Gull Rock National Park is a small national park situated 25 km (16 mi) east of Albany 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 ...

. It was established in 2006, becoming Western Australia's 97th national park in the process. It is around in area.

Location

The area is backed by

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

to the south,

Oyster Harbour Oyster Harbour is a permanently open estuary, north of King George Sound, which covers an area of near Albany, Western Australia. The harbour is used to shelter a fishing fleet carrying out commercial fishing and the farming of oysters and mus ...

to the west, Taylor Inlet to the east and farmland to the north. The park takes its name from a small island off Ledge Beach, which is not part of the park. Boiler Bay is at the eastern edge of Ledge Beach. The Mount Martin Botanical Reserve is adjacent to the western boundary and

Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve is a protected area managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife east of Albany, Western Australia. The area is accessible by 2WD vehicles. The bay itself, including two small secluded beaches, faces due eas ...

is approximately to the east of the park.

Description

The area is an almost unspoilt example of coastal east

Kalgan Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southw ...

vegetation system. Composed of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

headlands separated by sandy beaches with lakes and interdunal wetlands, the area contains a number of specific

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

. Rocky granite areas exist, including Mount Taylor and Mount Martin, both of which are part of the Gardner Landform unit. The diverse landforms and soils support an array of different habitats and a large number of floral species. A complex patchwork of forest, woodlands, wetlands, sedges, granite shrublands and coastal heath is found within the park.

Flora and fauna

Endangered species such as the

noisy scrub-bird The noisy scrubbird (''Atrichornis clamosus'') is a species of bird in the family Atrichornithidae. It is endemic to the coastal heaths of south-western Australia (east of Albany). Description The noisy scrubbird features a dark brown coloure ...

western bristlebird The western bristlebird (''Dasyornis longirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Dasyornithidae. It is endemic to the coastal heaths of western Australia (east and west of Albany).World Wildlife Fund. 2012''Southwest Australia woodlands' ...

and the

western whipbird Western whipbird may refer to the following bird species and subspecies: * ''Psophodes nigrogularis'', the black-throated whipbird ** subspecies: ''Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis'', 'western heath' ** subspecies: ''Psophodes nigrogularis obero ...

are known to inhabit the area. The endangered

Western ringtail possum The western ringtail possum or ngwayir refers to a species of possum, ''Pseudocheirus occidentalis'', found in a small area of Southwest Australia. They are a cat-sized marsupial with a stocky build, dark greyish-brown fur, pale underparts and ...

is also frequently sighted in the area. Many rare plant species including '' Corybas limpidus'', '' Adenanthos cunninghamii'', ''

Banksia verticillata ''Banksia verticillata'', commonly known as granite banksia or Albany banksia, is a species of shrub or (rarely) tree of the genus ''Banksia'' in the family Proteaceae. It is native to the southwest of Western Australia and can reach up to 3&n ...

'' and '' Stylidium plantagineum'' are also found in the National Park. Areas of

banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range ...

woodland,

sheoak The Casuarinaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the Pacific ...

forest, open heath and grassed dunes can all be found within the park. Notable flora include ''

Banksia coccinea ''Banksia coccinea'', commonly known as the scarlet banksia, waratah banksia or Albany banksia, is an erect shrub or small tree in the family (biology), family Proteaceae. Its distribution in the wild is along the Southwest Australia, south wes ...

'', '' Hakea elliptica'', '' Allocasuarina trichodon'', '' Agonis marginata'' and '' Dryandra formosa''. The area is home to the most significant remaining stands of scarlet banksia, ''

'', in the region, however this community is threatened by ''

Phytophthora ''Phytophthora'' (from Greek (''phytón''), "plant" and (), "destruction"; "the plant-destroyer") is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds), whose member species are capable of causing enormous economic losses on crops worldwide, a ...

'' dieback. '' Melaleuca striata'' coastal heath grows on the lower elevations of Mount Taylor. ''Melaleuca striata'', ''

Banksia attenuata ''Banksia attenuata'', commonly known as the candlestick banksia, slender banksia, or biara to the Noongar people, is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae. Commonly a tree, it reaches high, but it is often a shrub in drier areas high. ...

'' and ''Banksia coccinea'' are present on the heath, but their growth is stunted by the salt laden air. '' Anarthria scabra'' is predominant in the sedgeland, with ''Adenanthos cuneatus, Astroloma baxteri, Hypocalymma strictum, Hypolaena exsulca, Isopogon cuneatus, Lyginia barbata, Melaleuca thymoides'', and ''Petrophile rigida'' also present. The rare and ancient Main's assassin spider, currently listed as

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

, was found to inhabit the park during a survey conducted in 2008.

References

{{authority control National parks of Western Australia Great Southern (Western Australia) South coast of Western Australia