Drysdale River National Park

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Drysdale River National Park
Drysdale River National Park (Western Australia)
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Coordinates: 15 ° 9 ′ 41 ″  S , 126 ° 46 ′ 35 ″  E
Location: Western Australia , Australia
Specialty: Rare flora and fauna
Next city: Wyndham
Surface: 4,483 km²
Founding: September 27, 1974
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The 4,483 km² Drysdale River National Park is located in the northern Kimberley region in northern Western Australia . It is located approximately 100 km south of Kalumburu and 150 km west of Wyndham .

This largely inaccessible park is the largest in the Kimberley . It is not crossed by a public road, nor does it have a runway or tourist infrastructure. It is the best example of the untouched nature in the Kimberleys. The national park can be reached from the Carson River Station on Kalumburu Road . A permit from the Kalumburu Aborigine Organization is required to enter the park , as there are no marked paths in the pristine park area in the Kimberley region.

geography

In the park there are pristine forests, valleys and temporarily drying rivers with waterfalls and holes on sandstone. The Drysdale River is the longest river in the national park, 15% of its catchment area is within the park's boundaries. In addition to numerous waterfalls along the Drysdale River, the largest are the Morgan Falls and the Solea Falls .

Flora and fauna

The national park is located at the transition between the sub-humid northwest and the semi-arid eastern Kimberleys. The vegetation consists of low, open bush or woodland, partly with undergrowth of spinifex and climbing plants.

Nearly 600 different plant species are documented in Drysdale River National Park, including 30 swamp and aquatic plant species. Sweet grasses ( Poaceae ) and myrtle plants (Myrtaceae), which also include the eucalyptus , are omnipresent . Of the 537 flowering plants, 64 genera from 22 families belong to the monocots and 229 genera from 77 families to the dicotyledonous plants. There are also 15 types of mushrooms , 2 types of mosses , 25 types of ferns and ferns and one type of naked-seeded plants in the park .

The Drysdale River National Park is home to around 280 species of vertebrates, including 28 species of mammals such as wallabies , short-headed gliders , 18 species of bats, and 129 species of birds, including the green-winged pigeon and the silverback butcher bird ( Cracticus argenteus ). 47 reptile species ( saltwater crocodiles , turtles, monitor lizards (goannas), phytons and other poisonous and non-poisonous snakes) and 13 frog species live in the park . With 26 species, the freshwater fish in the park form a biodiversity hotspot in Australia with catfish , rainbow fish , half-beaked , grunts and cardinalfish . Furthermore, 34 species of freshwater and terrestrial mollusks ( molluscs ) were found. The number of species of insects is put at more than 2,400.

native people

Drysdale River National Park holds some of the earliest human traces in Australia. The Aboriginal rock carvings ( Bradshaw figures and Wondjina paintings) are dated between 10 and 40,000 years ago. Many works of art can be found on the banks of the Drysdale River. The well-preserved paintings form an important part of the cultural history of Australia.

history

The first European (CA Burrows) is said to have explored the area of ​​today's park as early as 1886. Further expeditions followed in 1901, 1903, 1911–1912, 1921 and 1954. In the last extensive expedition, the first passable runway from the Gibb River Station to Kalumburu was created and the Morgan Falls discovered.

The Drysdale River National Park was officially established on September 27, 1974. The current boundaries were proposed as early as 1955 by the Australian Academy of Science Committee on National Parks , and in 1969 the area was recommended to be protected as a national park “for the conservation of flora and fauna and the protection of Aboriginal sites”. The plans of the nature conservation authority were not supported by the mining authority of the government, so that the national park could not be established until a few years later.

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