Watheroo National Park
Encyclopedia
Watheroo National Park is a national park in Western Australia
(Australia
), 187 km north of Perth
. It contains Jingemia Cave.
The park is situated in the Mid West region of Western Australia to the west of the Midlands Road between the towns of Badgingarra
to the west and Dalwallinu
to the east. The border of the park abuts Pinjarrega Nature Reserve to the north but is otherwise surrounded by farmland. Low Creek borders the park to the east which them flows south to join Moore River
.
The park is mostly composed of sand plain country which supports populations of heath
, Mallee
and Banksia
and a large number of wildflowers. Eucalypt
stands can be found to the western end of the park. other species include the spinifex
, wandoo
and yorm gum. Some of the wildflowers found within the park include Kwongan
, the Bush Cauliflower
and the Scarlet featherflower
.
The name of the park comes from the Indigenous Australian name of a nearby spring
, it is also the name of a town located to the east of the park.
Composed mostly of quartz
based sand with outcrops of sandstone
at times having a laterite
cap the area acts as a basin basin between the Dandaragan plateau and the Darling plateau.
In 2010, the Environmental Protection Authority gave approval for to survey the Warro gas field that is located beneath the park. The company Latent Petroleum were given permission to conduct a seismic survey allowing them to drive over vegetation.
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...
), 187 km north 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....
. It contains Jingemia Cave.
The park is situated in the Mid West region of Western Australia to the west of the Midlands Road between the towns of Badgingarra
Badgingarra, Western Australia
Badgingarra is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about north of Perth in the Shire of Dandaragan.It lies on the Brand Highway adjacent to the Badgingarra National Park.-History:...
to the west and Dalwallinu
Dalwallinu, Western Australia
Dalwallinu is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, located 248 km from Perth via the Great Northern Highway. Agriculture and supporting industries are the town's primary economic activities. The town is also the first town on The Wildflower Way, a world-famous Western...
to the east. The border of the park abuts Pinjarrega Nature Reserve to the north but is otherwise surrounded by farmland. Low Creek borders the park to the east which them flows south to join Moore River
Moore River
Moore River in Western Australia can refer to a number of places:*Moore River - the river itself*Moore River National Park - national park that the river runs through...
.
The park is mostly composed of sand plain country which supports populations of heath
Heath
-Habitats:* Heath or heathland, low-growing woody vegetation, mostly consisting of heathers and related species* Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system...
, Mallee
Mallee
Mallee may refer to:* Mallee , the habit of woody plants that grow with multiple stems from underground lignotubers* Mallee , a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia...
and Banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
and a large number of wildflowers. Eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
stands can be found to the western end of the park. other species include the spinifex
Triodia (plant genus)
Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...
, wandoo
Wandoo
Wandoo is the common name for a number of Western Australian Eucalyptus species, all of which have smooth white bark.The original "wandoo" is Eucalyptus wandoo. Other species have been given this name because of a perceived likeness with E. wandoo...
and yorm gum. Some of the wildflowers found within the park include Kwongan
Kwongan
Kwongan is a type of heathland found on the coastal plains of Western Australia. The name is derived from the language of the Noongar people. Kwongan comprises floristically-rich heath with dense thickets of sclerophyllous shrubs and isolated small trees...
, the Bush Cauliflower
Verticordia eriocephala
Verticordia eriocephala is a woody shrub that occurs in Western Australia. The name is given for wooly appearance of the flowerheads, taken from the Greek, erion and cephale, and has also been commonly referred to as Lambswool, and Common, Native or Wild Cauliflower.The shrub is erect and may...
and the Scarlet featherflower
Verticordia grandis
Verticordia grandis is a large woody shrub that occurs in Southwest Australia. The name grandis, Latin for large, is a reference to its large flowers, leaves, and height. It is well known for its large flowers, which are collected and cultivated, and given the informal name of Scarlet Featherflower...
.
The name of the park comes from the Indigenous Australian name of a nearby spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
, it is also the name of a town located to the east of the park.
Composed mostly of quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
based sand with outcrops of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
at times having a laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
cap the area acts as a basin basin between the Dandaragan plateau and the Darling plateau.
In 2010, the Environmental Protection Authority gave approval for to survey the Warro gas field that is located beneath the park. The company Latent Petroleum were given permission to conduct a seismic survey allowing them to drive over vegetation.