Collier Range National Park
Encyclopedia
Collier Range National Park is a national park in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, 878 km (545.6 mi) northeast of Perth
.
The nearest major town to the park is Newman
located about 166 km (103.1 mi) north near Kumarina. The park is one of many in the Pilbara and was established in 1978.
The ranges vary from low hills to high ridges with many cliffs. The vegetation found in the area is mostly spinifex
and mulga
with creeklines being surrounded by eucalypt
s. Mulga scrub and mulla mulla are found in dense scrubland in the northeastern plains with spinifex and sand dunes being found in the western end.
The park is the home of the rare Pilbara Pebble-Mound Mouse Pseudomys chapmani which is also found in the Millstream-Chichester National Park
and the Karlamilyi National Park.
The mulgara
habitat is a refuge for the critical weight range mammals such as Macrotis lagotis
, Dasycercus crassicaudata and Dasyurids.
The standard of management in the park is poor and is only visited occasionally by Department of Environment and Conservation staff from Karratha
. The park is baited
for wild dogs but suffers damage from feral
donkey
s and wandering cattle. No fire management is in practice and weed probems are unknown.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, 878 km (545.6 mi) northeast of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
The nearest major town to the park is Newman
Newman, Western Australia
Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway...
located about 166 km (103.1 mi) north near Kumarina. The park is one of many in the Pilbara and was established in 1978.
The ranges vary from low hills to high ridges with many cliffs. The vegetation found in the area is mostly spinifex
Triodia (plant genus)
Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...
and mulga
Mulga
Acacia aneura, commonly known as Mulga or True Mulga, is a shrub or small tree native to arid outback Australia of areas such as the Western Australian Mulga shrublands.-Description:...
with creeklines being surrounded by eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
s. Mulga scrub and mulla mulla are found in dense scrubland in the northeastern plains with spinifex and sand dunes being found in the western end.
The park is the home of the rare Pilbara Pebble-Mound Mouse Pseudomys chapmani which is also found in the Millstream-Chichester National Park
Millstream-Chichester National Park
Millstream Chichester National Park is a national park in the Pilbara region of Western Australia , and is located north of the state capital, Perth....
and the Karlamilyi National Park.
The mulgara
Mulgara
Mulgaras are the two species in the genus Dasycercus. They are marsupial carnivores, closely related to the Tasmanian Devil and the quolls, that live in deserts and spinifex bush of central Australia. They are 12.5–22 cm long with a 7–13 cm tail. They are nocturnal but occasionally...
habitat is a refuge for the critical weight range mammals such as Macrotis lagotis
Bilby
Bilbies are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. Before European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. One became extinct in the 1950s; the other survives but remains endangered....
, Dasycercus crassicaudata and Dasyurids.
The standard of management in the park is poor and is only visited occasionally by Department of Environment and Conservation staff from Karratha
Karratha, Western Australia
-Facilities:A range of hotel, motel, B&B and caravan/RV accommodation is available for visitors. However, as the town is booming, accommodation is often hard to come by.The town has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs...
. The park is baited
Bait (luring substance)
Bait is any substance used to attract prey, e.g. in a mousetrap.-In Australia:Baiting in Australia refers to specific campaigns to control foxes, wild dogs and dingos by poisoning in areas where they are a problem...
for wild dogs but suffers damage from feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s and wandering cattle. No fire management is in practice and weed probems are unknown.