Torndirrup National Park
Encyclopedia
Torndirrup National Park is a national park in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
(Australia
), 400 kilometres (249 mi) southeast of Perth
and 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Albany
. Torndirrup National Park has many impressive rock formations on the coast. These include the Gap, Natural Bridge and the Blowholes all shaped from the local granite
. The park is along the coast on the west side of King George Sound
and consists of a range of cliffs, gullies, blowholes, beaches and promontories.
. The oldest of these was formed 1300-1600 million years ago. This rock type can be seen along the cliff walls of the Gap. The granite
s were formed later as the Australian Plate
collided with the Antarctic Plate
1160 million years ago as molten rock rose to the surface. These granites are visible in the tors atop Stony Hill.
The park was gazetted in 1918, one of the first in Western Australia
. It was later named in 1969 taking the name Indigenous Australian
clan
that lived in the area. The first ranger
was appointed in 1973.
The park is the most often visited park in Western Australia, with approximately 250,000 visitors per annum.
The park is names after the Indigenous Australian clan that lived on the peninsula prior to the arrival of European colonists.
, peppermint tree
, Swamp Yate
, various Banksia
s and Karri
forest. Coastal plants such as native rosemary, banjine and thick leafed fanflower are found in the heath. The park is also home to the very rare Albany Woolly-bush
and the critically endangered Blue Tinsel Lily of which only a single population exists.
Fauna such as kangaroo
s, bush rat
s, pygmy possum
s and short nosed bandicoot
s are found within the park. Many reptile species are also to be found including Tiger snakes, bardick, children's python
and Dugite
s. In 1876 the rare Dibbler
was found in the park.
Birdlife includes honeyeater
s, wattlebird
s , Button Quail, Western Rosetta and a variety of sea birds.
Whale
s and seal
s can be seen from the cliffs of the park in the correct season.
The rare and ancient Main's assassin spider
, currently listed as threatened, was found to inhabit the park during a survey conducted in 2008.
Th park has numerous walks mostly of a distance of less than 1500 metres (4,921 ft), including the Jimmy Newhills walk and the Stony Hill Heritage Trail walk. The longest trail is the 10 km (6.2 mi) Bald Head Walk along Flinders peninsula
finishing at Bald Head at the eastern edge of the park.
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...
), 400 kilometres (249 mi) southeast 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....
and 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. Torndirrup National Park has many impressive rock formations on the coast. These include the Gap, Natural Bridge and the Blowholes all shaped from the local granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The park is along the coast on the west side of King George Sound
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
and consists of a range of cliffs, gullies, blowholes, beaches and promontories.
History
The area is composed of three major rock type, one of these being gneissGneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
. The oldest of these was formed 1300-1600 million years ago. This rock type can be seen along the cliff walls of the Gap. The granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
s were formed later as the Australian Plate
Indo-Australian Plate
The Indo-Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and surrounding ocean, and extends northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and adjacent waters...
collided with the Antarctic Plate
Antarctic Plate
The Antarctic Plate is a tectonic plate covering the continent of Antarctica and extending outward under the surrounding oceans. The Antarctic Plate has a boundary with the Nazca Plate, the South American Plate, the African Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate, the Scotia Plate and a divergent boundary...
1160 million years ago as molten rock rose to the surface. These granites are visible in the tors atop Stony Hill.
The park was gazetted in 1918, one of the first in 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...
. It was later named in 1969 taking the name Indigenous Australian
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....
clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
that lived in the area. The first ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
was appointed in 1973.
The park is the most often visited park in Western Australia, with approximately 250,000 visitors per annum.
The park is names after the Indigenous Australian clan that lived on the peninsula prior to the arrival of European colonists.
Flora and fauna
A large array of floral species can be found within the park including the Woolly-bushAdenanthos sericeus
Adenanthos sericeus, commonly known as Woolly Bush, is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. It has bright red but small and obscure flowers, and very soft, deeply divided, hairy leaves.-Description:...
, peppermint tree
Agonis flexuosa
Agonis flexuosa is a species of tree that grows in the south west of Western Australia. It is easily the most common of the Agonis species, and is one of the most recognisable trees of Western Australia, being commonly grown in parks and on road verges in Perth.The species is commonly known as...
, Swamp Yate
Yate
Yate is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, at the southwest extremity of the Cotswold Hills, 12 miles northeast of the city of Bristol. At the 2001 census the population was 21,789. The town of Chipping Sodbury is continuous with Yate to the east...
, various Banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
s and Karri
Karri
Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as the Karri, is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south west of Western Australia.-Description:...
forest. Coastal plants such as native rosemary, banjine and thick leafed fanflower are found in the heath. The park is also home to the very rare Albany Woolly-bush
Adenanthos × cunninghamii
Adenanthos × cunninghamii, commonly known as Woollybush, Albany Woollybush or Prostrate Woollybush, is a hybrid shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.-Description:...
and the critically endangered Blue Tinsel Lily of which only a single population exists.
Fauna such as kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, bush rat
Bush Rat
The bush rat is a small Australian nocturnal animal. It is an omnivore. It is one of the most common species of rats and is found in many heathland areas of Victoria and NSW...
s, pygmy possum
Pygmy possum
The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. There are five extant species of pygmy possum, grouped into two genera. Four of the species are endemic to Australia, with one species also co-occurring in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.Pygmy...
s and short nosed bandicoot
Bandicoot
Bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia.- Etymology :...
s are found within the park. Many reptile species are also to be found including Tiger snakes, bardick, children's python
Children's python
Children's python is a nonvenomous python species found in Australia.-Etymology:Both the common name, Children's python, and the specific name or epithet, childreni, are in honor of English scientist John George Children.-Description: Adults grow to an average length of about 1m , with a maximum...
and Dugite
Dugite
Dugite is a common name for the highly venomous snake, Pseudonaja affinis, an Australian species which can inflict a fatal bite.-Description:...
s. In 1876 the rare Dibbler
Dibbler
Dibbler is the common name for Parantechinus apicalis, an endangered species of marsupial. It is an inhabitant of the southwest mainland of Western Australia and some offshore islands. It is a member of the Dasyuromorphia order, and the only member of the genus, Parantechinus...
was found in the park.
Birdlife includes honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
s, wattlebird
Wattlebird
Wattlebirds are members of the Honeyeater family, and native to Australia. Species of wattlebird include the Little Wattlebird, the Red Wattlebird, the Western Wattlebird, and the Yellow Wattlebird....
s , Button Quail, Western Rosetta and a variety of sea birds.
Whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s and seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
s can be seen from the cliffs of the park in the correct season.
The rare and ancient Main's assassin spider
Archaeidae
The Archaeidae are a spider family with 25 described species in three genera.Their common name pelican spider stems from their specialised anatomy: they have evolved elongated jaws and necks for catching other spiders.-Distribution:...
, currently listed as threatened, was found to inhabit the park during a survey conducted in 2008.
Facilities
No entry fee is required to enter the park. Access to the park is via Frenchmans Bay Road which is sealed and well sign posted. Access to most features is via sealed roads. No other facilities exist within the park but barbecues, tables, shops and toilets can be found nearby.Th park has numerous walks mostly of a distance of less than 1500 metres (4,921 ft), including the Jimmy Newhills walk and the Stony Hill Heritage Trail walk. The longest trail is the 10 km (6.2 mi) Bald Head Walk along Flinders peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
finishing at Bald Head at the eastern edge of the park.
See also
- Protected areas of Western AustraliaProtected areas of Western AustraliaWestern Australia is the second largest subnational entity in the world. It contains no fewer than 1224 separate Protected Areas with a total area of 170,610 km²...