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Namadgi National Park

Coordinates: 35°31′37″S 148°56′46″E / 35.52694°S 148.94611°E / -35.52694; 148.94611
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Namadgi National Park
Australian Capital Territory
View from the top of Mount Gingera
Namadgi National Park is located in Australian Capital Territory
Namadgi National Park
Namadgi National Park
Map
Nearest town or cityCanberra
Coordinates35°31′37″S 148°56′46″E / 35.52694°S 148.94611°E / -35.52694; 148.94611
Established1984[1]
Area1,060.95 km2 (409.6 sq mi)[2]
Managing authoritiesACT Parks and Conservation Service
WebsiteNamadgi National Park
See alsoAustralian Capital Territory
protected areas

Namadgi National Park is a protected area in the south-west of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Canberra, and occupies approximately 46 percent of the ACT's land area.

Created in 1984, the park is on the Australian National Heritage List. It suffered badly in the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, with around 80% of its vegetation burnt.

History

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Aboriginal history and custodianship

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Yankee Hat Aboriginal rock painting featuring a kangaroo, dingos, emus, humans and an echidna or turtle

Namadgi is a local Aboriginal name for the mountains situated to the south-west of Canberra. Aboriginal presence in the area has been dated to at least 21,000 years.[3] With radiocarbon dates of cultural deposits dating back to 9000–6000 years.[4] There are numerous Aboriginal sites in the national park including rock paintings at Yankee Hat, dating from at least 800 years ago.[5]

The area is one of cultural significance to the Aboriginal Australian peoples of the Australian Alps region who inhabited the ACT region before European settlers arrived, and the national park's management plan is exercised with their consultation.[citation needed] In April 2001, representatives of the Ngambri communities entered into an agreement with the ACT government which recognised their traditional association with the national park lands, and their role and duty to their ancestors and descendants as custodians of the area, and established a system of cooperative management.[6] However, as of 2023, the Ngunnawal people are recognised as the traditional owners of the land.[7]

Namadgi National Park walking trail
View from the top of the Mount Ginini
Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila
Aerial view of Corin Dam

After European settlement

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The area has a European history dating back to the 1830s, when settlers moved into the area and cleared the valleys for farming. The mountains and ridges remain forested.

Namadgi National Park was created in 1984.[8]

2020 bushfire

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In January 2020, the Orroral Valley bushfire during the Black Summer season burnt about 80% of the national park (82,700 hectares (204,000 acres)).[9] An army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter, as part of Operation Bushfire Assist conducting reconnaissance for landing sites for remote area fire-fighting teams, attempted to land for a break when their landing light ignited the fire in dry grass.[10]

Description

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Namadgi National Park lies approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Canberra, and makes up approximately 46 percent of the ACT's land area. The Visitor Centre is located 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Tharwa on the Boboyan-Naas Road.[8]

The water catchment area of the park supplies approximately 85% of water for the nation's capital city, Canberra.[8]

The national park is classified as an IUCN Category II protected area.[11]

Flora and fauna

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The national park protects part of the northern end of the Australian Alps. Its habitat ranges from grassy plains over snow gum forests to alpine meadows and wetlands.[8]

The fauna is also varied: eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, magpies, rosellas and ravens are commonly seen.[citation needed] The park includes fens with sedges, and sphagnum moss bogs that provide habitat for the northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi), an endangered species.[8]

A single specimen of a new species of spider wasp in the Epipompilus genus was found in the park in 2018 and identified in 2020.[12] The species has been named Epipompilus namadji. As of 2021 efforts are ongoing by teams from the Australian National Insect Collection at the CSIRO to find more of the wasps, as the bushfire has destroyed 80% of the park since the sighting.[13]

Australian National Heritage List

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On 7 November 2008, the national park was one of eleven protected areas added to the Australian National Heritage List under the title of the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.[14][15]

Climate

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In this sub-alpine region, the weather ranges from cold winter nights to warm summer days, and it can change very quickly. Snow normally falls on the Bimberi and Brindabella Ranges during winter, and is not uncommon throughout most of the park. The highest mountain is Bimberi Peak at 1,911 metres (6,270 ft), the highest peak in the Australian Capital Territory.

Winter sports

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Main article: Skiing in the Australian Capital Territory

The Namadgi National Park Draft Management Plan (September 2005) downplayed the future development of skiing as a sport in the Park, noting that no facilities existed for alpine or downhill skiing within Namadgi, despite a history of downhill skiing associated with the Canberra Alpine Ski Club and the Mt Franklin Chalet (destroyed in the 2003 bushfires). The report predicted that it would be "unlikely that Namadgi will be suitable for this activity in the future as climate change is causing conditions to become less favourable".[16] However, since the report was written, limited downhill ski facilities have returned at nearby Corin Forest, and cross country skiing takes place within the Park at various locations when conditions allow.

Mt Franklin

In the 1930s, with construction of the new capital city of Canberra under way, Canberrans explored the possibilities for developing skiing and snow sports in the Brindabellas. On 30 June 1936, the Canberra Times newspaper reported:[17]

Regularly-conducted Alpine Sports on the mountain range which forms the western boundary between the Federal Capital Territory and New South Wales are to be added to the attractions of Canberra. The Canberra Alpine Club, an enthusiastic body, which has a membership of about 80, has plans in hand which, its members consider, will in the future make Canberra's ranges rival Mount Kosciuszko in popularity.

The Mount Franklin chalet was constructed at Mount Franklin in 1938 to service the Canberra Alpine Club.[18] Ski runs were cleared and ski tows were improvised.[19] The club also cleared runs elsewhere, completing a new ski run and jump on nearby Mount Ginini in 1951 - then judged to be the superior slope.[20] Built on leased land, the Mount Franklin Chalet reverted to the Government when Namadgi National Park was created in 1984 and later operated as a museum before being destroyed in the 2003 bushfires.[21] A new shelter designed and built by University of Adelaide students opened in 2008. Today, cross-country skiing is possible in the area when conditions allow.[22]

Panoramic view from the top of Mount Ginini, Namadgi National Park.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Namadgi National Park - Territory and Municipal Services". Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Namadgi National Park". Environment.act.gov.au. 23 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  3. ^ Watchman, Alan; Sale, Katharine; Hogue, Kate (1 January 1995). "Conservation of the Rendezvous Creek and Nursery Swamp 2 Aboriginal painting sites, Namadgi National Park, ACT". Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites. 1 (1): 25–34. doi:10.1179/135050395793137144. ISSN 1350-5033.
  4. ^ Theden-Ringl, Fenja (2 January 2016). "Aboriginal presence in the high country: new dates from the Namadgi Ranges in the Australian Capital Territory". Australian Archaeology. 82 (1): 25–42. doi:10.1080/03122417.2016.1163955. ISSN 0312-2417. S2CID 147908250.
  5. ^ Parks and Conservation Service. "Namadgi National Park Map and Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Namadgi National Park Revised Draft Plan of Management" (PDF). Department of Territory and Municipal Services. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Namadgi National Park". Parks ACT. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Namadgi National Park". Australian Alps National Parks. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Orroral Valley bushfire impact report". Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  10. ^ Inman, Michael; Allen, Craig (30 November 2020). "A Defence chopper sparked Canberra's Namadgi bushfire, but its crew didn't tell authorities the location for 45 minutes". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Terrestrial Protected Areas in ACT (2014) (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2014. Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  12. ^ Yuan, David; Rodriguez, Juanita (27 February 2020). "Three new species of Epipompilus Kohl (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae, Pepsinae) from Australia". Zootaxa. 4743 (4). Magnolia Press: 575–584. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4743.4.7. ISSN 1175-5334.
  13. ^ Jones, Ann (3 August 2021). "The quest to catalogue Australia's insect biodiversity using AI technology". ABC News. Catalyst. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Australian Alps National Parks information". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  15. ^ "INCLUSION OF A PLACE IN THE NATIONAL HERITAGE LIST" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  16. ^ [1] [dead link]
  17. ^ [2] [dead link]
  18. ^ "Australian Alps National Parks - Parks in the alps - Bimberi Nature Reserve". Australianalps.environment.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  19. ^ "What's On". 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  20. ^ [3] [dead link]
  21. ^ "Canberra Alpine Club". Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Australian Alps National Parks - Parks in the alps - Namadgi National Park". Australianalps.environment.gov.au. Retrieved 16 August 2018.

Further reading

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  • Nationale Parken in Australië (2000) (Dutch translation of Discover Australia National Parks by Ron and Viv Moon)
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