Yanchep National Park
Encyclopedia
Yanchep is a national park in Western Australia
(Australia
), 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of Perth
. The park is noted for its caves, native bush and koala
colonies. It also offers cultural educational programmes offered in partnership with the local Nyoongar aboriginal
people.
prior to the arrival of Europeans. The tribal name for the park is Nyanyi-Yandjip named after the reeds and lake which were thought to resemble the hairy mane of the dreamtime
creature the Waugul
.
The word Yanchep is derived from Yandjip or Yanget which is the aboriginal name for the local bulrush
reed
found fringing the lakes in the area.
The first Europe
an visitor arrived in 1834 when John Butler, a farmer, came in search of his lost cattle and noted the presence of the lakes, wetlands and plentiful game. While in the area Butler was geeted by the men of the Yellagonga peoples who inhabited the area.
Lieutenant George Grey
travelled through the area in 1838 and made note of the remarkable caves he found in the area.
Surveyor John Septimus Roe
and Governor John Hutt
visited the caves in the park in 1841.
A road survey was conducted near Loch McNess in 1862 and later in 1865 a stock route was built through the area that was later used by drover
s.
The first settler to arrive in the area was Henry White who arrived in 1901 and built his house near the north west shore of Yonderup Lake, he was later appointed as a caretaker and guide in 1903.
s, Paperbark, Tuart, Marri
, Sheoak
and stunted Jarrah are found in the woodland areas. Wildflowers including Parrot Bush, Yanchep Rose, Catspaw
and Kangaroo paw
are also found.
The park provides habitat for several species of native mammal, including the Quenda, Western Grey Kangaroo
and Black-glove Wallaby
. It lies within the Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area
, so identified by BirdLife International
because of its importance in supporting several thousand Short-billed Black Cockatoos during the non-breeding season.
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...
), 42 kilometres (26 mi) north 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 park is noted for its caves, native bush and koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
colonies. It also offers cultural educational programmes offered in partnership with the local Nyoongar aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people.
History
The area was inhabited and was a noted hunting site for thousands of years by Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
prior to the arrival of Europeans. The tribal name for the park is Nyanyi-Yandjip named after the reeds and lake which were thought to resemble the hairy mane of the dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
creature the Waugul
Wagyl
The Wagyl is, according to Noongar culture, a snakelike dreamtime creature responsible for the creation of the Swan and Canning Rivers and other waterways and landforms around present day Perth and the south-west of Western AustraliaA superior being, the Rainbow Serpent created the universe and...
.
The word Yanchep is derived from Yandjip or Yanget which is the aboriginal name for the local bulrush
Typha
Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
reed
Reed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
found fringing the lakes in the area.
The first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an visitor arrived in 1834 when John Butler, a farmer, came in search of his lost cattle and noted the presence of the lakes, wetlands and plentiful game. While in the area Butler was geeted by the men of the Yellagonga peoples who inhabited the area.
Lieutenant George Grey
George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
travelled through the area in 1838 and made note of the remarkable caves he found in the area.
Surveyor John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...
and Governor John Hutt
John Hutt
John Hutt was Governor of Western Australia from 1839 to 1846.Born in London on 24 July 1795, John Hutt was the fourth of 13 children of Richard Hutt of Appley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, and in 1815 inherited Appley Towers...
visited the caves in the park in 1841.
A road survey was conducted near Loch McNess in 1862 and later in 1865 a stock route was built through the area that was later used by drover
Drover (Australian)
A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in...
s.
The first settler to arrive in the area was Henry White who arrived in 1901 and built his house near the north west shore of Yonderup Lake, he was later appointed as a caretaker and guide in 1903.
Flora and fauna
The park is home to a diverse rangle of flora and fauna. Trees such as BanksiaBanksia
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...
s, Paperbark, Tuart, Marri
Corymbia calophylla
Corymbia calophylla is a bloodwood native to Western Australia. Common names include Marri and Port Gregory Gum, and a long standing usage has been Red Gum due to the red gum effusions often found on trunks.It is distinctive among bloodwoods for its very large buds and fruit Corymbia calophylla...
, Sheoak
Casuarinaceae
Casuarinaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of 3 or 4 genera and approximately 70 species of trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics , Australia, and the Pacific Islands...
and stunted Jarrah are found in the woodland areas. Wildflowers including Parrot Bush, Yanchep Rose, Catspaw
Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos is a small genus of Australian plants in the Bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and several subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw and catspaw depending on the shape of their flowers...
and Kangaroo paw
Kangaroo paw
Kangaroo paw is a common name for a number of species, in two genera of the family Haemodoraceae, that are endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. These perennial plants are noted for their unique bird attracting flowers...
are also found.
The park provides habitat for several species of native mammal, including the Quenda, 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...
and Black-glove Wallaby
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:...
. It lies within the Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area
Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area
The Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area comprises a 2307 km2 tract of land in south-west Western Australia.-Description:The Important Bird Area stretches from the city of Perth northwards along the coast to the town of Guilderton, extending inland for about 40 km, thereby...
, so 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...
because of its importance in supporting several thousand Short-billed Black Cockatoos during the non-breeding season.