Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
Tasmania
IUCN category II (national park)

Nelson Fall
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
Nearest town or city Strathgordon
Coordinates 42°24′34″S 146°01′55″E / 42.40944°S 146.03194°ECoordinates: 42°24′34″S 146°01′55″E / 42.40944°S 146.03194°E
Established 1908
Area 4,463.42 km2 (1,723.3 sq mi)
Managing authorities Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
Official site Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
See also Protected areas of Tasmania

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, 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.

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.[1]

It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area - the Lyell Highway.

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.[2]

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.[3]

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.

Despite being given heritage status, the catchments and rivers remain at risk [4]

Access points

The Lyell Highway winds for 56 kilometres through the heart of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Tasmania. Parks and Wildlife Service (2010), Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park : visitor information, Dept. of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, retrieved 3 March 2014 see also http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/indeX.aspX?base=3937
  2. ↑ Tasmania. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment; TASMAP (issuing body.) (2013), Frenchmans Cap : within the Franklin - Gordon Wild Rivers National Park : part of Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Hobart, Tasmania TASMAP, retrieved 3 March 2014 - the Tasmap series about the Franklin river and Frenchmans Cap is an excellent introduction to the area
  3. ↑ Brown, Bob; Brown, Bob, 1944-; Tasmanian Wilderness Society (1983), The Franklin and Lower Gordon Rivers (4th ed. (rev.) ed.), Tasmanian Wilderness Society, ISBN 978-0-908412-02-0
  4. ↑ Allardice, Sas (2005), "The Franklin-Gordon wild rivers: safe from more dams but still vulnerable", Australian Journal of Outdoor Education 9 (2): 69–73, ISSN 1324-1486