Limmen National Park
Limmen National Park Northern Territory | |
---|---|
Nearest town or city | Katherine |
Established | 26 June 2012[1] |
Area | 9,369.26 km2 (3,617.5 sq mi)[1] |
Managing authorities | Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory |
Website | Limmen National Park |
See also | Protected areas of the Northern Territory |
Limmen National Park, announced in 2012, is the third largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Judbarra / Gregory National Park, with an area of approximately 9,369 square kilometres (3,617 sq mi).[2] Located about 600 km south-east of Darwin on the Gulf of Carpentaria, the park incorporates wetlands, sandstone structures and numerous rivers, including the Limmen Bight River from which the park takes its name.[3][4]
Controversy and Mining
Limmen National Park was declared in 2012 but approximately 20% of the area originally planned for the park was excluded to allow for Iron Ore exploration and extraction,[5] a decision welcomed by Western Desert Resources, the company developing an Iron Ore mine in the excised region.[6] However, the NT Environment Centre argued that the NT Government had been "unnecessarily generous to miners"[7] and concerns were also raised by the Amateur Fishermen's Association of the Northern Territory and neighbouring pastoral lease holders, upset by Western Desert Resources building a haul road across their property.[8]
Following a decline in the price of Iron Ore, Western Desert Resources went into administration in 2014 and their mining operations ceased.[9] In 2018, the Northern Territory Government approved a new operator to restart the mine,[10] this time operated by Nathan River Resources, a company owned by international shipping and mining company British Marine.
Heritage and attractions
A major attraction in the park are the "Lost Cities"—
Rock art
Miniature
References
- ^ a b c "CAPAD 2012 Northern Territory Summary (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2012. Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- Ninemsn. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ^ Hancock, David (21 March 2012). "Huge national park declared in Northern Territory". Australian Geographic. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ "Limmen National Park fact sheet" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ^ Hancock, David (21 March 2012). "Huge national park declared in Northern Territory". Australian Geographic. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ "Roper Bar Iron Ore project excluded from proposed Northern Territory National Park" (PDF). Western Desert Resources. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ Hancock, David (21 March 2012). "Huge national park declared in Northern Territory". Australian Geographic. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ "Mining the Roper: opinions and landscapes divived". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "Plummeting iron ore price claims third Top End miner". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "Northern Territory Government approves restart of defunct Roper Bar iron ore mine". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ La Canna, Xavier (2 August 2012). "NT's Limmen is finally a national park". The Australian. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ Zwartz, Henry (27 May 2020). "Indigenous rock art found in the NT one of just three such examples worldwide". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ Flinders University (26 May 2020). "Miniature rock art expands horizons". Phys.org. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Archaeologists reveal rock art's big little secret". Flinders University (News). 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
15°01′48″S 135°08′24″E / 15.03000°S 135.14000°E