Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park
| Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park Wye, South Australia | |
|---|---|
 Cave diving at Piccaninnie Ponds | |
  Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park | |
| Nearest town or city | Donovans |
| Coordinates | 38°03′03″S 140°56′11″E / 38.05083°S 140.93639°E |
| Established | 16 October 1969[2] |
| Area | 8.64 km2 (3.3 sq mi)[3] |
| Managing authorities | Department for Environment and Water |
| Website | Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park |
| Footnotes | |
| Official name | Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands |
| Designated | 21 December 2012 |
| Reference no. | 2136[4] |
| See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park, formerly the Piccaninnie Ponds National Park, is a protected area of 862 hectares (2,130 acres) located in southeastern South Australia near Mount Gambier.
Description
The Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park is located in the south-east of South Australia in the gazetted locality of
The conservation park conserves a
It is close to the border with
Discovery Bay to Piccaninnie Ponds Important Bird Area, identified by BirdLife International as being of global significance for several bird species.[8] It is a listed Ramsar site.[9] The park contains a walking track through coastal woodland to a viewing platform overlooking the wetlands.[10]
Recreational diving
Piccaninnie Ponds is a popular site for both
snorkelling and cave diving. In 1964–1965, prior to its proclamation as a national park in 1969, underwater explorer Valerie Taylor described the ponds as "one of the most beautiful sights in Australia"[11] and said that the crystal clear water gave her a feeling of unhindered flight.[12] It contains three main features of interest to cave divers. The ‘First Pond’ is an open depression about 10 metres (33 ft) deep with a silt floor and vegetated fringe supporting much aquatic life. The ‘Chasm’ is a sinkhole with a depth of over 100 metres (330 ft), and the ‘Cathedral’ is an enclosed area with limestone formations and a depth of about 35 metres (115 ft).[7] Underwater visibility is excellent and may exceed 40 metres (130 ft). Snorkelling and cave diving at Piccaninnie Ponds is by permit only.[13][14]
Accidents
Several divers have died while exploring the caves beneath Piccaninnie Ponds, in 1972,[15] 1974[16] and 1984.[17]
Flora and fauna
Piccaninnie Ponds contains a number of rare and endangered species of native plants and animals including fish, crustaceans and tortoises.[18][14]
See also
- Ewens Ponds – Flooded sinkholes in South Australia
- List of Ramsar sites in Australia
- List of sinkholes of Australia – Links to Wikipedia articles on sinkholes, blue holes, dolines, cenotes, and pit caves
- Protected areas of South Australia – Areas protected by legislation in South Australia
- Lower South East Marine Park – protected area in South Australia
References
- ^ "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ DeGaris, R.C. (16 October 1969). "NATIONAL PARKS ACT, 1966: HUNDRED OF CAROLINE: PICCANINNIE PONDS NATIONAL PARK DECLARED" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 1268. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Protected Areas Information System – reserve list (as of 11 July 2016)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-7308-2663-7
- ^ "Search result for 'Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park' (Record no SA0054911) with the following layers selected – "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Piccaninnie Ponds – 5L072". Richard "Harry" Harris. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ "IBA: Discovery Bay to Piccaninnie Ponds". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ Peddie, Clare. "Piccaninnie Ponds now a wetland world wonder". The Advertiser. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ Limestone Coast brochure
- ^ "PICCANINNY PONDS". Australian Women's Weekly. 18 August 1965. p. 8. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Underwater Actress". Australian Women's Weekly. 15 July 1964. p. 10. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Piccaninnie Ponds – Cave Diving & Snorkelling Permits, Mount Gambier". Mount Gambier Point. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Piccaninnie Ponds | 50 Great Dives". 50greatdives.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Scuba man dies in cave". The Canberra Times. 31 January 1972. p. 3. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Diving accident". The Canberra Times. 24 December 1974. p. 3. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Bodies of cave divers recovered". The Canberra Times. 10 April 1984. p. 8. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ "Piccaninnie Ponds". Cave Divers Association of Australia. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
Further reading
- Horne, P.; (1985), CDAA Research Group Report No. 3: Piccaninnie Ponds Mapping Project, November 1984 – April 1985 (ISBN 0 7316 7208 9) OCLC: 27574762.
- Horne, P; and Harris, R.; (2009), Piccaninnie Ponds Collaborative Research Project: Exploration and General Research Activities, May/June 2008 and Oct/Nov 2009 (with South Australian Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) and the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage(DEH)).