Sturt National Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sturt National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Nearest town or city Tibooburra
Coordinates 29°05′37″S 141°30′31″E / 29.09361°S 141.50861°E / -29.09361; 141.50861
Area 3106.34 km²
Established 25 February 1972
Managing authorities New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
Official site Sturt National Park

Sturt National Park is in the arid north-western corner of New South Wales, Australia, 1059 km northwest of Sydney. Established in 1972, the park is named after explorer Charles Sturt. It covers more than 340 000 hectares and is one of the largest national parks in the state.[1] The park features typical outback scenery of flat, reddish-brown landscapes.[1] It was resumed from five pastoral properties.[2] Sturt National Park was featured in British documentary called Planet Earth. The Dingo Fence was built along the national park's northern boundary.

Flora and fauna

The park contains large populations of both red and western grey kangaroos.[3] Plants consist mostly of mulga bushland and arid shrubland.[2] After good rain the harsh landscape is transformed by the growth of wildflowers including Sturt's desert pea.[4]

Attractions

The park contains aboriginal middens and stone relics.[4] There are many walking trails and an extensive network of roads. Most roads in the park are gravel with some sandy stretches and can be driven on with a conventional vehicle.[4] A 4WD vehicle is needed after heavy rains.

In the east of the park are flood plains, dotted with occasional trees which then give way to small rocky gorges and creek beds. Located here is Mount Wood, Gorge Lookout and the Mount Wood camping ground.[4]

Towards the middle of the park, The Olive Downs, or "Jump Up" country has flat topped mesas rising up to 150 metres above the surrounding plains, granite outcrops and flat valleys.[1] The Jump Ups are the remains of an ancient mountain range.[1] The park's second camping site called Dead Horse Gully camping ground is located here.[4] Amongst the boulders north of Tibooburra is another camping ground. All camp grounds have toilets, gas barbecues and water provided.[2]

In the far west of the National Park, the gibber plains are replaced by sandhills of the Strzelecki Desert. Cameron Corner is a remote but popular tourist destination where the states of New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland meet. Also in this part of the park is Fort Grey—the fourth camp ground and a heritage site. The holding yards visible here and a remnant from the explorer Charles Sturt.[4] The fort is a stockade that was built to protect Sturt's supplies and prevent the exploration party's sheep from wandering away.[2] While searching for a fabled inland sea, Captain Charles Sturt, after whom the park is named, spent a year in the area.[4] Fort Grey is sited on the edge of the ephemeral, and Ramsar-listed, Lake Pinaroo - an important breeding and drought refuge for waterbirds when it contains water.[5]

Gallery

  • Sturt National Park near Olive Downs Station "Jump Up" country

  • Sturt National Park near Olive Downs Station "Jump Up" country

  • Sturt National Park - new growth after rain

  • Sturt National Park - Dingo Fence- Cameron Corner

  • Sturt National Park - the road to Tibooburra after rain

  • Sturt National Park with Western Grey Kangaroos

  • Sturt National Park - typical scenery after rain

  • Sturt National Park dry creek bed from near Olive Downs Station

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sturt National Park.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Chris Pritchard (7 December 2008). "Corner Country's where three states meet and tourists roam". Courier Mail (Queensland Newspapers). Retrieved 5 July 2009. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Tibooburra". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009. 
  3. ↑ "Sturt National Park Travel Information and Travel Guide". Lonely Planet Publications. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Hema Maps (1997). Discover Australia's National Parks. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia. pp. 128—129. ISBN 1-875992-47-2. 
  5. ↑ "Lake Pinaroo (Fort Grey Basin) Ramsar site". NSW Ramsar sites. Dept of Environment & Heritage, NSW. Updated 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2013-07-22. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.