Narawntapu National Park

Coordinates: 41°07′58″S 146°39′24″E / 41.13278°S 146.65667°E / -41.13278; 146.65667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Narawntapu National Park
Tasmania
Narawntapu National Park, December 2009
Map
Nearest town or cityPort Sorell
Coordinates41°07′58″S 146°39′24″E / 41.13278°S 146.65667°E / -41.13278; 146.65667
Established1976
Area43.49 km2 (16.8 sq mi)
Visitation10,100 (in 1996/97)[1]
Managing authoritiesTasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteNarawntapu National Park
See alsoProtected areas of Tasmania

Narawntapu National Park (formerly known as Asbestos Range National Park) is a national park in the Australian state of

Tamar River in the east. It lies about 20 km east of Devonport, 60 km north-west of Launceston and 250 km north of Hobart
.

Narawntapu encompasses islands in the Port Sorell estuary and the

ASL. It is listed on Australia's Register of the National Estate.[1]

Narawntapu is popular with visitors, with many coming from the tourist centres of

Bennett's wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons grazing in the open plain.[2]

History

The park was originally reserved, as the Asbestos Range National Park, on 29 June 1976. The name was changed to Narawntapu in 2000 because of concerns that the word 'Asbestos' was deterring potential visitors. 'Narawntapu' is of Tasmanian Aboriginal origin, referring to the coastal promontories West Head and Badger Head within the park.[2]

Climate

Narawntapu has a temperate maritime climate with an annual, mainly winter, rainfall of 750 mm. The prevailing winds are from the north-east and north-west. Mean temperatures are 17°C in January and 9°C in July.[1]

Flora and fauna

Tasmanian pademelon in Narawntapu.

Vegetation communities represented in the park include coastal

heathland, dry sclerophyll woodland, herbland, grassland and salt marsh. The rare pygmy clubmoss
has been recorded from the park.

A feature of the park is the high density of

intertidal mudflats in the North East Arm area of the park are an important foraging area for migratory waders,[1] and form part of the Rubicon Estuary Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of their importance for pied oystercatchers.[3]

There is also a rich diversity of birdlife in the land surrounding the wetlands. At certain times of the year, several species of ducks, as well as

swans, cormorants, coots, bitterns and grebes call the lagoon home.[2]

In 2019, the population of wombats had been reduced to between 3 and 10 individuals following an outbreak of mange that began in 2010. Scientists implemented a drench technique at burrow entrances to treat the animals. The treatment contained the disease for a short while but ultimately all of the mange-infected wombats died.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-7246-2122-9 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link
    )
    PDF download
  2. ^ a b c "Narawntapu National Park". Parks Tasmania. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. ^ "IBA: Rubicon Estuary". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  4. ^ "Wombat mange program failing in Tasmania's Narawntapu National Park". ABC News. 24 July 2019.

External links