Greater Beedelup National Park is a national park in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, 277 km south of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. It is situated on the

Vasse Highway Vasse Highway is a Western Australian highway connecting Busselton and the South Western Highway south of Manjimup. It is long and travels through jarrah and karri hardwood forests for most of its length, with some small agricultural areas a ...

some 10 km west of Pemberton. The park is especially lush and damp due to an abundance of water. Gazetted in 1910, the park was declared an A Class Reserve in 1915. The Pemberton National Parks Board has been responsible for management of the park since 1957. Controlled burns occur within the park and some clear felling operations have been conducted in selected areas that used to be State Forests but have also been regenerated since. The park is mostly

karri ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cre ...

forest, with mixed areas of

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...

and marri. The loamy soil supports large colonies of moss and plants such as the swamp peppermint,

hibbertia ''Hibbertia'', commonly known as guinea flowers, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Dilleniaceae. They are usually shrubs with simple leaves and usually yellow flowers with five sepals and five petals. There are about 400 species, mo ...

karri hazel ''Trymalium odoratissimum'' is a plant species found in Southwest Australia. Taxonomy This description was published in 1838 by John Lindley in '' Edwards Botanical Register'', who notes that Robert Mangles, of the colony's Mangles family, p ...

, waterbush, myrtle wattle and lemon-scented darwinia, all of which thrive in the damp conditions. Some of the forest is an excellent example of uncut

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

. Some of the upland areas are sandy and support communities of

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

vegetation. Other plants of interest in the area include '' Crowea dentata'', '' Crowea augustifolia'' and ''

Choretrum lateriflorum ''Choretrum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. The genus is endemic to Australia. Species include: *''Choretrum candollei'' F.Muell. ex Benth. - White sour bush *''Choretrum chrysanthum'' F.Muell. *''C ...

''. Some rare fauna are thought to inhabit the area, including the

woylie The woylie or brush-tailed bettong (''Bettongia penicillata'') is a small, critically endangered, gerbil-like mammal native to forests and shrubland of Australia. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it moves by hopping and is acti ...

numbat The numbat (''Myrmecobius fasciatus''), also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. The species was once widespread across southern Australia, but ...

and the tammar. Its major attraction is the Beedelup Falls, which are in full flow during winter and spring. A suspension bridge, built in 1995, offers passage across Beedelup Brook and good views of the falls. Another feature of the park is the "walk through karri tree", a 400-year-old tree with a large man-made hole cut through at the base large enough for a person to stand in. The park is named after Beedelup Brook, named in 1875. It is thought the name Beedelup is derived from the

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

word ''Beejalup'' meaning ''place of rest'' or ''place of sleep''.

Facilities

An admission fee applies for this park, and camping is not permitted. A signed walking trail around Beedelup Falls, a rest area, picnic area and toilets are available for use by visitors. Image:Karri Walk Through Beedelup National Park.jpg, Walk through Karri Tree

References

{{authority control National parks of Western Australia Warren bioregion Protected areas established in 1977

Facilities

See also

References