Prince Regent National Park Explained

Type:Protected
Prince Regent National Park
State:wa
Iucn Category:ii
Local Map:yes
Zoom:8
Coordinates:-15.5674°N 125.4685°W
Relief:yes
Pushpin Label Position:left
Area:5764.0
Established:1964
Url:https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/prince-regent
Footnotes:Coordinates[1]

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.

Land

The national park covers a total area of 5764km2[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 7500km2.[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, 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 25909km2,[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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 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) . 30 October 2016.
  2. Web site: Department of Environment - Park Finder - Ngauwudu Management Area (Mitchell Plateau). 2009. 15 October 2010.
  3. Web site: Careening Bay. Parks WA. Parks and Wildlife Service.
  4. Web site: AusAnthrop Australian Aboriginal tribal database. 2012. 12 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20150927022457/http://www.ausanthrop.net/resources/ausanthrop_db/detail.php?id_search=586. 27 Sep 2015.
  5. Book: Clendon, Mark. Worrorra: a language of the north-west Kimberley coast.. University of Adelaide. 978-1-922064-59-2. 2014. 10 November 2020. i. See map, page i.. Text may be copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
  6. Alan. Rumsey. Alan Rumsey . Language & Communication. The sociocultural dynamics of indigenous multilingualism in northwestern Australia. 2018. 62. B . 0271-5309 . 10.1016/j.langcom.2018.04.011 . 91–101 . 150007441. 10 November 2020. See also Worrorran languages map.
  7. Web site: About . Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation . 10 November 2020. Includes map..
  8. Web site: Copy of Native Title Map . . 8 August 2013 . 10 November 2020 .
  9. Web site: Native Title Determination Details: WCD2011/002 - Dambimangari . . 10 November 2020.
  10. Web site: Wunambal Gaambera People . Wunambal Gaambera Country . Includes map.. 10 November 2020.
  11. Web site: About Australia - Prince Regent National Park. 2008. 10 March 2009.
  12. Web site: The Kangaroo Trail - Factsheet. 2009. 10 March 2009.
  13. Web site: Department of environment - Isoodon auratus auratus — Golden Bandicoot (mainland). 2009. 10 March 2009.
  14. Web site: IBA: Prince Regent and Mitchell River . 22 September 2011 . Birdata . Birds Australia . 23 March 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130323044014/http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm . dead .