Mitchell River National Park
Encyclopedia
The Mitchell River National Park is a national park in Gippsland
, Victoria
, Australia
. It is approximately 300 km east of Melbourne by the most direct road route, and about 40 km north of Bairnsdale
.
. The Mitchell River is the largest unregulated river in Victoria and provides a unique example of riparian ecology.
According to the Land Conservation Council Rivers & Streams Special Investigation 1990, "It is an important example of the large-scale biological systems that were once widespread in south-eastern Australia." The Mitchell River was listed as a Heritage River in 1992.
The park originated as the Glenaladale National Park in 1963 following a donation of 1.63 km² of land from Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd. An addition of 118 km² was made in 1986 at which time the name was changed to the Mitchell River National Park. The park was further extended in 2003 by 23.75 km² to bring the total area to 143.38 km².
In some of the gorges are found remnants of warm-temperate rainforest
, the southernmost occurrence of this type of forest in the world. It can survive here as the steep walls of the gorges protect it from the annual drying summer winds and the bushfires that occasionally rage through the area.
There are recorded sightings of more than 150 bird
species and 25 mammal
species in the park. Vegetation in the park includes papery-barked kanooka trees, lilly-pillys
, muttonwoods, fern
s, moss
es, vine
s, and liana
s. In the drier areas, typical Australian species such as wattle
and eucalypt
dominate.
The Mitchell River was an important location to the Gunai/Kurnai
nation, especially the Brabuwooloong and the Brayakuloong people of central Gippsland. One of the features of the park is the Den of Nargun mentioned in Aboriginal
Legends.
Gold
was discovered in the area in 1857. Alluvial
fields along the Mitchell River and its tributaries were worked into the early twentieth century, while there was also some reef mining from the 1860s. Later use by Europeans mainly involved timber and farming.
is a fierce half-human half-stone creature that lived in the den, a cave under a rock overhang behind a small waterfall. The Den of Nargun, is found on Woolshed Creek, a small tributary of the Mitchell River, about one kilometre upstream from where the creek joins the river. In the legend the Nargun would abduct children who visited the rockpool. It was said the Nargun could not be harmed with boomerangs or spears, as they would be reflected back to the thrower.
The Den of Nargun was considered a special place for women of the Gunai tribe, being used for women's initiation and learning ceremonies. Thus the stories would have served the purpose of keeping children away from the sacred area, as well as keeping them near the campsite. The den was once rimmed with stalactites, but unfortunately these have been broken off as souvenirs by visitors over the years.
A similar, though less well known site, called Deadcock Den is situated on Woolshed Creek downstream from the Den of Nargun, only about 200 m from where it joins the Mitchell River. This site was also of great cultural significance to the Gunai people, in particular the women.
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 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...
. It is approximately 300 km east of Melbourne by the most direct road route, and about 40 km north of Bairnsdale
Bairnsdale, Victoria
Bairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....
.
Mitchell River
The park's central feature is the Mitchell RiverMitchell River (Victoria)
The Mitchell River is the largest unregulated river in Victoria, Australia and provides a unique example of riparian ecology. Tributaries include the Crooked, Dargo, Wentworth, Wonnangatta, and Wongungarra Rivers, which are surrounded by dense native forest on the steep mountains of the Victorian...
. The Mitchell River is the largest unregulated river in Victoria and provides a unique example of riparian ecology.
According to the Land Conservation Council Rivers & Streams Special Investigation 1990, "It is an important example of the large-scale biological systems that were once widespread in south-eastern Australia." The Mitchell River was listed as a Heritage River in 1992.
The Park
The National Park surrounds the spectacular Mitchell River where it has cut its way through rock strata creating high cliffs and several gorges.The park originated as the Glenaladale National Park in 1963 following a donation of 1.63 km² of land from Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd. An addition of 118 km² was made in 1986 at which time the name was changed to the Mitchell River National Park. The park was further extended in 2003 by 23.75 km² to bring the total area to 143.38 km².
In some of the gorges are found remnants of warm-temperate rainforest
Temperate rain forest
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive high rainfall.-Definition:For temperate rain forests of North America, Alaback's definition is widely recognized:-Global distribution:...
, the southernmost occurrence of this type of forest in the world. It can survive here as the steep walls of the gorges protect it from the annual drying summer winds and the bushfires that occasionally rage through the area.
There are recorded sightings of more than 150 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...
species and 25 mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
species in the park. Vegetation in the park includes papery-barked kanooka trees, lilly-pillys
Lillipilli
Lillipilli or Lilly Pilly may refer to:Places:* Lilli Pilli, New South WalesPlants:* Syzygium smithii * Syzygium luehmannii * Syzygium * Waterhousea floribunda...
, muttonwoods, 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...
s, moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es, vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s, and liana
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s. In the drier areas, typical Australian species such as wattle
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
and eucalypt
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
dominate.
The Mitchell River was an important location to the Gunai/Kurnai
Gunai
The Gunai or Kurnai is an Indigenous Australian nation of south-east Australia whose territory occupied most of present-day Gippsland and much of the southern slopes of the Victorian Alps. The nation was not on friendly terms with the neighbouring Wurundjeri and Bunurong nations...
nation, especially the Brabuwooloong and the Brayakuloong people of central Gippsland. One of the features of the park is the Den of Nargun mentioned in 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....
Legends.
Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in the area in 1857. Alluvial
Placer deposit
In geology, a placer deposit or placer is an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by gravity separation during sedimentary processes. The name is from the Spanish word placer, meaning "alluvial sand". Placer mining is an important source of gold, and was the main technique used in the early...
fields along the Mitchell River and its tributaries were worked into the early twentieth century, while there was also some reef mining from the 1860s. Later use by Europeans mainly involved timber and farming.
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Den of Nargun
According to Gunai tribal legends, the NargunNargun
According to Gunai/Kurnai tribal legends, the Nargun is a fierce half-human half-stone female creature that lived in the Den of Nargun, a cave under a rock overhang behind a small waterfall in the Mitchell River National Park, Victoria, Australia. Aboriginal legend describes the Nargun as a beast...
is a fierce half-human half-stone creature that lived in the den, a cave under a rock overhang behind a small waterfall. The Den of Nargun, is found on Woolshed Creek, a small tributary of the Mitchell River, about one kilometre upstream from where the creek joins the river. In the legend the Nargun would abduct children who visited the rockpool. It was said the Nargun could not be harmed with boomerangs or spears, as they would be reflected back to the thrower.
The Den of Nargun was considered a special place for women of the Gunai tribe, being used for women's initiation and learning ceremonies. Thus the stories would have served the purpose of keeping children away from the sacred area, as well as keeping them near the campsite. The den was once rimmed with stalactites, but unfortunately these have been broken off as souvenirs by visitors over the years.
A similar, though less well known site, called Deadcock Den is situated on Woolshed Creek downstream from the Den of Nargun, only about 200 m from where it joins the Mitchell River. This site was also of great cultural significance to the Gunai people, in particular the women.