Sturt National Park
Encyclopedia
Sturt National Park is in the arid north-western corner of New South Wales
, Australia
, 1059 km northwest of Sydney. Established in 1972, the park is named after explorer Charles Sturt
. It covers more than 340 000 hectares and is one of the largest national parks in the state. The park features typical outback
scenery of flat, reddish-brown landscapes. It was resumed from five pastoral properties. Sturt National Park was featured in British documentary called Planet Earth
. The Dingo Fence
was built along the national park's northern boundary.
and western grey kangaroo
s. Plants consist mostly of mulga
bushland and arid shrubland. After good rain the harsh landscape is transformed by the growth of wildflowers including Sturt's desert pea
.
s and stone relics. There are many walking trails and an extensive network of roads. Most roads in the park are gravel with some sandy stretches and can be driven on with a conventional vehicle. A 4WD vehicle is needed after heavy rains.
In the east of the park are flood plains, dotted with occasional trees which then give way to small rocky gorges and creek beds. Located here is Mount Wood, Gorge Lookout and the Mount Wood camping ground.
Towards the middle of the park, The Olive Downs, or "Jump Up" country has flat topped mesa
s rising up to 150 metres above the surrounding plains, granite outcrops and flat valleys. The Jump Ups are the remains of an ancient mountain range
. The park's second camping site called Dead Horse Gully camping ground is located here. Amongst the boulders north of Tibooburra
is another camping ground. All camp grounds have toilets, gas barbecues and water provided.
In the far west of the National Park, the gibber plains are replaced by sandhill
s of the Strzelecki Desert
. Cameron Corner is a remote but popular tourist destination where the states of New South Wales, South Australia
and Queensland
meet. Also in this part of the park is Fort Grey—the fourth camp ground and a heritage site. The holding yards visible here and a remnant from the explorer Charles Sturt
. The fort is a stockade
that was built to protect Sturt's supplies and prevent the exploration party's sheep from wandering away. While searching for a fabled inland sea, Captain Charles Sturt, after whom the park is named, spent a year in the area.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
, 1059 km northwest of Sydney. Established in 1972, the park is named after explorer Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...
. It covers more than 340 000 hectares and is one of the largest national parks in the state. The park features typical outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
scenery of flat, reddish-brown landscapes. It was resumed from five pastoral properties. Sturt National Park was featured in British documentary called Planet Earth
Planet Earth (TV series)
Planet Earth is a 2006 television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and also the first to be filmed in high definition...
. The Dingo Fence
Dingo Fence
The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the...
was built along the national park's northern boundary.
Flora and fauna
The park contains large populations of both redRed Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.-Description:This species is a very...
and 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. Plants consist mostly of 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:...
bushland and arid shrubland. After good rain the harsh landscape is transformed by the growth of wildflowers including Sturt's desert pea
Sturt's desert pea
Swainsona formosa, Sturt's Desert Pea, is an Australian plant in the genus Swainsona, named after English botanist Isaac Swainson, famous for its distinctive blood-red leaf-like flowers, each with a bulbous black centre, or "boss". It is one of Australia's best known wildflowers...
.
Attractions
The park contains aboriginal middenMidden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
s and stone relics. There are many walking trails and an extensive network of roads. Most roads in the park are gravel with some sandy stretches and can be driven on with a conventional vehicle. A 4WD vehicle is needed after heavy rains.
In the east of the park are flood plains, dotted with occasional trees which then give way to small rocky gorges and creek beds. Located here is Mount Wood, Gorge Lookout and the Mount Wood camping ground.
Towards the middle of the park, The Olive Downs, or "Jump Up" country has flat topped mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
s rising up to 150 metres above the surrounding plains, granite outcrops and flat valleys. The Jump Ups are the remains of an ancient mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
. The park's second camping site called Dead Horse Gully camping ground is located here. Amongst the boulders north of Tibooburra
Tibooburra, New South Wales
Tibooburra has an arid, desert climate with temperatures soaring above 40°Celsius in summer, often reaching as high as 47°C . Temperatures are milder in winter, averaging around 20°C in the daytime. These extreme temperatures make Tibooburra the hottest town in New South Wales, as reported on...
is another camping ground. All camp grounds have toilets, gas barbecues and water provided.
In the far west of the National Park, the gibber plains are replaced by sandhill
Sandhill
A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.Entisols are the typical...
s of the Strzelecki Desert
Strzelecki Desert
The Strzelecki Desert is located in the Far North Region of South Australia, southwest Queensland and western New South Wales. It is positioned in the northeast of the Lake Eyre Basin, and north of the Flinders Ranges. Two other deserts occupy the Lake Eyre Basin—the Tirari Desert and the...
. Cameron Corner is a remote but popular tourist destination where the states of New South Wales, 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...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
meet. Also in this part of the park is Fort Grey—the fourth camp ground and a heritage site. The holding yards visible here and a remnant from the explorer Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...
. The fort is a stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
that was built to protect Sturt's supplies and prevent the exploration party's sheep from wandering away. While searching for a fabled inland sea, Captain Charles Sturt, after whom the park is named, spent a year in the area.