Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park, formerly the Piccaninnie Ponds National Park, is a
protected area of located in southeastern
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 ...
near
Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...
.
Description
The Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park is located in the south-east of South Australia in the gazetted locality of
Wye on the continental coastline overlooking
Discovery Bay
Discovery Bay (DB) is a resort town on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It consists of mixed, primarily residential, development, in particular upmarket residential development and private and public recreational facilities, including garden houses, ...
about southeast of the state capital of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and south-east of the city of
Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...
.
The conservation park conserves a
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
fed by
freshwater springs in a
karst landscape.
It is close to the border with
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and is part of the
Discovery Bay to Piccaninnie Ponds Important Bird Area, identified by
BirdLife International as being of global significance for several bird species. It is a listed
Ramsar site. The park contains a walking track through coastal woodland to a viewing platform overlooking the wetlands.
Recreational diving
Piccaninnie Ponds is a popular site for both
snorkelling
Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, ...
and
cave diving. In 1964–1965, prior to its proclamation as a national park in 1969, underwater explorer
Valerie Taylor described the ponds as "one of the most beautiful sights in Australia" and said that the crystal clear water gave her a feeling of unhindered flight. It contains three main features of interest to cave divers. The ‘First Pond’ is an open depression about deep with a silt floor and vegetated fringe supporting much aquatic life. The ‘Chasm’ is a
sinkhole
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
with a depth of over , and the ‘Cathedral’ is an enclosed area with
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
formations and a depth of about .
Underwater visibility is excellent and may exceed . Snorkelling and cave diving at Piccaninnie Ponds is by permit only.
Accidents
Several divers have died while exploring the caves beneath Piccaninnie Ponds, in 1972, 1974 and 1984.
Flora and fauna
The pond contains various species of native plants, freshwater fish, eels and shrimp.
See also
*
*
*
*
*
References
Further reading
*Horne, P.; (1985),
CDAA Research Group Report No. 3: Piccaninnie Ponds Mapping Project, November 1984 – April 1985' (
OCLC: 27574762
* Horne, P; and Harris, R.; (2009),
Piccaninnie Ponds Collaborative Research Project: Exploration and General Research Activities, May/June 2008 and Oct/Nov 2009' (with South Australian Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) and the
South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH)).
External links
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park official webpagePonds Conservation Park Diving and Snorkelling Guidelines (PDF download)Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park webpage on protected planet
{{Recreational dive sites, cavsit
Conservation parks of South Australia
Protected areas established in 1969
1969 establishments in Australia
Limestone Coast
Sinkholes of Australia
Underwater diving sites in Australia
Ramsar sites in Australia