Murray Sunset National Park

Murray Sunset National Park
	Entrance on the south
Location:	Victoria , Australia
Specialty:	Untouched semi-arid landscape
Next city:	Mildura , Renmark
Surface:	6330 km²
Founding:	1991
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The Murray-Sunset National Park is with an area of 6,330 square kilometers the second largest national park in Victoria , Australia and is located about 450 kilometers northwest of Melbourne. In the north the park is bounded by the Murray River , from which it got its name, in the west the park ends on the border with South Australia .

The park was created in 1991 after around 65% of the original vegetation had been cut down by then. An expansion followed in 1999 when the park was connected to the Pink Lakes National Park.

Flora and fauna

Male red giant kangaroo in Murray Sunset NP

Monitor lizard in Murray Sunset NP

The vegetation of the Murray Sunset is mainly characterized by mallee vegetation. Mallees are eucalyptus species that are often mistaken for bushes due to their low, multi-stemmed growth, but are actually trees that are well adapted to arid climates. Extensive meadow areas with Stipa spartea ("Porcupine grass"), a hard awl grass , are also typical of the region. In spring, the park presents numerous flowering plants, including the Murray lily ( Crinium flaccidum ), one of the largest flowers in Australia with a flower diameter of up to 15 centimeters .

Bushfires are common in summer and necessary for vegetation to develop. In recent years, however, due to drought, large bushfires have increased in the park, some of which span hundreds of hectares and threaten the habitats of the rare bird species for which the Murray Sunset is particularly known. The Mallee bristle tail ( Stipiturus mallee , English: Mallee Emuwren ) has one of its last retreats here, as does the Mallee chatterbox ( Manorina melanotis , English: Black-eared miner ), a bee-eater species that was settled here in 2000. A less rare, but characteristic and interesting bird in the park is the thermometer chicken ( Leipoa ocellata , English: Malleefowl ). Wedge-tailed eagles ( Aquila audax ) and emus are some of the park's most striking large birds.

Reptiles are plentiful in the park, and various species of bearded dragons and monitor lizards are common. The Murray Sunset National Park is one of the few areas of Victoria, in which, in addition to other kangaroo species, red giant kangaroos ( Macropus rufus ) are numerous. The populations are so large that farmers in the region are calling for greater herd decimation.

As in much of Australia, animal species introduced by Europeans, such as foxes or feral domestic animals, are a threat to the ecological system in Murray Sunset National Park. For this reason, populations of immigrant species have been culled in the park since 2003 , often free of charge by private hunters and sport shooters. Between 2003 and 2006 alone, 500 wild goats were shot.

Pink Lakes

Pink Lakes in mid-summer (December)

The Pink Lakes in the extreme south of Murray Sunset are four lakes that are fed by saline groundwater. In the semi-arid climate of the park, the lakes dry out through evaporation in the summer months and are then partially or completely covered by a layer of salt. The lakes get their name from the characteristic coloring of this layer, which occurs when algae ( Dunaliella salina ) resident in the lakes increasingly secrete beta-carotene as the salt content increases. The color is most evident at the end of summer when the sky is cloudy or at dusk; in bright sunlight the salt crust of the lakes otherwise appears more white and less colored.

The salt of the lakes was used commercially from 1916 and initially transported by camels . It was later transported to the Linga settlement via a railway line , which fell into disrepair after dismantling in 1975.

Lindsay Island

Ford in the Lindsay Island area

The area around Lindsay Island differs significantly from the central and southern parts of the park with dry sandy soils due to its proximity to the Murray River as a floodplain with loamy soils. Numerous watercourses crisscross the area, many of which dry out into billabongs in the summer months .

The vegetation is made up of other eucalyptus species with higher water requirements, is taller and denser and provides breeding grounds for parrot species. Waterfowl such as pelicans and herons are numerous, and the largest kangaroo populations are also found in these northern areas of the park.

Transport links

Slope near Pink Lakes

The outskirts of the park have good transport links and are easily accessible by car in dry weather. In the south, the Mallee Highway runs parallel to the park boundary, and a partly sandy but well-developed slope leads to the Pink Lakes. In the east, the Calder Highway touches the park area, the northern part can be reached via the Sturt Highway , although the area around Lindsay Island can only be reached in very dry weather without an all-terrain vehicle. When it rains, the way back can quickly become impassable. The central areas of the park can only be reached with 4WD on partly deep sandy slopes. In particular, crossing the Murray Sunset Wilderness Area west of the Underbool track should only be attempted with suitable vehicles and good equipment, as the remote area is not without danger even for experienced bush walkers.

In many parts of the park it is not possible to communicate with cell phones.