West Cape Howe National Park is a national park 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...

 (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...

), 390 kilometres (242.3 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....

. The park is found between 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....

 and Denmark

Denmark, Western Australia

Denmark is a town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-south-east of the state capital of Perth. At the 2006 census, Denmark had a population of 2,732.-History:...

 within the City of Albany

City of Albany

The City of Albany is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about SSE of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of , including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the Port of Albany, as well as the surrounding agricultural district and...

 and in the Great Southern region.

Torbay Head, the most southerly point of Western Australia, is situated within the park.
The park is abutted against the coast of the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...

 and takes up approximately 23 km (14.3 mi) of the coastline between Lowlands Beach and Forsythe Bluff.

History

The park began as being vested in the Shire of Albany in 1977 for the purposes of recreation. By 1985 the area was gazetted as C Class Reserve after agreement between the shire and vested in the National Parks and Nature Conservancy Authority. Following the addition of an extra 41 ha (101.3 acre) that was a timber reserve along the northern boundary the park was given an A Class status in 1987. The park is now a single reserve (26177) and is made up of an area of 3517 ha (8,690.7 acre).
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.

Flora

The park is home to a range of habitats including 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 heath

Heath

-Habitats:* Heath or heathland, low-growing woody vegetation, mostly consisting of heathers and related species* Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system...

 and wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

s each of which support a diverse array of vegetation and plant species. The area around Lake William supports a dense sedge

Sedge

- Plants :* Acorus calamus, sweet flag, a plant in the Acoraceae family* Any of the plants in the family Cyperaceae- Animals :* A collective noun for several species of birds, including bitterns, cranes and herons* Sedge-fly, caddisfly- Other uses :...

scrub and rare species such as Amperea volubilus

Amperea

Amperea is a plant species of the family Euphorbiaceae....

, an unnamed species of melaleuca

Melaleuca

Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...

 and the Albany Pitcher Plant.