__NOTOC__ Deep Creek National Park, formerly the Deep Creek 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 ...

in the Australian state 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 ...

located on the southern coast of

Fleurieu Peninsula The Fleurieu Peninsula () is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide. History Before British colonisation of South Australia, the western side of the peninsula was occupied by the K ...

in the gazetted localities of Deep Creek and Delamere about east of

Cape Jervis Cape Jervis is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located near the western tip of Fleurieu Peninsula on the southern end of the Main South Road approximately south of the state capital of Adelaide. It is named after the headla ...

History

Formerly a conservation park known as Deep Creek Conservation Park, it was renamed Deep Creek National Park upon being proclaimed a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

on 26 November 2021 CC-BY icon

Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)
licence.

Description

The park is the largest portion of remaining natural vegetation on the Fleurieu Peninsula, and is home to much native wildlife, including

western grey kangaroo The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, is ...

short-beaked echidna The short-beaked echidna (''Tachyglossus aculeatus''), also called the short-nosed echidna, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus ''Tachyglossus''. It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snou ...

s and around 100 species of birds. CC-BY icon

Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)
licence. The park encompasses of coastline, which include views across

Backstairs Passage The Backstairs Passage is a strait in South Australia lying between Fleurieu Peninsula on the Australian mainland and Dudley Peninsula on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island. The western edge of the passage is a line from Cape Jervis on Fleurieu ...

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

. The conservation park consists of mainly rolling coastal hills, the gullies of which contain orchids and ferns, while the hilltops have stunted scrub and low windswept trees. Walking trails (including part of the famous

Heysen Trail The Heysen Trail is a long distance walking trail in South Australia. It runs from Parachilna Gorge, in the Flinders Ranges via the Adelaide Hills to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is approximately in length. Route summary From no ...

) provide access to most of the conservation park. It 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 ...

class II protected area. In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

Camping

The conservation park has five camping areas available with various facilities. * Stringybark: A sheltered forest setting with 16 sites, hot showers, toilets and rain water. Sites available for caravans and camp trailers. No powered sites available. * Trig: Central to the main hiking trails, open grassy areas with many well-sheltered and shady sites. 25 sites, toilets and rain water available. Sites available for caravans and camp trailers. No powered sites available. * Tapanappa: 18 moderately sheltered sites with spectacular coastal views close by. Toilets and rain water available. * Cobbler Hill: 10 sites with toilets and rain water close to Blowhole Beach. Can be exposed during windy conditions. * Eagle Waterhole: Located on the Heysen Trail, and only able to be used by hikers. A hikers' hut and rainwater tank have been erected at this site.

Gallery

Image:Deep Creek cove.jpg, Approaching the cove at the mouth of Deep Creek. Image:Deep Creek Conservation Park 2.jpg, Looking south. Image:Deep Creek 3.jpg, The creek mouth. Image:Blowhole Beach.JPG, Blowhole Beach. Image:Blowhole Beach looking North East.JPG, Blowhole Beach looking North East.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* *
Protected Planet websiteBirdsSA website
{{Fleurieu Peninsula , state=autocollapse Fleurieu Peninsula 1971 establishments in Australia Protected areas established in 1971 South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate National parks of South Australia