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Tarra-Bulga National Park

2025-10-26T02:48:04Z

125.63.186.170: /* See also */

{{Short description|National park in Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Tarra-Bulga National Park
| photo = 20110528 Tarra-Bulga National Park - Forest near Cyathea Falls.jpg
| photo_caption = Forest near Cyathea Falls, in the national park
| photo_alt =
| iucn_category = II
| iucn_ref =
| coordinates = {{coord|38|26|30|S|146|34|48|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| map = Victoria
| map_alt =
| map_width = 200px
| relief = yes
| label = Tarra-Bulga National Park
| label_position =
| location = [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]
| established = {{start date|1986|06|17|df=y}}<ref name=mgmtplan/>
| area_ha =
| area_km2 = 15.22
| area_ref = <ref name=mgmtplan>{{cite book|url=http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/313439/Tarra-Bulga-National-Park-Plan.pdf|title=Tarra-Bulga National Park management plan|department=[[Parks Victoria]]|publisher=Government of Victoria|date=June 1996|isbn=0-7306-6114-8|access-date=26 August 2014|pages=1–2, 14}}</ref>
| visitation_num = {{formatnum:80000}}
| visitation_year = 1995
| visitation_ref = <ref name=mgmtplan/>
| nearest_city = [[Yarram, Victoria|Yarram]]
| nearest_town =
| governing_body = {{plainlist|
* [[Parks Victoria]]
* [[Gunaikurnai]] people }}
| website = {{official|1=https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/tarra-bulga-national-park}}
}}

The '''Tarra-Bulga National Park''' is a small [[national park]] located in the [[South Gippsland]] region of eastern Victoria, Australia approximately {{convert|240|km}} south east of Melbourne. The park is located {{convert|33|km}} south of [[Traralgon]] on the Traralgon-Balook Road and {{convert|24|km}} north of {{VICcity|Yarram}}.

The {{convert|1522|ha|acre|adj=on}} national park is situated in the eastern part of the [[Strzelecki Ranges]]. The national park is home to one of the last undisturbed remnants of the native eucalypt temperate [[rainforest]] that once covered the Strzelecki Ranges until the last decades of the nineteenth century. The pocket of undisturbed [[mountain ash]] forest, fern gully communities and associated native [[myrtle beech]] stands within the park are of considerable [[biogeography|biogeographical]] significance.<ref name="mgmtplan" />

==History==
[[File:Tarra Bulga NP600x800.jpg|thumb|Tarra Bulga forest|left]]
[[Shire of Alberton|Alberton Shire Council]] asked the Victorian Government to set aside forest with fern gullies near Balook as a public park in 1903. The first area to be reserved was {{convert|20|ha|acre}} in 1904 and named Bulga National Park after the [[Gunai language]] word ''bulga'', meaning mountain.<ref name="friends">{{cite web |title=History of the Park |date=6 March 2014 |url=https://friendsoftarrabulga.org.au/park-information/history/ |publisher=Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref>

In 1906 Tarra Valley National Park was designated nearby, temporarily comprising {{convert|303|ha|acre}}, then later reduced to {{convert|40|ha|acre}}. Tarra Valley is named after [[Indigenous Australians|Indigenous]] [[Gandangara|Burra Burra]] man Charley Tarra, who guided [[Paweł Edmund Strzelecki|Count Paweł Strzelecki]] on his expedition through this area of [[Gippsland]] in 1840.<ref name="friends" />

The two parks were merged to form Tarra-Bulga National Park following recommendations by the [[Environment Victoria|Land Conservation Council]]. The parks were joined through a land exchange with APM Forests Pty Ltd. An enlarged and renamed park of {{convert|1230|ha|acre}} hectares was declared on {{start date|1986|06|17|df=y}}.<ref name=pn/> By 1990 Tarra-Bulga National Park covered {{convert|1625|ha|acre}}, increasing to {{convert|2015|ha|acre}} in 2005.<ref name="friends" />

===Kara Healey===
{{main|Kara Moana Healey}}

Maori-Australian woman Kara Moana Healey was a park ranger in the Tarra Valley from 1952 to 1963, who was celebrated for her contribution to the park with a ceremony and plaque as part of the centenary celebration of the park in 2007.

A field collector, conservationist, preservationist and naturalist, Healey became the first female National Park Ranger in [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] after responding to a call from the [[CSIRO]] to collect specimens for the [[National Herbarium of Victoria]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bryant |first1=Peter |title=Second centenary for Tarra-Bulga National Park: Tribute to Victoria's First Woman Ranger |url=https://tarrabulga.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/tribute.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203242/https://tarrabulga.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/tribute.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=live |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref>

Over ten years, Healey collected specimens within the Tarra Valley, often visiting dangerous areas alone, where some of the unspoilt specimens were located and the nests of the lyrebird could be found. By 1961 Healey had collected over 160 specimens of fungi and including two new types that were named after her. The first was ''Poria healeyi'', a fungus causing yellow straw rot in mountain ash,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Walters |first1=NEM |title=Poria healeyi sp.nov. the causal fungus of yellow straw rot in Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Sm.) |journal=Transactions of the British Mycological Society |date=March 1958 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=95–98 |doi=10.1016/S0007-1536(58)80012-1}}</ref> and the second was ''Lambertella healeyi'', a fungus growing on another fungus.

Healey collected animal and insect specimens using dead animals that she found. In total, she collected over 500 specimens, including 80 species of moss. Subsequently, Tarra Valley was the most thoroughly studied and recorded area in Australia at the time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fungi collections |url=https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/science/herbarium-and-resources/national-herbarium-of-victoria/fungi-collections |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park tribute to Kara Healey |date=7 March 2014 |url=http://friendsoftarrabulga.org.au/park-information/kara-healey/ |access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Research Report on the listing of Flora for Tarra-Bulga National Park (collected by Kara Healey & others), held at the National Herbarium of Victoria |url=https://tarrabulga.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/rbg_report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104607/https://tarrabulga.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/rbg_report.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=live |first1=Peter |last1=Bryant|access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref>

== Features ==
There are many walking tracks that emanate from the picnic areas. The Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk is a short and easy walk taking in Cyathea Falls,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk, Attraction, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia|url = http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Tarra-Valley-Rainforest-Walk.aspx|publisher = Tourism Victoria home|access-date = 2015-06-25|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123301/http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Tarra-Valley-Rainforest-Walk.aspx|archive-date = 26 June 2015}}</ref> and the Fern Gully Nature Walk, passes over Corrigan's Suspension Bridge, which stretches through the rainforest canopy with views of the fern gully below.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Fern Gully Nature Walk, Attraction, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia|url = http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Fern-Gully-Nature-Walk.aspx|publisher = Tourism Victoria home|access-date = 2015-06-25|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150626125659/http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Fern-Gully-Nature-Walk.aspx|archive-date = 26 June 2015}}</ref> The three- to four-day {{convert|100|km|adj=on}} Grand Strzelecki [[walking trail|Track]] connects the park with the adjacent [[Morwell National Park]].<ref name="pn" />

The park is a popular tourist attraction with a visitor centre, picnic areas with tables, fireplaces shelters and toilets.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Parks Victoria – Tarra-Bulga National Park|url = http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/tarra-bulga-national-park|publisher = Parks Victoria|access-date = 2015-06-25|archive-date = 6 September 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906033533/http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/tarra-bulga-national-park|url-status = dead}}</ref> The visitors centre is open on weekends and school and public holidays. It is staffed by members of the Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park who also undertake restoration and monitoring activities.

Since 22 October 2010, the national park has been jointly managed by [[Parks Victoria]] in partnership with the [[Gunaikurnai]] people, who are the [[traditional owners]] of the land.<ref name=pn>{{cite web|url=http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/315647/Park-note-Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401153220/http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/315647/Park-note-Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-04-01|department=[[Parks Victoria]]|publisher=Government of Victoria|title=Tarra-Bulga National Park: Visitor guide|date=November 2013}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
The deeply incised river valleys of the park are dominated by wet sclerophyll tall open forest of mountain ash (''[[Eucalyptus regnans]]''), with an understory of blackwood (''[[Acacia melanoxylon]]''), hazel pomaderris (''[[Pomaderris|Pomaderris aspera]]'') and tree ferns (''[[Dicksonia antarctica]]'' and ''[[Cyathea australis]]''). Pockets of the park feature cool temperate rainforest, including myrtle beech (''[[Nothofagus cunninghamii]]''). The ridges are dominated by open forest and low open forest of stringybark eucalypts and gums. The park is also noted for its diversity of fungi species, which are prominent in autumn.

The rainforest is a haven for plants and wildlife, and is particularly well known for its giant mountain ash trees and lush fern gullies. There are a wide variety of birds residing in the park including the pilotbird, yellow tailed black cockatoo, eastern whipbird, and currawongs. In the evening possums, owls and bats emerge to feed.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tarra Bulga National Park, Attraction, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia|url = http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Nature-and-wildlife/National-parks-and-reserves/Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.aspx|publisher = Tourism Victoria home|access-date = 2015-06-25|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123245/http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Nature-and-wildlife/National-parks-and-reserves/Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.aspx|archive-date = 26 June 2015}}</ref> Lyrebirds, wombats, swamp wallabies, gliders and platypuses can also be found within the park.

==See also==
{{Stack|{{Portal|Australia|environment}}}}

* ''[[Backusella tarrabulga]]'' – named for Tarra-Bulga National Park
* [[Errinundra National Park]]
* [[Great Otway National Park]]
* [[Melba Gully State Park]]
* [[Protected areas of Victoria]]
* [[List of national parks of Australia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category}}

* [http://www.friendsoftarrabulga.org.au Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park]
* {{cite map|url=http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/545755/Map-Tarra-Bulga-NP.pdf|publisher=[[Parks Victoria]], Government of Victoria|title=Tarra-Bulga National Park|date=November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123015414/http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/545755/Map-Tarra-Bulga-NP.pdf|archive-date=23 November 2015}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123301/http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Tarra-Valley-Rainforest-Walk.aspx Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150626125659/http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Outdoor-activities/Walking-and-hiking/Fern-Gully-Nature-Walk.aspx Fern Gully Nature Walk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123245/http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Gippsland/Things-to-do/Nature-and-wildlife/National-parks-and-reserves/Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.aspx Gippsland’s official tourism website – Tarra Bulga National Park]
* {{cite web|url=http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/315543/Heritage-story-Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.pdf|author=Catrice, Daniel|work=Victoria's Heritage|publisher=[[Parks Victoria]], Government of Victoria|title=Tarra-Bulga National Park|date=c. 1996|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023613/http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/315543/Heritage-story-Tarra-Bulga-National-Park.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}
* [http://mtkosciuszko.org.au/english/another-greenworld.htm Another green world – Tarra-Bulga National Park]

{{Protected areas of Victoria|NP}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Parks of Gippsland (region)]]
[[Category:National parks of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1986]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Sclerophyll forests]]

Great Otway National Park

2025-10-26T02:42:59Z

125.63.186.170:

{{Short description|National park in Australia}}
{{Redirect|Stevenson Falls}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Great Otway National Park
| photo = Lake elizabeth.jpg
| photo_caption = Lake Elizabeth, formed from a landslide in August 1953, it broke its banks allowing the West [[Barwon River (Victoria)|Barwon River]] to flow.
| photo_alt =
| iucn_category = II
| iucn_ref =
| coordinates = {{coord|38|46|24|S|143|33|27|E|display=inline,title}}
| map = Victoria
| map_alt =
| map_width = 200px
| relief = yes
| label = Great Otway National Park
| label_position = top
| location = [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]
| established = {{start date|2005|12|11|df=y}}<ref name=mgmtplan>{{cite web|url=http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/313282/great-otway-np-mp.pdf|title=Great Otway National Park Management Plan|date=December 2009|department=Parks Victoria|publisher=Government of Victoria|isbn=978-0-7311-8384-5|access-date=16 August 2014|page=1|archive-date=31 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331154454/http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/313282/great-otway-np-mp.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| area_ha =
| area_km2 = 1031
| area_ref = <ref name=mgmtplan/>
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| nearest_city = [[Apollo Bay]]
| nearest_town =
| governing_body = Parks Victoria
| website = {{official|https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/great-otway-national-park}}
}}
[[File:PiedCurrawong GreatOtwayNationalPark.jpg|alt=Strepera Graculina on the way to Triplet Falls|thumb|Pied Currawong on the walk to Triplet Falls]]
[[Image:Otway Fly Treetop Walk 2010.jpg|thumb|right|Great Otway National Park]]
The '''Great Otway National Park''' is a national park located in the [[Barwon South West]] region of Victoria, Australia. The {{convert|103185|ha|acre|adj=on}} national park is situated approximately {{convert|162|km}} southwest of Melbourne, in the Otway Ranges, a low coastal mountain range; its highest peak is Mount Cowley, 670 metres (2,198 feet), and is within the park. The park contains a diverse range of landscapes and vegetation types.

==History==
Commercial [[logging]] began in the Otway Ranges in the 1880s. As roads and railways improved, logging increased massively, peaking in 1961, almost entirely stripping the Otway Ranges of its [[old-growth forest]] and causing [[land degradation]] issues, but has since been greatly reduced. The forest standing today highlights the lengthy period needed to regrow the giant trees of the past and to reproduce the ecological complexity close to that of the original wild forests. Historically, several [[bushfire]]s have burnt through the park's predecessor reserves, shaping its ecology and plant and animal diversity. The last major fire was part of the [[Ash Wednesday bushfires]] that swept southeastern Australia in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/great-otway-national-park/culture-and-heritage|title=Culture and heritage|publisher=Parks Victoria}}</ref>

The park was declared in 2004 when Otway National Park, Angahook-Lorne State Park, Carlisle State Park, [[Melba Gully State Park]], areas of the Otway State Forest and a number of Crown Land reserves were combined into one park.<ref name="PV">{{cite web|url=https://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/great-otway-national-park|publisher=[[Parks Victoria]]|title=Great Otway National Park|date=2014|access-date=16 August 2014}}</ref> The parks were combined after a campaign by the local community and the Otway Ranges Environment Network and was officially [[government gazette|gazetted]] on 11 December 2005.<ref name="mgmtplan" />

==Features==
The Great Otway National Park is popular with Victorian, interstate, and international tourists, with a number of companies operating tours in the region. It contains three camping areas at ''[[Johanna, Victoria|Johanna]]'', ''[[Aire River (Victoria)|Aire River]]'' and ''[[Blanket Bay (Victoria)|Blanket Bay]]''. The park is accessed from the east via Apollo Bay, from the north via [[Forrest, Victoria|Forrest]] or [[Beech Forest]], or from the west via Princetown.<ref name=PV/> The park covers both coastline and hinterland in the Otway Ranges and so includes both beaches and forest, accessible via walking trails.<ref name=PV/> The park and the Aire River campground are home to a significant [[koala]] population.<ref name=PV/> The [[Cape Otway]] [[Lighthouse]] is adjacent to the park and is open to tourists throughout the week.<ref name=PV/> Migrating [[whale]]s and [[dolphin]]s such as [[southern right whale|southern right]] and [[humpback whale|southern humpback]], and [[bottlenose dolphin]]s can be observed from the coasts.

Glow worms (''[[Arachnocampa|Arachnocampa otwayensis]]''),<ref name="Baker 2010">{{Cite journal| volume = 55| issue = 1| pages = 11–43| last = Baker| first = Claire H.| title = A new subgenus and five new species of Australian glow-worms (Diptera: Keroplatidae: ''Arachnocampa'')| journal = Memoirs of the Queensland Museum| date = 2010}}</ref> which are the [[Bioluminescence|bioluminescent]] larvae of small flies known as [[fungus gnat]]s, can be seen at night along the stream banks and walking tracks, particularly at [[Angahook-Lorne State Park]], [[Beauchamp Falls]], [[Hopetoun Falls]], [[Stevenson Falls]] and [[Melba Gully State Park]].<ref name="Baker 2010"/>

===Important Bird Area===
The park has been identified by [[BirdLife International]] as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) because it supports populations of [[rufous bristlebird]]s, [[striated fieldwren]]s and [[pink robin]]s, as well as numerous other species.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm |title=IBA: Otway Range |access-date=2011-09-12 |work=Birdata |publisher=Birds Australia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706102341/http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm |archive-date=6 July 2011 }}</ref>

==Climate==

The area has a very wet temperate [[oceanic climate]] (''cfb'').

Climate data for the Otway Ranges are sourced from Weeaproinah, at an elevation of {{convert|492|m|}}; operating between 1965 and 2012. The Otway Ranges feature a cold rainforest biome with extreme winter rainfall, which owes to its highly exposed location in the far south-west of the state. Heavy snowfalls occur on the higher peaks each year, such as Mount Cowley at {{convert|670|m|}}; wet snow can also fall nearer to sea level on rare occasions.

It has the greatest amount of precipitation days in mainland Australia (219.4<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate statistics for Australian locations |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_090083_All.shtml |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241203054552/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_090083_All.shtml |archive-date=2024-12-03 |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.bom.gov.au}}</ref>), narrowly beating out [[Mount William (Mount Duwil)|Mount William's]] 215 days, though the latter site has only nineteen years of record.

{{Weather box
|location = Weeaproinah (1965–2012, rainfall to 1901); 492 m AMSL; 38.64° S, 143.51° E
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan record high C = 39.4
|Feb record high C = 39.0
|Mar record high C = 35.9
|Apr record high C = 28.5
|May record high C = 22.8
|Jun record high C = 16.2
|Jul record high C = 16.4
|Aug record high C = 20.3
|Sep record high C = 25.4
|Oct record high C = 28.1
|Nov record high C = 32.0
|Dec record high C = 36.5
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = 20.0
|Feb high C = 20.6
|Mar high C = 18.3
|Apr high C = 15.0
|May high C = 11.9
|Jun high C = 9.6
|Jul high C = 8.8
|Aug high C = 9.8
|Sep high C = 11.4
|Oct high C = 13.7
|Nov high C = 16.0
|Dec high C = 17.9
|year high C =
|Jan low C = 10.8
|Feb low C = 11.5
|Mar low C = 10.5
|Apr low C = 8.8
|May low C = 7.2
|Jun low C = 5.4
|Jul low C = 4.5
|Aug low C = 4.7
|Sep low C = 5.4
|Oct low C = 6.6
|Nov low C = 8.1
|Dec low C = 9.4
|year low C =
|Jan record low C = 3.8
|Feb record low C = 4.1
|Mar record low C = 3.0
|Apr record low C = 1.3
|May record low C = -0.1
|Jun record low C = -0.5
|Jul record low C = -0.5
|Aug record low C = -0.6
|Sep record low C = -0.6
|Oct record low C = -0.5
|Nov record low C = -0.1
|Dec record low C = 3.2
|year record low C =
|Jan precipitation mm = 87.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 85.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 111.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 154.6
|May precipitation mm = 197.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 211.7
|Jul precipitation mm = 226.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 233.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 199.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 174.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 139.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 113.3
|year precipitation mm = 1936.7
|Jan precipitation days = 12.8
|Feb precipitation days = 11.8
|Mar precipitation days = 15.6
|Apr precipitation days = 18.1
|May precipitation days = 20.7
|Jun precipitation days = 21.5
|Jul precipitation days = 23.4
|Aug precipitation days = 23.1
|Sep precipitation days = 21.1
|Oct precipitation days = 19.8
|Nov precipitation days = 16.7
|Dec precipitation days = 14.8
|year precipitation days =
|source 1 = [http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_090083_All.shtml Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Weeaproinah]
}}

== Fungi ==

{{More citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
The Great Otway National Park is extremely rich in fungal diversity. Although hundreds of species of flora and fauna are listed in the [http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/313282/great-otway-np-mp.pdf Great Otway National Park Management Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331154454/http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/313282/great-otway-np-mp.pdf |date=31 March 2012 }}, there is only a single reference to fungi. The reference is to the fungal pathogen, ''Chalara australis'' that affects myrtle beech. However, the great majority of fungi in the Park perform beneficial ecological roles. In fact, most fungi perform positive rather than negative roles. Even parasitic fungi – often regarded only negatively – are a vital part of healthy ecosystems, regulating ecosystem functions.

As primary recyclers of organic matter, saprobic fungi break down fallen branches and leaf litter, making vital nutrients available to other organisms. Other fungi form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Although rarely acknowledged, the great majority of plants in the [http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/great-otway-national-park Great Otway National Park] (indeed in the world) form mutually beneficial [[mycorrhiza]]l relationships with fungi.

Given the great diversity of plants, specialist habitats and micro-climates in the park, a great diversity of fungi, including lichens, is also expected to occur there. Two hundred and seventy-eight species of fungi are listed in the [http://www.ala.org.au/ Atlas of Living Australia]. This is likely to be only a fraction of the total number of fungal species that grow in the Park.

Despite their essential roles in underpinning terrestrial ecosystems, fungi are barely recognised as a vital part of Australia's biodiversity. Although Australia has national and state level biodiversity conservation strategies and has ratified international conventions, most overlook fungi. There is currently no statewide biodiversity strategy for managing biodiversity in Victoria and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150407084109/http://www.colacotway.vic.gov.au/Files/9387_ENVIRO_STRAT_fin_web.pdf Colac Otway Shire Environment Strategy] makes no reference to fungi. There is however, a great deal of interest in fungi among the local community. The [http://soln.org/ Southern Otways Landcare Network] have been actively involved in learning about and surveying the Park's fungi in recent years and produced a guide to one hundred of the more easily recognisable fungal species found in the park.

The Australian citizen-science organisation, [http://fungimap.org.au/ Fungimap] is also documenting and mapping the distribution of fungi including those that occur in the Great Otway National Park.

One of the tiniest yet conspicuous species found in the wetter parts of the park is the ruby bonnet (''[[Mycena viscidocruenta]]''). The ghost fungus (''[[Omphalotus nidiformis]]'') grows on trees and is another easily recognisable species, especially at night when it glows a pale green. The rosette fungus (''[[Podoscypha petalodes]]'') often appears in funnel-shaped rosettes at the base of trees and among leaf litter and is widespread throughout the park. The flame fungus (''[[Clavaria miniata]]'') grows singly or in groups on soil.

<gallery>
File:Clavaria miniata CLA4199.jpg|''[[Clavaria miniata]]'' (flame fungus)
File:Omphalotus nidiformis OMP 9722.jpg|''[[Omphalotus nidiformis]]''
File:Mycena viscidocruenta MYC6796.JPG|''[[Mycena viscidocruenta]]''
File:Podoscypha petalodes POD0137.jpg|''[[Podoscypha petalodes]]''
</gallery>

==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|Australia|environment}}}}
* [[Great Ocean Walk]]
* [[Maits Rest]]
* [[Protected areas of Victoria]]
* [[Triplet Falls]]
* [[Strzelecki Ranges]]
* [[Redwoods of the Otway Ranges]]
* [[List of national parks of Australia]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Great Otway National Park}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/great-otway-national-park Great Otway National Park]
*[http://www.oren.org.au Otway Ranges Environment Network]
*[http://www.otwaysaccommodation.com.au Otways Accommodation]

{{Great Ocean Road}}
{{Protected areas of Victoria|NP}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Parks of Barwon South West (region)]]
[[Category:National parks of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 2005]]
[[Category:Otway Ranges]]
[[Category:Forests of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:2005 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Environment of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Southeast Australia temperate forests]]
[[Category:Sclerophyll forests]]

Kanangra-Boyd National Park

2025-10-24T02:45:51Z

125.63.186.170:

{{Short description|National park in Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Kanangra-Boyd National Park
| photo = kanangra view of valley 2002.jpg
| photo_caption = Kanangra Grand Gorge
| photo_alt =
| iucn_category = Ib
| iucn_ref =
| coordinates = {{coord|33|56|16|S|150|05|27|E|display=inline,title}}
| map = New South Wales
| map_alt =
| map_width = 200px
| relief = 1
| label = Kanangra-Boyd National Park
| label_position = top
| location = [[New South Wales]]
| established = {{start date|1969|12|3|df=y}}<ref name=oeh/>
| area_ha =
| area_km2 = 686.6
| area_ref = <ref name=oeh>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkManagement.aspx?id=N0016|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park: Park management|work=Office of Environment & Heritage|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| nearest_city = {{NSWcity|Oberon}}
| nearest_town =
| governing_body = [[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]
| website = {{official|http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/kanangra-boyd-national-park}}
}}
The '''Kanangra-Boyd National Park''' is a [[state park|protected]] [[national park]] that is located in the [[Central Tablelands]] region, west of the [[Southern Highlands (New South Wales)|Southern Highlands]] and [[Macarthur (New South Wales)|Macarthur]] regions, in [[New South Wales]], in eastern [[Australia]]. The {{convert|68660|ha|adj=on}} national park is situated approximately {{convert|180|km}} [[South-western Sydney|south-west]] of [[Sydney]] and is contiguous with the [[Blue Mountains National Park]] and the [[Nattai National Park]]. The park was established in 1969.

The Kanangra-Boyd National Park is one of the eight protected areas that, in 2000, was inscribed to form part of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage]]{{endash}}listed [[Greater Blue Mountains Area]].<ref name=whl>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/917|title=Greater Blue Mountains Area|work=World Heritage List|date=2014|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=31 August 2014}}</ref> The Kanangra-Boyd National Park is the most south{{endash}}westerly of the eight protected areas within the World Heritage Site. The national park forms part of the [[Great Dividing Range]].

Notable features of the national park include the Thurat Spires, Kanangra Walls, Mount Colong, and three waterfall systems – the Kalang, the {{convert|225|m|adj=on}} two{{endash}}tiered drop [[Kanangra Falls|Kanangara]] and the Morong falls. The park also features a series of [[karst]] landforms that can be explored by those with caving experience.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/kanangra-boyd-national-park|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park|work=[[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

The movie ''[[Jedda]]'' was filmed in the Kanangra Walls area in 1954.

==Features and location==
[[Image:Kalang Falls Kanangra-Boyd NP.jpg|thumb|[[Kalang River|Kalang Falls.]]]]
[[Image:Kanangra Walls 2002.jpg|thumb|Kanangra Walls seen from Echo Head.]]
[[Image:Mt Cloudmaker NSW.JPG|thumb|Mount Cloudmaker.]]
[[File:Kanagra-Boyd National Park.jpg|thumb|The mountains seen from The Plateau Walk]]
[[Image:Kanangra Boyd Nat Park.JPG|thumb|View from Kanangra Walls.]]
[[Image:Kanangra-Boyd National Park near Boyd River.JPG|thumb|Forest near Morong Creek.]]
[[File:Kanangra winter wonderland.jpg|thumb|A rare cover of snow, Morong Creek campground. The highest peaks have up to five snowfalls a year, but usually just as snow flurries. Visitors should be prepared for cold weather, particularly in the cooler months.]]

Kanangra-Boyd National Park is composed of two land units — the elevated, gently undulating Boyd Plateau and the area of creeks, rivers, gorges and ridges into which the plateau falls away. The plateau is traversed by the Kanangra Walls Road and can be accessed either from [[Oberon, New South Wales|Oberon]] or Jenolan Caves. The road leads to Kanangra Walls. There are several well known landmarks in the park, such as Mount Cloudmaker, Kanangra Walls and the Thurat Spires. The word ''Kanangra'' is generally held to be a corruption of ''Gundangura'' and was called Thurat for some time.

The national park is bounded to the north by open farmland; to the east by the [[Coxs River]], the [[Blue Mountains National Park]] and the [[Kowmung River]]; to the south{{endash}}east by the Yerranderie State Conservation Area; to the south by the [[Nattai National Park]] and the [[Wombeyan Caves Road]]; to the south{{endash}}west by the Blue Mountains National Park; and to the west by the Kowmung River, the [[Jenolan Caves|Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve]], and open farmland and extensive state forests that surround the town of {{NSWcity|Oberon}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/parkhome.aspx?id=N0016|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park|work=Office of Environment & Heritage|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028011740/http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0016|archive-date=28 October 2009}}</ref> The [[Abercrombie River National Park]] is situated a short distance, further south{{endash}}west.

===Geology===
The Kanangra-Boyd Wilderness is among the largest and most rugged wilderness areas in New South Wales. Situated to the south of {{NSWcity|Katoomba}} in the Blue Mountains and the Kanangra-Boyd National Parks, this folded belt or "Rim Rock" area is markedly different from the [[Permian|Permo]]-[[Triassic]] [[Sydney sandstone|sandstone]] dominated landforms which comprise the rest of the Blue Mountains. There are isolated residual cappings of Permian sandstone in a few places but here the [[Palaeozoic]] basement rocks, which are elsewhere buried well below the Permo-Triassic Measures, are on the surface as high land. Rock types include quartzite, diorite, Devonian rhyolites, rhyo-dacites, Silurian phyllites, slates, siltstones and tuff limestones. The Boyd Plateau comprises a dome of Devonian granite intruded into Devonian quartzites and sedimentaries. There are also intrusive igneous rocks from the Carboniferous period. Kanangra Tops at the south-eastern end of the Plateau is one of the Permian outliers. Its fringing [[Fault (geology)|fault scarp]] – Kanangra Walls – comprises Permian sedimentaries of the Capertee Group which rests unconformably on a Devonian Lambie Group Basement. Nearby Kanangra Gorge is cut {{convert|600|-|900|m}} deep in rocks of the Lambie Group, and is one of Australia's deepest gorges. Cloudmaker and Guouogang are eroded remnants of [[Ordovician]] quartzite. Further east, in the Coxs River area, is the large Kanimbla granite batholith, emplaced during the Carboniferous period. Colong Caves is another outstanding feature of the area. The main Upper Silurian limestone belt, in the [[Jenolan River]] valley to the north-west, is {{convert|300|m}} thick, {{convert|8|km}} long and located in a valley {{convert|460|m}} deep. This karst topography, created by the Jenolan and its tributaries, is one of the least understood in Australia.<ref name=colong>{{cite web |url=http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/archive/RedIndex/NSW/kanang99.htm |title=Kanangra-Boyd Wilderness |work=NSW Wilderness Red Index |publisher=The Colong Foundation for Wilderness |year=1999 |access-date=24 December 2013 |archive-date=25 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225043713/http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/archive/RedIndex/NSW/kanang99.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Flora===
The complex geology, climate, fire regime, and topography has enabled a wide variety of ecosystems to develop. Eucalypt forest with western plain species, such as [[Eucalyptus melliodora|yellow box]] and [[Eucalyptus albens|white box]], are found in areas of rainshadow. Forests of [[Eucalyptus regnans|mountain ash]] are found on well drained soils and [[Eucalyptus blaxlandii|Blaxland's stringybark]] where soil is poor. [[Corymbia mannifera|red spotted gum]], [[Eucalyptus blakelyi|Blakely's red gum]], [[Eucalyptus macrorhyncha|red stringybark]] and [[Allocasuarina torulosa|forest oak]] are also found. [[Brachychiton|Kurrajong trees]] are found in abundance where limestone outcrops occur, and in sheltered gullies rainforest species (including [[Toona ciliata|red cedar]]) and [[Eucalyptus saligna|blue gum]] are found. On the Boyd Plateau, the misty mountain forests of [[brown barrel]], [[messmate]], [[Eucalyptus viminalis|ribbon gum]], [[Eucalyptus stellulata|black sally]], [[snow gum]] and mallee predominate. High altitude areas subject to strong winds generally support heath and closed scrub communities. In areas of impeded drainage, various swamps occur, dominated by sedges and scrubs such as ''[[Leptospermum]]'' and ''[[Baeckea]]'' species.<ref name=colong/>

About 1,000 flowering plant species occur in the Blue Mountains, in some 40 plant communities. There are over 45 rare or endangered plant species in the wilderness. A unique form of tall open forest occurs in the Kedumba Valley, dominated by [[Eucalyptus benthamii|Camden white gum]], an endangered species limited to these populations.<ref name=colong/>

===Fauna===
The Blue Mountains National Park contains 46 species of mammals, including 27 marsupials and two [[monotreme]]s. Over 200 birds and 98 reptile species have been recorded. Several species listed on Schedules 1 and 2 of the {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act||Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995}} are found in the Wilderness Area including: The [[powerful owl]] (''[[Ninox strenua]]''), [[squirrel glider]] (''[[Petaurus norfolcensis]]''), [[yellow-bellied glider]] (''Petaurus volans''), [[tiger quoll]] (''[[Dasyurus maculatus]]''), and [[brush-tailed rock wallaby]] (''[[Petrogale penicillata]]''). A species of [[Onychophora|velvet worm]] (''[[Euperipatoides kanangrensis]]'') has been found on the Boyd Plateau.<ref name=colong/>

==Bushwalking==

There are several walking tracks and other sites in the park, these include the:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkFacility.aspx?id=N0016#strWalking|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park: Facilities and activities|work=Office of Environment & Heritage|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>
* Lookout Walk {{endash}} the easiest and wheelchair accessible, this ten-minute route along well-formed tracks leads to the first lookout which overlooks the gorges of [[Kanangra Creek]] and beyond to the high tops of Mt Cloudmaker and the Blue Mountains escarpment, which presents a spectacular vista. The second overlooks rugged ravines at the head of the gorges and [[Kanangra Falls]];
* Waterfall Walk {{endash}} accessible from the Lookout Walk, this route leads down into a gully where the Kalang Falls splash into a pool; and
* Plateau Walk {{endash}} turns off before the main lookout and leads into the Kanangra Wilderness and onto the expansive heath-covered Kanangra Tops Plateau. It is possible to walk continuously from this walk to Katoomba and Narrow Neck.

Camping is available on the banks of Morong Creek, at the Boyd River campground, located on Kanangra Road.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/kanangra-boyd-national-park/boyd-river-campground/camping|title=Boyd River campground|work=[[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|New South Wales|Environment}}}}
* [[Kanangra Creek]]
* [[Protected areas of New South Wales]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kanangra-Boyd National Park}}
{{wikivoyage|Kanangra Boyd National Park}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/parkhome.aspx?id=N0016|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park|work=Office of Environment & Heritage|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028011740/http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0016|archive-date=28 October 2009}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/kanangra-boyd-national-park|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park|work=[[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/kanangra-boyd-national-park/map|title=Kanangra-Boyd National Park|format=Map|work=[[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|date=2014}}
*{{cite book|title=Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area: Strategic Plan|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/StategicPlanNPWS.pdf|type=PDF|work=[[NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|date=January 2009|isbn=978-1-74122-960-8}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050615001606/http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/watlasSpecies.jsp List of animals recorded in the park]

{{Blue Mountains topics}}
{{National Parks of New South Wales}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:National parks of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1969]]
[[Category:Parks and reserves of the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Central Tablelands]]