Drysdale River National Park
Encyclopedia
Drysdale River National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
(Australia
), 2168 kilometres (1,347 mi) northeast of Perth
.
The park lies about 100 km (62.1 mi) south of Kalumburu
and 150 km (93.2 mi) west of Wyndham
.
The park is the largest and least accessible in the Kimberley with no public road leading to it and no airstrip within its boundaries. Access to the park is gained via the track from Carson River Station from the Kalumburu Road. Permission must be obtained from the Kalumburu Aboriginal
Corporation prior to entering the park. There are no visitor facilities or marked walk trails in the park. Rangers do not patrol the park and no food, fuel or mechanical services exist within the park or at Carson River Station.
The park is a good example of untouched Kimberley wilderness featuring open woodland, gorges, cliffs and the pools, waterfall
s and creeks
of the Drysdale River
. The park is home to two large waterfalls: Morgan Falls and Solea Falls with numerous smaller falls along the course of the river.
The area provides habitat for a large number of rare plants and animals. Almost 600 species of plants are known to exist within the park. About 30 of these plants are aquatic and swamp varieties that inhabit the permanent pools found along the Drysdale
and Carson River
. About 25 species of fern
also inhabit the area, two of which are not found elsewhere. Species such as fan palms, kalumbaru gums and paperbarks are also found along the watercourses.
A variety of fauna also exist within the park including over 100 species of bird
s, sugar glider
s, bat
s, wallabies
, and salt water crocodiles.
The first European to visit the area was a surveyor with a squatting company, CA Burrowes, who did so in 1886. Both Brockman
and Crossman
visited the area in separate expeditions in 1901. The first vehicular track was constructed through the region during an expedition and survey in 1954, it ran from Gibb River Station
to Kalumburu
. The park was gazetted in September 1974, using the boundaries recommended by the Australian Academy of Science committee on National Parks in 1955.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), 2168 kilometres (1,347 mi) northeast of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
The park lies about 100 km (62.1 mi) south of Kalumburu
Kalumburu, Western Australia
Kalumburu and Kalumburu Community are both bounded localities within the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley Western Australia. Kalumburu Community is the northernmost settlement in Western Australia...
and 150 km (93.2 mi) west of Wyndham
Wyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...
.
The park is the largest and least accessible in the Kimberley with no public road leading to it and no airstrip within its boundaries. Access to the park is gained via the track from Carson River Station from the Kalumburu Road. Permission must be obtained from the Kalumburu Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
Corporation prior to entering the park. There are no visitor facilities or marked walk trails in the park. Rangers do not patrol the park and no food, fuel or mechanical services exist within the park or at Carson River Station.
The park is a good example of untouched Kimberley wilderness featuring open woodland, gorges, cliffs and the pools, waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s and creeks
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
of the Drysdale River
Drysdale River
Drysdale River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises in the Caroline Ranges, flows in a northerly direction and discharges into Napier Broome Bay near Kalumburu...
. The park is home to two large waterfalls: Morgan Falls and Solea Falls with numerous smaller falls along the course of the river.
The area provides habitat for a large number of rare plants and animals. Almost 600 species of plants are known to exist within the park. About 30 of these plants are aquatic and swamp varieties that inhabit the permanent pools found along the Drysdale
Drysdale River
Drysdale River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises in the Caroline Ranges, flows in a northerly direction and discharges into Napier Broome Bay near Kalumburu...
and Carson River
Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long....
. About 25 species of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
also inhabit the area, two of which are not found elsewhere. Species such as fan palms, kalumbaru gums and paperbarks are also found along the watercourses.
A variety of fauna also exist within the park including over 100 species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, sugar glider
Sugar Glider
The sugar glider is a small gliding possum originating from the marsupial family.The sugar glider is native to eastern and northern mainland Australia and is also native to New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago.- Habitat :Sugar gliders can be found all throughout the northern and eastern parts of...
s, bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s, wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, and salt water crocodiles.
The first European to visit the area was a surveyor with a squatting company, CA Burrowes, who did so in 1886. Both Brockman
Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman
Frederick Slade Drake-Brockman was a surveyor and explorer of Western Australia.Born 9 July 1857 at Seabrook near Northam in Western Australia, he was the son of Edmund Ralph Brockman, gentleman-farmer, and Elizabeth Deborah née Slade. He was educated at Bishop Mathew Hale's school and articled in...
and Crossman
Crossman
-People:* Abdiel Crossman* Craig Crossman* Doug Crossman* Frank Crossman* Garrett Crossman* Kimberley Crossman* Mervyn Crossman* Pat Crossman* Richard Crossman* Samuel Crossman* William Crossman...
visited the area in separate expeditions in 1901. The first vehicular track was constructed through the region during an expedition and survey in 1954, it ran from Gibb River Station
Gibb River
The Gibb River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise between the Caroline Range and the Gibb Range and then flows in a northerly direction until it merges with the Drysdale River of which it is a tributary....
to Kalumburu
Kalumburu, Western Australia
Kalumburu and Kalumburu Community are both bounded localities within the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley Western Australia. Kalumburu Community is the northernmost settlement in Western Australia...
. The park was gazetted in September 1974, using the boundaries recommended by the Australian Academy of Science committee on National Parks in 1955.