Little Desert National Park
Encyclopedia
The Little Desert National Park is in Victoria
, Australia, 375 kilometres west of Melbourne. It extends from the Wimmera River
in the east to near Naracoorte
over the South Australia
n border in the west.
bushland, and was rich in wildflowers and fauna, including a number of threatened species.
The Little Desert receives an annual rainfall of about 480 millimetres (19 inches), though there is a gradient from 400 millimetres (16 inches) in the east to 600 millimetres (23.5 inches) near Naracoorte. This is about the same as the dry farming country surrounding the park, but the Little Desert has very deep sandy soils, which are much lower in essential nutrients than the (only moderately fertile) clay soils used for agriculture. These sandy soils have extraordinarily low contents of available nutrient
s and hold water very poorly, reducing the availability of water to plants. Thus, farming of the area proved quite impossible until deficiencies of zinc
, copper
and molybdenum
were identified in the 1940s.
Even after fertilizer
s containing these elements became available, studies made by the Victorian government during the 1950s and 1960s showed that the Little Desert was not capable of becoming productive farmland and would fetch only low prices if cleared for agriculture. Local opposition to selling the land for farming was intense, and quickly gathered support around Victoria. The Bolte Government
was initially unmoved by environmental concerns. Public outrage over the proposed subdivision resulted in the responsible minister losing his safe seat in a by-election. The Little Desert debate galvanised Victoria's conservation movement into forming a peak body, the Conservation Council of Victoria and the conservative Victorian government of Henry Bolte
to adopt environmental policies, such as establishing the Land Conservation Council to systematically and independently review all future public land use across the state. The architect of the Land Conservation Council was the newly appointed Minister of Lands, Conservation and Soldier Settlement, William Borthwick
who supported retaining the area as a nature reserve.
Over time, the Little Desert became a national park, beginning in 1968 with the eastern third. After the region was finally investigated by the Land Conservation Council in 1986 two more blocks to the west were added, thus covering all the sandy areas up to the South Australian border.
The vegetation of the park ranges from pure mallee heathland in the Eastern Block to cypress pine and casuarina woodlands in the moister Western Block. In the Western Block, there are large areas of seasonal swamp
land formed over claypans. Laterite
s are scattered throughout the sandy areas of the park and characterised by broombush. Brush-tailed possum
s and Grey kangaroos are common throughout the park, and lizards can be observed basking in the sun.
, the only mound-building bird to live in an arid region. There is also the solitary insectivorous Southern Scrub-robin
. The Little Desert has been identified by BirdLife International
as an Important Bird Area
(IBA) because it supports populations of Malleefowl and Diamond Firetail
s.
Roads within the park are only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles and most tracks in the Central and Western Blocks are closed from 1 June to 31 October or after wet weather because four-wheel-drives can damage the extraordinarily fragile ecosystems under wet conditions. Organised tours are available to the Eastern Block – the oldest and most accessible part of the park – from Melbourne and Dimboola, the nearest town in Victoria.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia, 375 kilometres west of Melbourne. It extends from the Wimmera River
Wimmera River
The Wimmera River is a river in Western Victoria, Australia. It begins in the Pyrenees, and flows into Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, although in many years flows do not reach these terminal lakes and the river contracts to a series of pools of varying sizes...
in the east to near Naracoorte
Naracoorte, South Australia
Naracoorte is a town in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, approximately 336 kilometres south east of Adelaide and 100 kilometres north of Mount Gambier on the Riddoch Highway .-History:...
over the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n border in the west.
History
The park was established in the late 1960s after the Victorian state government announced an intention to subdivide eighty thousand hectares of Crown Land in the region for agriculture. The area in question held a great deal of relatively undisturbed malleeMallee Woodlands and Shrublands
Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is a Major Vegetation Group which occurs in semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The vegetation is dominated by mallee eucalypts which are rarely over 6 metres high...
bushland, and was rich in wildflowers and fauna, including a number of threatened species.
The Little Desert receives an annual rainfall of about 480 millimetres (19 inches), though there is a gradient from 400 millimetres (16 inches) in the east to 600 millimetres (23.5 inches) near Naracoorte. This is about the same as the dry farming country surrounding the park, but the Little Desert has very deep sandy soils, which are much lower in essential nutrients than the (only moderately fertile) clay soils used for agriculture. These sandy soils have extraordinarily low contents of available nutrient
Nutrient
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
s and hold water very poorly, reducing the availability of water to plants. Thus, farming of the area proved quite impossible until deficiencies of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
were identified in the 1940s.
Even after fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s containing these elements became available, studies made by the Victorian government during the 1950s and 1960s showed that the Little Desert was not capable of becoming productive farmland and would fetch only low prices if cleared for agriculture. Local opposition to selling the land for farming was intense, and quickly gathered support around Victoria. The Bolte Government
Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG was an Australian politician. He was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria.- Early years :...
was initially unmoved by environmental concerns. Public outrage over the proposed subdivision resulted in the responsible minister losing his safe seat in a by-election. The Little Desert debate galvanised Victoria's conservation movement into forming a peak body, the Conservation Council of Victoria and the conservative Victorian government of Henry Bolte
Henry Bolte
Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG was an Australian politician. He was the 38th and longest serving Premier of Victoria.- Early years :...
to adopt environmental policies, such as establishing the Land Conservation Council to systematically and independently review all future public land use across the state. The architect of the Land Conservation Council was the newly appointed Minister of Lands, Conservation and Soldier Settlement, William Borthwick
William Borthwick
William Borthwick was mayor of Ottawa from 1895 to 1896.He was born near Mer Bleue in Gloucester Township in 1848. He went to California in 1868 and worked in the timber trade there. He returned to Ottawa in 1872 and opened a grocery store...
who supported retaining the area as a nature reserve.
Over time, the Little Desert became a national park, beginning in 1968 with the eastern third. After the region was finally investigated by the Land Conservation Council in 1986 two more blocks to the west were added, thus covering all the sandy areas up to the South Australian border.
Flora and fauna
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
land formed over claypans. Laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
s are scattered throughout the sandy areas of the park and characterised by broombush. Brush-tailed possum
Common Brushtail Possum
The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
s and Grey kangaroos are common throughout the park, and lizards can be observed basking in the sun.
Birds
The most famous animal in the park is the unusual MalleefowlMalleefowl
The Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken...
, the only mound-building bird to live in an arid region. There is also the solitary insectivorous Southern Scrub-robin
Southern Scrub-robin
The Southern Scrub-robin is a species of bird in the Petroicidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
. The Little Desert has been identified by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
as an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA) because it supports populations of Malleefowl and Diamond Firetail
Diamond Firetail
The Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata is a species of estrildid finch found in eastern Australia, from Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, to south-eastern Queensland, commonly found on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range. The bird lives in eucalypt forest and woodland, mallee country,...
s.
Description
The Little Desert National Park is divided into three sections: Western Block, Central Block and Eastern Block.Roads within the park are only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles and most tracks in the Central and Western Blocks are closed from 1 June to 31 October or after wet weather because four-wheel-drives can damage the extraordinarily fragile ecosystems under wet conditions. Organised tours are available to the Eastern Block – the oldest and most accessible part of the park – from Melbourne and Dimboola, the nearest town in Victoria.
See also
- Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the smallest mainland state in Australia. It contains 1966 separate Protected Areas with a total land area of 33,780 km² . Of these, 36 are National parks, totalling 25,774 km² ....