__NOTOC__ Belt Hill Conservation Park is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

located in the Australian state of South Australia in the locality of Thornlea about south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about north west of the town centre in Hatherleigh. The conservation park occupies land in section 339 of the cadastral unit of the

Hundred of Rivoli Bay 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

. In 1971, the land was offered by its owner, A. McArthur of Rendelsham, to the “then National Parks Commission” for “dedication as a Reserve.” On 27 April 1972, it was proclaimed as the Belt Hill Conservation Park when the '' National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972'' came into force. As of 2016, it covered an area of . In 1990, the conservation park was described as consisting of “a consolidated calcarenite dune overlain by weakly-structured sandy soils” that “extends from the east” with a “swale or low-lying plainwhich continues into adjacent farmland” on its western side. The vegetation cover was described as consisting of “an open scrub formation” of silver-leaved banksia, blackwood, and

golden wattle ''Acacia pycnantha'', most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae native to southeastern Australia. It grows to a height of and has phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks) instead of true leaves. Sickle-shaped, these ...

” on the dune with “mainly introduced pasture grasses with some kangaroo grass… and knobby club-rush… covering the swale in the west. It was reported that native vegetation within the conservation park “has been considerably disturbed mainly through grazing by stock and rabbits” and during the early 1950s, a “row of pine trees was planted on the southern boundary to control sand drift”. In 1990, it was reported that two archaeological sites are located on the dune as evident by a “thin scatter of artefacts” on its surface. It is speculated that “the area supported a substantial Aboriginal population as it is elevated, well sheltered and watered, and would have offered many sources of food.” Also, there was an abandoned stone quarry on the southern side of the conservation park and a sand pit in its north from which material was extracted for road construction by state government agencies. The conservation park is classified as an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Category III protected area.

References

External links

Belt Hill Conservation Park webpage on the Protected Planet website
{{Protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed Conservation parks of South Australia Protected areas established in 1972 1972 establishments in Australia Limestone Coast

See also

References

External links