Western River Wilderness Protection Area, formerly the Western River Conservation Park and the Western River 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 on the north coast of

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

about west of

Parndana Parndana is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on Kangaroo Island about southwest of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide and about southwest of the municipal seat of Kingscote, South Australia ...

in the gazetted locality of Western River. Waterfall Creek, with its scenic Billy Goat Waterfall, are within the area.

Description

The wilderness protection area has an area of . The topography is rugged, with numerous steep slopes and deep gullies. The vegetation consists mainly of open forest, woodland and scrub associations dominated by ''

Eucalyptus cladocalyx ''Eucalyptus cladocalyx'', commonly known as sugar gum, is a species of eucalypt tree found in the Australian state of South Australia. It is found naturally in three distinct populations - in the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula and on Kangar ...

'', '' E. baxteri'', '' E. diversifolia'' and '' E. cosmophylla''. There are also areas of ''

Allocasuarina muelleriana ''Allocasuarina muelleriana'', commonly known as the slaty sheoak, is a small tree of the genus ''Allocasuarina'' native to South Australia and Victoria. The fast growing dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a spec ...

'' open

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 ...

and '' A. verticillata'' low open forest. It contains nesting and feeding habitat for

Glossy Black Cockatoo The glossy black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus lathami''), is the smallest member of the subfamily Calyptorhynchinae found in eastern Australia. Adult glossy black cockatoos may reach in length. They are sexually dimorphic. Males are blackish bro ...

s. The wilderness protection area 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 Ib protected area. Scenic features include the coastal cliffs and the waterfall on Waterfall Creek, known as Billy Goat Watefall or Falls (or Billygoat Falls).

History

The land under protection first gained protected area status as the ''Western River National Park'' proclaimed on 21 January 1971 under the ''National Parks Act 1966'' in respect to land in sections 8 and 47 in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Gosse. On 27 April 1972, the national park was reconstituted as the ''Western River Conservation Park'' under 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 15 October 1993, the majority of its extent was proclaimed under the ''Wilderness Protection Act 1992'' as a wilderness protection area with the remainder being added on the 5 October 2006. 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 ...

Wilderness qualities

The following qualities have been identified by the government agency managing the wilderness protection area:

While there are some relatively minor impacts of modern technology, the area has distinctive wilderness attributes and warrants protection and restoration in accordance with the provisions of the Act. In addition to its rugged terrain and high coastal cliffs that are characteristic of the northern coast of Kangaroo Island, Western River Wilderness Protection Area is highly valued for the presence of habitat for the endangered Glossy Black-cockatoo. Plant species diversity is high and the vegetation exhibits a wide cross-section of Kangaroo Island vegetation.

References

External links

Western River Wilderness Protection Area webpage on protected planet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Western River Wilderness Protection Area Protected areas of Kangaroo Island Wilderness areas of South Australia 1971 establishments in Australia Protected areas established in 1971 South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate