Tasman National Park
Encyclopedia
Tasman National Park is located in eastern Tasmania
, Australia
, 56 kilometres east of Hobart
.
The park was proclaimed under the Regional Forest Agreement
on 30 April 1999. The Tasman Island Lighthouse
(constructed in 1906) is located on Tasman Island
, which is part of the park. This lighthouse and weather station
has been unmanned since 1977.
, the columnar dolerite
cliffs at Cape Pillar and Tasman Island are among the highest in the world. Dolerite is a rare rock type on mainland Australia. Land formations accessible by road include the Blowhole (a hole at the inland end of a sea cave
, Devil's Kitchen and Waterfall Bay. Dolerite formations which are more easily viewed from the ocean include Cathedral Rock, Totem Pole, Candlestick, and Tasmans Arch.
(a semi-parasitic
, herbaceous
flowering plant
commonly known as eyebright) are found only in Tasman National Park. The rare Cape Pillar Sheoak
is a shrub or small tree found only in the Tasman National Park where it is restricted to the Cape Pillar area of the Tasman Peninsula and to Tasman Island.
s (sometimes referred to as "blue penguins" or "fairy penguins") nest along the foreshore.
The park forms part of the South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area
, identified as such by BirdLife International
because of its importance in the conservation of a range of woodland birds, especially the endangered Swift Parrot
and Forty-spotted Pardalote
.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, 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...
, 56 kilometres east of Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
.
History
Regional Forest Agreement
The Regional Forest Agreements are 20 year plans for the conservation and sustainable management of Australia's native forests, and are intended to provide certainty to commercial forestry operations while protecting environmental values. The 10 RFA's were progressively signed between 1997 and 2001...
on 30 April 1999. The Tasman Island Lighthouse
Tasman Island Lighthouse
The Tasman Island Lighthouse is on Tasman Island off the coast of south-eastern Tasmania, Australia. It was one of the most isolated lighthouses in Australia. It was built in 1906, automated in 1976 and demanned in 1977. The island is now part of the Tasman National Park...
(constructed in 1906) is located on Tasman Island
Tasman Island
Tasman Island is an oval island, with an area of 1.2 km2, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Tasman Island Group, lying close to the south-eastern coast of Tasmania around the Tasman Peninsula, and is in the Tasman National Park. It is a plateau surrounded by steep dolerite cliffs,...
, which is part of the park. This lighthouse and weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
has been unmanned since 1977.
Geography
At 300 meters aslAbove mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, the columnar dolerite
Diabase
Diabase or dolerite is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. In North American usage, the term diabase refers to the fresh rock, whilst elsewhere the term dolerite is used for the fresh rock and diabase refers to altered material...
cliffs at Cape Pillar and Tasman Island are among the highest in the world. Dolerite is a rare rock type on mainland Australia. Land formations accessible by road include the Blowhole (a hole at the inland end of a sea cave
Blowhole (geology)
In geology, a blowhole is formed as sea caves grow landwards and upwards into vertical shafts and expose themselves towards the surface, which can result in blasts of water from the top of the blowhole if the geometry of the cave and blowhole and state of the weather are appropriate.A blowhole is...
, Devil's Kitchen and Waterfall Bay. Dolerite formations which are more easily viewed from the ocean include Cathedral Rock, Totem Pole, Candlestick, and Tasmans Arch.
Flora
Three species of EuphrasiaEuphrasia
Euphrasia is a genus of about 450 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae , with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are semi-parasitic on grasses and other plants...
(a semi-parasitic
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
, herbaceous
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
commonly known as eyebright) are found only in Tasman National Park. The rare Cape Pillar Sheoak
Allocasuarina crassa
Allocasuarina crassa, commonly known as the Cape Pillar Sheoak, is a species of sheoak native to Australia.-Description:Allocasuarina crassa may vary in form from a prostrate shrub to a tree growing up to 14 m high. Its articles are 10-26 mm long and 1.2-4 mm in diameter, with...
is a shrub or small tree found only in the Tasman National Park where it is restricted to the Cape Pillar area of the Tasman Peninsula and to Tasman Island.
Fauna
Australian Fur Seals use the coastline for breeding and resting, and Little PenguinLittle Penguin
The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...
s (sometimes referred to as "blue penguins" or "fairy penguins") nest along the foreshore.
The park forms part of the South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area
South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area
The South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area encompasses much of the land retaining forest and woodland habitats, suitable for breeding Swift Parrots and Forty-spotted Pardalotes, from Orford to Recherche Bay in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia.-Description:...
, identified as such 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...
because of its importance in the conservation of a range of woodland birds, especially the endangered Swift Parrot
Swift Parrot
The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet...
and Forty-spotted Pardalote
Forty-spotted Pardalote
The Forty-spotted Pardalote is one of Australia's rarest birds and by far the rarest pardalote, being confined to the south-east corner of Tasmania.-Description:...
.