Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park

About Kakadu

Located 240 kilometres east of Darwin in Australia’s tropical north, Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest terrestrial national park. Kakadu covers almost 20,000 square kilometres and is a place of enormous ecological and biological diversity. It extends from the coast and estuaries in the north through floodplains, billabongs and lowlands to rocky ridges and stone country in the south. These landscapes are home to a range of rare and endemic plants and animals, including more than one-third of Australia's bird species and one-quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species.

Culture

Kakadu is considered a living cultural landscape. The traditional owners Bininj Mungguy have lived on and cared for this country for more than 50,000 years. Their deep spiritual connection to the land dates back to the Creation and has always been an important part of the Kakadu story.

World Heritage listing

The extraordinary natural beauty and ancient cultural heritage of this land was recognised internationally in 1981 when it was first inscribed on the World Heritage list. Further land was added to the listing in 1987 and 1992. In 2011, the Koongarra land, which had previously been excluded from the listing because of its potential uranium resources, was added to the Kakadu World Heritage Area following decades of lobbying by Koongarra's senior custodian Jeffrey Lee. The land is now part of Kakadu National Park, protecting its significant cultural and heritage values for future generations.

Joint management

Today, the World Heritage-listed park remains well protected by a board of management, which has an Aboriginal majority representing the traditional owners. This arrangement showcases to the world how 'joint management' can combine ancient culture and modern practice.

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Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park is the largest national park in New South Wales. It contains Australia's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, the Snowy River and popular ski fields. It offers visitors the opportunity to see alpine flora, caves, gorges and historic huts used by mountain cattlemen. Kosciuszko National Park

The park is recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Within the park's boundaries are six different wilderness areas including alpine and sub-alpine areas with plants that are not found anywhere else on the planet. Native fauna found here include endangered species such as the corroboree frog and the mountain pygmy possum. The park is one of several Australian Alps national parks. Kosciuszko National Park

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Royal National Park

Royal National Park

Australia's first national park, was proclaimed on 26 April 1879, south of Sydney in New South Wales. It is now known as the Royal National Park. It was the second such park to be declared in the world, the first being Yellowstone National Park in the United States of America. Royal National Park

Originally named 'The National Park', it was renamed 'Royal National Park' when Queen Elizabeth II visited it in 1955. Royal National Park

In the early days of the park, it was used more as a place where residents of Sydney could come to relax and amuse themselves than for the conservation and study of native wildlife. A dance hall was even built there as late as the 1940s, and earlier, land was cleared for large areas of lawns and a train line was set up between Loftus and Audley, two towns within the Park. Royal National Park

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Purnululu National Park

Purnululu National Park

Purnululu National Park in Western Australia contains the amazing Bungle Bungle Range, another example of Australia's fascinating geology. The distinctive beehive-shaped landforms seen today have been produced by uplift and erosion during the last 20 million years. Purnululu National Park

The area has been used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years as a hunting ground, particularly during the wet season when plant and animal life was abundant. It is rich in Aboriginal artwork and contains a number of burial sites. Few Europeans knew of the existence of the Bungle Bungle Range until the mid-1980s. Purnululu National Park

Purnululu was declared a national park in 1987. In 2002 the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land were granted living areas within the park. The park is run by the Government of Western Australia but the traditional Aboriginal owners contribute greatly to its ongoing management and its relationship to Aboriginal heritage. Purnululu National Park

In 2003 the park was inscribed by the World Heritage Committee for its exceptional natural beauty and rich biodiversity and inscribed in 2005 for its cultural significance. Joint management arrangements with Purnululu Aboriginal Corporation have led to an increased emphasis on cultural awareness and joint commercial tourism facilities. Purnululu National Park

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Flinders Ranges National Park

Flinders Ranges National Park

Flinders Ranges National Park is a special national park because it protects a number of land uses and remains: the ruins of early European settlement, Aboriginal rock art sites, and impressive fossil remains as part of Australia's geological history. Flinders Ranges National Park

The park is home to many unique animals and plants that have adapted to the arid landscape and have evolved as a result of the area's unique geological history. It is the traditional home of the Adnyamathanha people and their culture and history is celebrated and recounted here along with efforts by Europeans to farm the land in the 1880s. Flinders Ranges National Park

One of the most amazing places to visit in the park is Wilpena Pound. It looks like a huge crater - from a meteorite or perhaps an ancient volcano. In fact it is the remnants of a mountain range that eroded down over many millions of years. It is over 80 square kilometres in size and forms a natural amphitheatre with only one entrance in. It was for this reason that European settlers used to let their stock graze in Wilpena Pound as they could be rounded up easily. Flinders Ranges National Park

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