West Mount Barren
Encyclopedia
West Mount Barren is part of the Fitzgerald River National Park
located between Bremer Bay
and Hopetoun
on the south coast of Western Australia
the coordinates of the summit
of West Mount Barren are 34°12′59"S 119°25′58"E.
It rises 372 metres above sea level and forms part of the Barren Range within the national park. Mount Bland (320 metres) is the closest mountain feature and is situated approximately 5 km northeast from West Mount Barren. The Barren range is not continuous and although there are three distinct Mount Barrens (West, Mid and East) they are distinct peaks that are connected by coastal plain. Mid Mount Barren is approximately 20 km northeast of West Mount Barren and East Mount Barren is approximately 50 km northeast of West Mount Barren. Other peaks in the area include Woolbernup Hill, Thumb Peak, Mt Drummond and Mt Maxwell.
West Mount Barren is accessible by an unsealed road suitable for 2WD vehicles that runs off Pabelup Drive. A carpark with a plaque is at the base of the mountain which is also the beginning of a track that is an easy 2 hour return walk to the summit. Visitors are encouraged to stay on the footpath so as to minimise the spread of dieback
which is a threat to the native plants of the area.
A commanding view of the national park and the coastline is seen from the summit.
. These rocks consist of granite
, gneiss
and minor enclaves of sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The Barren Ranges consist of metasediments, mostly folded
and faulted
quartzite
, phyllite
, dolomite
and conglomerate
. The Barrens are composed of rock beds that have been tilted and folded
. These rock beds were once layers of sand deposited on the sea floor. They were subsequently compressed, heated and uplifted
by movements of the Earth's crust.
surrounding West Mount Barren is best described as scrub-heath with many types of shrubs that thrive in the quartzitic
or lateritic
sand
, often in rocky situations. The shrubs are mostly Proteaceae
and Myrtaceae
.
Several species are unique to the area and can be found on and around West Mount Barren.
Species include Royal Hakea (Hakea victoria
), Qualup Bells (Pimelea physodes
), Oval-leaf Adenanthos (Adenanthos ellipticus), Blue Dampiera (Dampiera linearis
), Silver-leafed Barrens regalia (Regelia velutina), Barrens clawflower (Calothamnus validus), and the Broad-leaved Brown Pea (Bossiaea ornata).
strikes are the most usual cause of fires that often devastate large areas of the park. The last large scale fire was in December 2006 where four fires, that were started by lightning strikes, joined into one much larger blaze that burned out several hectares of bushland.
Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia , southeast of Perth, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup....
located between Bremer Bay
Bremer Bay, Western Australia
Bremer Bay is a coastal town situated on the south coast of Western Australia in the Great Southern region between Albany and Esperance, at the mouth of the Bremer River. Bremer Bay is southeast of the state capital, Perth, and east of Albany. The town has a population of about 240...
and Hopetoun
Hopetoun, Western Australia
Hopetoun is a town on the south coast of Western Australia in the Shire of Ravensthorpe. Located on Mary Ann Haven, Hopetoun is some south-east from capital city Perth and west of Esperance.-History:...
on the south coast 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...
the coordinates of the summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
of West Mount Barren are 34°12′59"S 119°25′58"E.
It rises 372 metres above sea level and forms part of the Barren Range within the national park. Mount Bland (320 metres) is the closest mountain feature and is situated approximately 5 km northeast from West Mount Barren. The Barren range is not continuous and although there are three distinct Mount Barrens (West, Mid and East) they are distinct peaks that are connected by coastal plain. Mid Mount Barren is approximately 20 km northeast of West Mount Barren and East Mount Barren is approximately 50 km northeast of West Mount Barren. Other peaks in the area include Woolbernup Hill, Thumb Peak, Mt Drummond and Mt Maxwell.
West Mount Barren is accessible by an unsealed road suitable for 2WD vehicles that runs off Pabelup Drive. A carpark with a plaque is at the base of the mountain which is also the beginning of a track that is an easy 2 hour return walk to the summit. Visitors are encouraged to stay on the footpath so as to minimise the spread of dieback
Phytophthora cinnamomi
Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants called root rot or dieback. The plant pathogen is one of the world's most invasive species and is present in over 70 countries from around the world.- Life cycle and effects on plants :P...
which is a threat to the native plants of the area.
A commanding view of the national park and the coastline is seen from the summit.
Geology
The Ravensthorpe region is underlain by basement rocks of the Albany-Fraser Orogen and Yilgarn CratonYilgarn craton
The Yilgarn Craton is a large craton which constitutes the bulk of the Western Australian land mass. It is bounded by a mixture of sedimentary basins and Proterozoic fold and thrust belts...
. These rocks consist of 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...
, gneiss
Gneiss
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:...
and minor enclaves of sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The Barren Ranges consist of metasediments, mostly folded
Fold (geology)
The term fold is used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified. Folds in rocks vary in...
and faulted
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
, phyllite
Phyllite
Phyllite is a type of foliated metamorphic rock primarily composed of quartz, sericite mica, and chlorite; the rock represents a gradation in the degree of metamorphism between slate and mica schist. Minute crystals of graphite, sericite, or chlorite impart a silky, sometimes golden sheen to the...
, dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
and conglomerate
Conglomerate (geology)
A conglomerate is a rock consisting of individual clasts within a finer-grained matrix that have become cemented together. Conglomerates are sedimentary rocks consisting of rounded fragments and are thus differentiated from breccias, which consist of angular clasts...
. The Barrens are composed of rock beds that have been tilted and folded
Fold (geology)
The term fold is used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified. Folds in rocks vary in...
. These rock beds were once layers of sand deposited on the sea floor. They were subsequently compressed, heated and uplifted
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
by movements of the Earth's crust.
Botany
The vegetationVegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
surrounding West Mount Barren is best described as scrub-heath with many types of shrubs that thrive in the quartzitic
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
or lateritic
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, often in rocky situations. The shrubs are mostly Proteaceae
Proteaceae
Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
and Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
.
Several species are unique to the area and can be found on and around West Mount Barren.
Species include Royal Hakea (Hakea victoria
Hakea victoria
Hakea victoria, with common names Royal Hakea and Lantern Hakea, is a shrub which is native to Western Australia and noted for its ornamental foliage.-Description:...
), Qualup Bells (Pimelea physodes
Pimelea physodes
Pimelea physodes, commonly known as Qualup Bell, is native to Western Australia.-Distribution:The species occurs in the coastal region between Albany and Esperance, including the Fitzgerald River National Park.-References:*...
), Oval-leaf Adenanthos (Adenanthos ellipticus), Blue Dampiera (Dampiera linearis
Dampiera linearis
Dampiera linearis is an erect perennial herb in the family Goodeniaceae. The species, which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia, grows to between 0.15 and 0.6 metres in height. It produces blue flowers between July and December in its native range...
), Silver-leafed Barrens regalia (Regelia velutina), Barrens clawflower (Calothamnus validus), and the Broad-leaved Brown Pea (Bossiaea ornata).
Fire
The area around West Mount Barren is often burnt out by bush fires. LightningLightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strikes are the most usual cause of fires that often devastate large areas of the park. The last large scale fire was in December 2006 where four fires, that were started by lightning strikes, joined into one much larger blaze that burned out several hectares of bushland.