Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
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| Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park | |
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| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
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| Nearest town/city: | Strathgordon |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 4463.42 km² |
| Visitation: | ? (in ?) |
| Managing authorities: | Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Official site: | Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park |
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania (Australia), 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River.
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[edit] Location
The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park lies between the Central Highlands and West Coast Range of Tasmania in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area - the Lyell Highway.
[edit] History
The genesis of the Wild Rivers National Park was in the earlier Frenchmans Cap National Park which had the Franklin River as its boundary on the northern and western borders. Frenchmans Cap is a dominant feature in the region, and can be seen on the skyline from the west and north of the park.
The Gordon and Franklin Rivers were the subject of one of Australia's largest conservation battles - the battle to save the Gordon River from being dammed for a hydro-electric scheme.
The Franklin Dam was part of a proposed hydro-electric power scheme that had been in the plans of The Hydro for some time. But it was the enthusiastic endorsement by Robin Gray's Liberal Government which would have seen the river flooded. It became a national issue for the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, led by its director at the time, Bob Brown.
[edit] Access Points
The Lyell Highway winds for 56 kilometres through the heart of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.
