Wollemi National Park

Coordinates: 32°52′26″S 150°29′32″E / 32.87389°S 150.49222°E / -32.87389; 150.49222
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wollemi National Park
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteWollemi National Park
See alsoProtected areas of
New South Wales

The Wollemi National Park (

wilderness area that is located in the Central West and Hunter region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 501,703-hectare (1,239,740-acre) park, the second largest national park in New South Wales, contains the 361,113-hectare (892,330-acre) Wollemi Wilderness – the largest such wilderness area in Australia[3] – and is situated approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of Sydney
.

The Wollemi National Park is one of the eight protected areas that, in 2000, was inscribed to form part of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Greater Blue Mountains Area.[4] The Wollemi National Park is the most north–westerly of the eight protected areas within the World Heritage Site. The national park forms part of the Great Dividing Range.

The only known living wild specimens of the

Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) were discovered in 1994.[5] Special efforts were made to protect the trees when the 2019-20 Australian bushfires burned through the park.[6]

The national park is bounded to the north by the Goulburn River National Park and the Bylong Valley Way; to the east by the Yengo National Park, the Parr State Conservation Area, and the Putty Road; to the south by the Blue Mountains National Park and the Bells Line of Road; to the south–west by the Wolgan Valley and the Gardens of Stone National Park; and to the west by open farmland that surround the towns of Rylstone and Kandos and the Capertee Valley.[7]

Geology

The Colo River valley.

The Wollemi National Park is located on the western edge of the

volcanoes has eroded faster than the surrounding sandstone.[8]

The Wollemi National Park is key in maintaining the quality of many tributary rivers to the Hawkesbury River and Goulburn-Hunter River catchments. The national park incorporates rivers such as the Wolgan River, Colo River and Capertee River which arise from outside the park. The Colo River is regarded as the last unpolluted river in New South Wales because the majority of it flows through the Wollemi National Park.

Biology and ecology

heath and grassland.[9]

The variety of habitats within Wollemi National Park allow for large diversity in animals. 58 reptile species, 38 frog species, 235 bird species and 46 mammal species have been recorded in the park.[10]

The only known living wild specimens of the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis), a species thought to have become extinct approximately thirty million years ago, were discovered in three small stands within deep canyons in 1994.[5] The location is kept secret to protect the groves from diseases and trampling.

Besides the

Banksia conferta subsp. penicillata, only described in 1981. The Wollemi Stringybark is a newly discovered species of Eucalyptus tree.[9]

Aerial perspective of the Grey Gum International Cafe, nestled between Wollemi and Yengo national parks on an autumn morning. February 2018.

Aboriginal sites

There are many aboriginal sites within the park including cave paintings, axe grinding grooves and rock carvings. In 2003 the discovery of Eagle's Reach cave was publicly announced. This site was found by bushwalkers in 1995 but remained unknown to the wider community until a team from the Australian Museum reached the cave in May 2003. The art within this small cave is estimated to be up to 4,000 years old and it consists of up to a dozen layers of imagery depicting a wide variety of motifs rendered in ochre and charcoal. The team who recorded this site counted over 200 separate images, mainly of animals and birds but also stencils of hands, axes and a boomerang.[11]

It is a very significant site and the remote location is being kept secret for its own protection.

Activities

Phipps Cutting Picnic Area on the Bylong Valley Way is an entry point for hiking

Ganguddy Campground is a campsite located on the

National Parks and Wildlife Service, New South Wales
manages the location.

Historical places

Climate

The Wollemi area features a

subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification
Cfb) with mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters and generally steady precipitation year-round, though with a peak in the first few months of the year.

Climate data for Nullo Mountain AWS (1,130 m AMSL; 1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37.3
(99.1) 		37.4
(99.3) 		32.0
(89.6) 		27.7
(81.9) 		21.0
(69.8) 		16.8
(62.2) 		17.3
(63.1) 		20.6
(69.1) 		26.4
(79.5) 		28.1
(82.6) 		34.2
(93.6) 		36.5
(97.7) 		37.4
(99.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 24.3
(75.7) 		22.8
(73.0) 		20.1
(68.2) 		16.9
(62.4) 		12.9
(55.2) 		9.7
(49.5) 		9.3
(48.7) 		10.9
(51.6) 		14.3
(57.7) 		17.5
(63.5) 		20.0
(68.0) 		22.5
(72.5) 		16.8
(62.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 13.8
(56.8) 		13.2
(55.8) 		11.5
(52.7) 		8.6
(47.5) 		5.7
(42.3) 		3.5
(38.3) 		2.5
(36.5) 		3.0
(37.4) 		5.6
(42.1) 		7.9
(46.2) 		10.1
(50.2) 		11.9
(53.4) 		8.1
(46.6)
Record low °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9) 		3.8
(38.8) 		2.5
(36.5) 		−0.8
(30.6) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		−3.4
(25.9) 		−3.6
(25.5) 		−4.1
(24.6) 		−3.7
(25.3) 		−1.1
(30.0) 		0.2
(32.4) 		1.8
(35.2) 		−4.1
(24.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 100.8
(3.97) 		99.4
(3.91) 		108.3
(4.26) 		55.6
(2.19) 		53.7
(2.11) 		75.5
(2.97) 		63.4
(2.50) 		53.8
(2.12) 		69.8
(2.75) 		71.0
(2.80) 		98.7
(3.89) 		90.6
(3.57) 		950.0
(37.40)
Average precipitation days 11.6 12.5 13.9 11.7 12.4 16.1 14.9 10.8 10.4 9.5 12.1 11.0 146.9
Average afternoon
relative humidity
(%) 		56 64 64 62 68 74 71 60 56 54 58 56 62
Average dew point °C (°F) 11.5
(52.7) 		12.7
(54.9) 		10.9
(51.6) 		7.5
(45.5) 		5.5
(41.9) 		3.8
(38.8) 		2.7
(36.9) 		1.8
(35.2) 		3.5
(38.3) 		5.1
(41.2) 		7.9
(46.2) 		9.4
(48.9) 		6.9
(44.4)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology [13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Wollemi National Park: Park management". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Wollemi pine". ABC Pronounce. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 October 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  3. ISBN 978-1-74122-960-8. Retrieved 3 October 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  4. ^ "Greater Blue Mountains Area". World Heritage List. UNESCO. 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b Mattila, Samantha (2003). "Ancient World of Wollemi Pine Reveals New Treasure". Retrieved 26 July 2006.
  6. ^ Wamsley, Laurel (16 November 2020). "Aussie Firefighters Save World's Only Groves Of Prehistoric Wollemi Pines". NPR News. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Wollemi National Park". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Wollemi National Park: Landscape and Geology". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Wollemi National Park: Native vegetation". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Wollemi National Park: Native animals". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Wollemi National Park: Aboriginal heritage". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Dunns swamp - Ganguddy campground | NSW National Parks". NSW National Parks.
  13. ^ "Climate statistics for Nullo Mountain". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 27 April 2022.

External links

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