Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
Encyclopedia
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia
(Australia
), 267 km south of Perth
.
It is named after the two locations at either end of the park which have lighthouses, Cape Leeuwin
and Cape Naturaliste
.
It is located in the Augusta-Margaret River and Busselton council areas, and is claimed to have the highest visiting numbers of any national park in Western Australia.
It has significant stands of karri
and jarrah forest, as well as an extensive network of cave
s - some of which are accessible by the public.
The rugged coastline stretches 120 km from the northern end at Bunker Bay to Augusta
at the southern end and has many features of interest including the granite
formations, sugarloaf rock and canal rocks. The coastal area also contains many beaches with well known surf breaks such as Supertubes
, Yallingup beach and Smiths Beach.
The vegetation found in the park varies from the coastal scrub-heath along the coastline that opens up into large areas of peppermint trees, banksia
and karri
forest.
A large variety of bird species inhabit the park including many sea birds, Red-eared Firetail
, White-breasted Robin
, Rock Parrot
and Emu
. Native mammal
s that can be found within the park include Southern Brown Bandicoot
s, western grey kangaroo
s, Common Ringtail Possum
and brush-tailed wallabies
.
Since then many competing land uses have created a complex land management scenario for state and local government authorities trying to mediate quite conflicting issues. The national park is located on the some of the most vulnerable land in the region.
The ridges geology and the variations in vegetation are confined to a number of very narrow bands that follow the north–south orientation of the ridge.
The ridge has a whole series of caves that run the length of the ridge. It also has the cave known as Devil's Lair
which has important archaeological significance.
In 2001, the Department of Environment and Conservation (DCE) opened the Cape to Cape Track
, a 135 kilometre walking track along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge.
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...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), 267 km south 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....
.
It is named after the two locations at either end of the park which have lighthouses, Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
and Cape Naturaliste
Cape Naturaliste
Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia at the western edge of the Geographe Bay. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge which was named after the cape...
.
It is located in the Augusta-Margaret River and Busselton council areas, and is claimed to have the highest visiting numbers of any national park in Western Australia.
It has significant stands of karri
Karri
Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as the Karri, is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south west of Western Australia.-Description:...
and jarrah forest, as well as an extensive network of cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s - some of which are accessible by the public.
The rugged coastline stretches 120 km from the northern end at Bunker Bay to Augusta
Augusta, Western Australia
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...
at the southern end and has many features of interest including the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
formations, sugarloaf rock and canal rocks. The coastal area also contains many beaches with well known surf breaks such as Supertubes
Supertubes
Supertubes , is a popular surf break found on the south-west coast of Western Australia. It is located on Smiths Beach, which is near the town of Yallingup.Supertubes has hosted many local competitions over the years...
, Yallingup beach and Smiths Beach.
The vegetation found in the park varies from the coastal scrub-heath along the coastline that opens up into large areas of peppermint trees, banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
and karri
Karri
Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as the Karri, is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south west of Western Australia.-Description:...
forest.
A large variety of bird species inhabit the park including many sea birds, Red-eared Firetail
Red-eared Firetail
The Red-eared Firetail is a species of estrildid finch found in the forests and coastal thickets of south-western Australia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 20,000 - 50,000 km². The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern.-References:...
, White-breasted Robin
White-breasted Robin
The White-breasted Robin is a species of bird in the Petroicidae family. It is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. Unlike many other Australian robins, it lacks bright colours in its plumage, being a predominantly greyish bird with white underparts. Like many other Australian passerines...
, Rock Parrot
Rock Parrot
The Rock Parrot , also known as the Rock Elegant, is a parrot which is endemic to coastal South Australia, southern Western Australia, and that continent's offshore islands, including Rottnest Island. It is a small, predominantly olive-green parrot...
and Emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
. Native mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s that can be found within the park include Southern Brown Bandicoot
Southern Brown Bandicoot
The Southern Brown Bandicoot , also known as the Quenda from the local Noongar tongue from South Western Australia, is a short-nosed bandicoot found mostly in southern Australia....
s, western grey kangaroo
Western Grey Kangaroo
The Western Grey Kangaroo is a large and very common kangaroo or macropod, found across almost the entire southern part of Australia, from just south of Shark Bay to coastal South Australia, western Victoria, and the entire Murray-Darling Basin in New South Wales and Queensland...
s, Common Ringtail Possum
Common Ringtail Possum
The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers and fruits. These dietary factors have, over time, aided burgeoning introduced populations in New Zealand...
and brush-tailed wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
.
Leeuwin - Naturaliste Ridge
The national park was created from crown lands along the Leeuwin - Naturaliste ridge at a time after the main primary industries in the region had been dairying and forestry, and when increased land use conflict was arising from the spread of wineries, increased population on hobby farms and other agricultural activities.Since then many competing land uses have created a complex land management scenario for state and local government authorities trying to mediate quite conflicting issues. The national park is located on the some of the most vulnerable land in the region.
The ridges geology and the variations in vegetation are confined to a number of very narrow bands that follow the north–south orientation of the ridge.
The ridge has a whole series of caves that run the length of the ridge. It also has the cave known as Devil's Lair
Devil's Lair
Devil’s Lair is a single-chamber cave with a floor area of around 200 square metres that formed in a Quaternary dune limestone of the Leeuwin–Naturaliste Ridge, 5 kilometres from the modern coastline of Western Australia...
which has important archaeological significance.
Cape to Cape Track
Cape to Cape Track
The Cape to Cape Walk Track is a long-distance walk trail located in the far south-west corner of Western Australia, 250 km south of Perth. It meanders along the whole length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which forms the backbone of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Its start and finish...
, a 135 kilometre walking track along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge.