Clements Gap 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
Mid North
The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains and south of the Far North and the outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the southern ...
of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
about west of
Redhill, north east of
Port Broughton
Port Broughton is a small South Australian town located at the northern extent of the Yorke Peninsula on the east coast of Spencer Gulf. It is situated about 170 km north-west of Adelaide, and 56 km south of Port Pirie. At the , the t ...
and 42 metres above sea level. The park preserves an area of natural bushland and the built remnants of a small historic agricultural township,
Clements Gap, about east of the
Spencer Gulf
The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and ...
coast. Maintained by the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR), the 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 Natural Monument or Feature.
The park is named for the surrounding farming locality of Clements Gap, a reference to the co-located pass through the
Barunga Range
The Barunga Range is a range of hills in the northern Mount Lofty Ranges starting near Clements Gap and Merriton in South Australia's Mid North. At the range's southern end it merges with Hummock Range at Barunga Gap, approximately south west ...
. The Clements Gap pass in turn is thought to be named after a shepherd in the area prior to 1880, per research by local historian
Rodney Cockburn
Rodney Cockburn (21 October 1877 – 28 September 1932) was a South Australian journalist, author of a popular reference book on South Australian place names.
History
Cockburn was born in Kent Town, South Australia, a son of George (c. 1835 †...
.
History
In 1963 eight sections (439-442 and 565-568) of the
Hundred of Mundoora (north east corner) were set aside and designated Mundoora Conservation Park. In 1981 the park was renamed to its present designation.
See also
*
Protected areas in South Australia
*
Field Naturalists Society of South Australia
The Field Naturalists Society of South Australia Incorporated was founded in 1883 as a section of the Royal Society, and whose aims were to further the cause of the natural sciences in the colony. It was incorporated in 1959 and is still active. Me ...
References
{{Protected areas of South Australia
Conservation parks of South Australia
1963 establishments in Australia