constituted in July 1965, September 1967 and March 1966.[5]

In 1972, the three wildlife reserves were re-proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 as the Mount Remarkable National Park. Since 1972, the Park is reported as doubling in size from an area of 8,236 ha (20,350 acres) by the addition of land including the Black Range Lookout and the Bluff in 1976 and by the addition of an "area west of Alligator Gorge containing The Battery", two parts of the Willowie Forest Reserve, and the Napperby Block in 1993.[5]

In 2000, further land was added to the Park, which was subsequently named "The Warren Bonython Link" in honour of Warren Bonython’s "long personal interest in the area" and "his association with the National Parks Foundation".[6] The Park now has a total area of 18,271 ha (45,150 acres).[2]

Flora and fauna

It is filled with a wide variety of animals and birds such as Goannas, emu, echidna and kookaburras which can be seen walking around the park. Besides these, it is home to 117 native bird species consisting of the popular Australian ringneck parrots and wedge-tailed eagles.[7]

View (looking north) along the Daveys Gully walking trail.
View (looking west) along the Daveys Gully walking trail.

See also

Citations and references

Citations
  1. "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  2. DEWNR, 2015
  3. DEH, 2006, page 20
  4. DEH, 2006, pages 1-2
  5. DEH, 2006, page 40
  6. DEH, 2006, page 41
  7. "Plants and animals". National Parks South Australia.

References
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