Prince Regent National Park

Prince Regent National Park, formerly the Prince Regent Nature Reserve, is a protected area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1978 the area was nominated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

Prince Regent National Park
Western Australia
Prince Regent National Park
Coordinates15.5674°S 125.4685°E / -15.5674; 125.4685
Established1964[1]
Area5,764.0 km2 (2,225.5 sq mi)[1]
WebsitePrince Regent National Park
FootnotesCoordinates[1]

Land

The national park covers a total area of 5,764 square kilometres (2,225 sq mi)[1] and was created in 1964 to protect the catchment area of the Prince Regent River. The northern boundary of the national park abuts the southern boundary of the Mitchell River National Park creating a protected area of over 7,500 square kilometres (2,900 sq mi).[2] The landscape of the reserve ranges from lush rainforest to sandstone plains. The area contains gorges, waterfalls, cliffs and mountain ranges.

Careening Bay, on Coronation Island, site of "The Mermaid Tree" (after HMS Mermaid, Philip Parker King's ship) is within the park. The boab tree was inscribed by the ship's carpenter when the vessel was deliberately careened (beached) in order to undertake repairs.[3]

Traditional Owners

The Traditional Owners of the area round the river are the Worrorra peoples,[4][5] but the park lies mainly in Wunambal land.[6]

As part of the same native title claim lodged in 1998 by Wanjina Wunggurr RNTBC known as the Dambimangari claim,[7] which included claims for the three peoples in the Wanjina Wunggurr cultural bloc, referred to as Dambimangari (Worrorra), Uunguu (Wunambal) and Wilinggin (Ngarinyin), the Uunguu parts of the claims were determined on 23 May 2011. This gave native title to the Wunambal people over 25,909 km2 (10,004 sq mi),[8][9] stretching along the coastal waters from the Anjo Peninsula in the north, including the waters of Admiralty Gulf and York Sound, down to Coronation Island. Inland, it includes parts of the Mitchell River National Park and the Prince Regent National Park.[10]

Wildlife

More than half of the bird and mammal species found in the Kimberley region are found within the national park.[11] It is home to the monjon, the smallest of the rock-wallabies,[12] and the golden bandicoot - listed as a vulnerable species.[13] The Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area which overlaps part of the national park, is an area identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International, an international non-government organisation, because of its importance for a range of bird species, especially those restricted to tropical savanna habitats.[14]

Access

The area remains one of Australia's most remote wilderness areas with no roads and formidable tide-races and whirlpools restricting seaward access. The area is mostly accessed by air or by boat and has remained virtually unchanged since European settlement of Western Australia. A permit is required to enter the national park and can be obtained from the Parks and Wildlife Service.

See also

References
  1. "Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) - Terrestrial Protected Areas by Reserve Type in Western Australia (2014) (refer "DETAIL' tab)". Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  2. "Department of Environment - Park Finder - Ngauwudu Management Area (Mitchell Plateau)". 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  3. "Careening Bay". Parks WA. Parks and Wildlife Service.
  4. "AusAnthrop Australian Aboriginal tribal database". 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  5. Clendon, Mark (2014). Worrorra: a language of the north-west Kimberley coast (See map, page i.). University of Adelaide. p. i. ISBN 978-1-922064-59-2. Retrieved 10 November 2020. Text may be copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
  6. Rumsey, Alan. "The sociocultural dynamics of indigenous multilingualism in northwestern Australia". Language & Communication. 62 (B): 91–101. doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2018.04.011. ISSN 0271-5309. Retrieved 10 November 2020. See also Worrorran languages map.
  7. "About". Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation. Includes map. Retrieved 10 November 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. "Copy of Native Title Map". Kimberley Land Council. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  9. "Native Title Determination Details: WCD2011/002 - Dambimangari". National Native Title Tribunal. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  10. "Wunambal Gaambera People". Wunambal Gaambera Country. Includes map. Retrieved 10 November 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. "About Australia - Prince Regent National Park". 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  12. "The Kangaroo Trail - Factsheet". 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  13. "Department of environment - Isoodon auratus auratus — Golden Bandicoot (mainland)". 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  14. "IBA: Prince Regent and Mitchell River". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
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