Wyperfeld National Park

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Wyperfeld National Park
"Snowdrift" sand dune in the otherwise flat Wyperfield National Park (2001)
"Snowdrift" sand dune in the otherwise flat Wyperfield National Park (2001)
Wyperfeld National Park (Victoria)
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Coordinates: 35 ° 23 ′ 21 ″  S , 141 ° 52 ′ 37 ″  E
Location: Victoria , Australia
Specialty: Sand dunes, light forest, bushland, heathland
Next city: Hopetown
Surface: 3570.17 km²
Founding: 1921
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The Wyperfeld National Park is a national park in the northwest of the Australian state of Victoria , 450 km north-west of Melbourne , 265 km west of Echuca and 160 km south of Mildura . With 3,500 km² it is the third largest national park in Victoria. In the park, which was designated in 1921 and has been significantly expanded since then, you will find scrubland, light forests and heathland.

Like most of north-western Victoria, the area of ​​Wyperfeld National Park was covered by a shallow sea from around 25 million years ago to more recent geological times. The landforms we see today emerged when the sea slowly retreated, leaving behind a lot of sandy debris. This resulted in sand dunes around 15,000–40,000 years ago.

In rainy years fills Wimmera River to Lake Hindmarsh south of the park. This overflows into Outlet Creek , which in turn fills Lake Albacutya on the southern edge of the park. From there the Outlet Creek - if it rains enough - continues to a number of small lakes in the park, which ensure a rich plant and animal life in the eucalyptus forests (mainly the species Black Box and River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)).

Before European colonization began, these lakes filled and emptied on average every 20 years, remaining dry for about half of that time. Recently, however, so much water has been diverted from the Wyperfeld National Park through irrigation and drainage projects that the lakes have not been completely filled since 1975 and dried up again two years later.

To the west of the national park are the Big Desert Wilderness Park and the Red Bluff Nature Reserve , which extend to the border with South Australia . With these parks, the Wyperfeld National Park shares an area called the Big Desert (in contrast to the Little Desert ) further south on the upper reaches of the Wimmera River. All roads in the park are unpaved.

Web links

Wyperfield National Park . Parks Victoria

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing Pty. Ltd. Archerfield QLD (2007). ISBN 978174193232-4 . P. 46