The Walpole Wilderness Area is a group of conservation reserves on the south coast of

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 ...

. The area includes vast tracts 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 rou ...

red tingle ''Eucalyptus jacksonii'', commonly known as the red tingle, is a species of tall tree endemic to the south west Western Australia and is one of the tallest trees found in the state. It has thick, rough, stringy reddish bark from the base of the t ...

and karri forests surrounding

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 ...

peaks, rivers, heathlands, and wetlands. Coastal features include inlets and sandy beaches, sheer cliffs and the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

Geography

The planning area, together with the Shannon and

D'Entrecasteaux Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux () (8 November 1737 – 21 July 1793) was a French naval officer, explorer and colonial governor. He is perhaps best known for his exploration of the Australian coast in 1792, while ...

National Parks, provide a contiguous conservation reserve system stretching from near Augusta in the west to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

in the east. The Walpole Wilderness incorporates: * Boyndaminup National Park *Kordabup Nature Reserve *Mehniup Nature Reserve * Mount Frankland National Park * Mount Frankland North National Park *

Mount Frankland South National Park Mount Frankland South National Park is a national park in Western Australia. It lies mostly in the South West Region, with the eastern portion in Great Southern Region. It was designated in 2004, and covers an area of 422.99 km2. It is part ...

* Mount Lindesay National Park * Mount Roe National Park *Mount Shadforth Nature Reserve * Owingup Nature Reserve * Quarram Nature Reserve *

Shannon National Park Shannon National Park is a national park on the south coast of Western Australia, south of Perth and southeast of Manjimup. It was declared a national park in 1988. The park covers the entire Shannon River basin. It is part of the larger Walp ...

Walpole-Nornalup National Park Walpole-Nornalup National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. It is famous for its towering karri and tingle trees. Red tingle trees are unique to the Walpole area. The park is part of the la ...

William Bay National Park William Bay National Park is a national park in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, southeast of Perth and between the towns of Denmark and Walpole. Description Situated approximately west of Denmark, William Bay National Park ...

History

The concept of a Walpole Wilderness Area was first developed by Donna Selby and Cath Roberts on behalf of the South Coast Environment Group Inc., in 1998. During the height of the old growth logging debate, the Walpole Wilderness proposal sought to realise the region's potential for nature conservation by proposing the creation of a Regional Wilderness Park which expanded and linked existing parks and reserves into a single integrated conservation reserve. The proposal extended the concept of conserving the Shannon River Basin across the Deep River and Frankland River systems. This proposal was also unique as it sought to integrate the Walpole/Nornalup townships and farming districts into the Area. It proposed the development of a unique relationship between local residents, visitors and the surrounding natural areas. It would facilitate the development of a wide range of nature-based recreational activities and maximise opportunities for associated business development. Existing recreational and tourism infrastructure would be enhanced and expanded to capitalise on the significant growth in tourism to the Walpole region, while concurrently ensuring the long term ecological and economic sustainability of the region. The Walpole Wilderness area was adopted by the Western Australian

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

government by Premier Geoff Gallop on 22 April 2001.http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/news/premier-of-western-australia/government-unveils-maps-of-the-proposed-walpole-wilderness-area.html

Values

These areas have long been recognised for their unique natural, cultural, scenic and landscape values, in particular the rich array of endemic and nationally significant flora and fauna. The planning area is important for: * wilderness qualities; *

old-growth forests 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 ...

; *outstanding and complex mosaic of landscapes (including heathlands, wetlands, and

outcrops) *location within an internationally recognised "

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the c ...

"; *many rivers that originate within and pass through the area, including the

Deep Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

, Weld, Walpole, Frankland, Bow,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, Styx,

, Mitchell and

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

rivers; *range of recreation and tourism opportunities from wilderness hiking through to world class facilities such as the Tree Top Walk; and *rich indigenous and non-indigenous cultural heritage.

References

External links

Department of Environment and ConservationWestern Australia Forest Alliance
{{authority control National parks of Western Australia Old-growth forests Nature conservation in Western Australia Forests of Western Australia Wilderness areas in Western Australia