Mitchell River National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 (Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

), 2140 kilometres (1,330 mi) northeast of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

. The park adjoins the northern boundary of the Prince Regent Nature Reserve

Prince Regent Nature Reserve

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.-Description:...

. The nearest towns are Derby

Derby, Western Australia

Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...

 which is 350 kilometres (217 mi) to the southwest and Wyndham

Wyndham, Western Australia

Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...

 which is 270 km (168 mi) to the southeast. Access to the park is achieved by 4WD only along the Mitchell Plateau Track from the Kalumburu Road. The two main features of the park are Mitchell Falls and Surveyors Pool.

Environment

The park is biologically significant and contains over 50 species of mammal, 220 birds and 86 amphibians and reptiles, including the Saltwater Crocodile

Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater crocodile, also known as estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, is the largest of all living reptiles...

, King Brown snake

Pseudechis australis

Pseudechis australis, the common King Brown, Mulga snake or Pilbara cobra, is a species of venomous snake found in Australia. It is one of the longest venomous snakes in the world and the second longest in Australia...

 and Taipan

Taipan

The taipans are a genus of large, fast, highly venomous Australasian snakes of the elapid family.-Overview:The taipan was named by Donald Thomson after the word used by the Wik-Mungkan Aboriginal people of central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.There are three known species: the coastal...

. The park is part of the Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area

Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area

The Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area is a 7333 km2 tract of land comprising several contiguous protected areas in the north-west Kimberley region of northern Western Australia...

, identified as such by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 because of its importance for a range of bird species, especially those retricted to tropical savanna habitats

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are a grassland terrestrial biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. Grasslands are dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees...

.

History and management

The park is located within the Ngauwudu Management Area. The park was formed in 2000 without the consent of the traditional owners

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

 or following proper procedure under the Native Title Act. It seems that Native Title

Native title

Native title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...

 has not been determined yet over this area, which falls into the Wanjina Wunggurr Uungguu but on adjacent country. The Department of Environment and Conservation

Department of Environment and Conservation

The Department of Environment and Conservation is a department of the Government of Western Australia that is responsible for implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations...

is in a cooperative management arrangement with the Kandijwal Community. Three groups of Aboriginal people have traditional lands within the National Park; Worrora, Wunambal-Gaambera and Ngarinyin.