__NOTOC__ Lake Gilles Conservation Park (formerly Lake Gilles National 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 in the north of the

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

about east of Kimba in the gazetted locality of

Lake Gilles A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. The conservation park was originally proclaimed as the Lake Gilles National Park under the former ''National Parks Act 1966'' on 30 September 1971. It was subsequently renamed as the Lake Gilles Conservation Park upon the proclamation of the ''

National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 Protected areas of South Australia consists of protected areas located within South Australia and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by South Australian Government agencies. As of March 2018, South Australia contains 359 sepa ...

'' on 27 April 1972. On 5 August 2010, the Lake Gilles Conservation Reserve which have been dedicated as a

conservation reserve A conservation reserve is a protected area set aside for conservation purposes. Conservation reserves by country Australia In South Australia, a conservation reserve is a type of protected area declared under the ''Crown Land Management Act 2009 ...

on 9 December 1994 under the state's ''Crown Lands Act 1929'' was added to the conservation park along with another parcel of

crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

. As of 2014, access permitted under the state's ''Mining Act 1971'' and ''Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000'' only applies to the extent of the Lake Gilles water body. In 2014, the conservation park was described by its managing authority as follows:

...an ephemeral lake system fringed by
samphire Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies. *Rock samphire, ''Crithmum maritimum'' is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Unit ...
communities. The park (sic) provides habitat for the
Malleefowl The malleefowl (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken (to which it is distantly related). It is notable for the large nesting mounds constructed by the males and lack of parental ca ...
,
Slender-billed thornbill The slender-billed thornbill (''Acanthiza iredalei'') is a small bird native to Australia. It includes three sub-species: * ''A. i. hedleyi'' * ''A. i. iredalei'' * ''A. i. rosinae'' This thornbill can be found in shrublands and salt marshes, ...
,
Thick-billed grasswren The thick-billed grasswren (''Amytornis modestus'') is a species of bird in the family Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. Taxonomy and systematics The thick-billed grasswren wa ...
and migratory waders. Extensive but patchy mallee communities on the eastern plains of the park (sic) include
Western Myall ''Acacia papyrocarpa'', commonly known as western myall, is a tree in the family Fabaceae native to arid areas of central and western Australia. Description Western myall typically grows as a shrub or an upright tree to a height of but can gr ...
and associated
chenopod Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it ...
shrubland.

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 Ia 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 ...

Vandalism

In 2012 and 2013, off-trail driving, burning and cutting of native vegetation, and the abandonment of rubbish and furniture were reported to have occurred in the conservation park.

References

External links

Lake Gilles Conservation Park webpageLake Gilles Conservation Park webpage on protected planet
{{Eyre Peninsula Conservation parks of South Australia Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Australia Eyre Peninsula Far North (South Australia) South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate Gawler bioregion

Vandalism

See also

References

External links