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Coorong National Park

Coordinates:36°02′57″S139°33′13″E/ 36.04917°S 139.55361°E/-36.04917; 139.55361
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"Coorong" redirects here. For other uses, seeCoorong (disambiguation).

Coorong National Park
South Australia
The view across the Coorong nearSalt Creek
A map of the Coorong
Coorong National Park is located in South Australia
Coorong National Park
Coorong National Park
Nearest town or cityGoolwa
Coordinates36°02′57″S139°33′13″E/ 36.04917°S 139.55361°E/-36.04917; 139.55361
Established9 November 1967(1967-11-09)[2]
Area490.15 km2(189.2 sq mi)[3]
Managing authoritiesDepartment for Environment & Water
WebsiteCoorong National Park
Footnotes
Official nameThe Coorong, Lake Alexandrina & Albert Wetland
Designated1 November 1985
Reference no.321[4]
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Coorong National Parkis aprotected arealocated inSouth Australiaabout 156 kilometres (97 mi) south-east ofAdelaide,that predominantly covers acoastal lagoonecosystem officially known asThe Coorongand theYounghusband Peninsulaon the Coorong's southern side. The western end of the Coorong lagoon is at theMurray MouthnearHindmarsh Islandand theSir Richard Peninsula,and it extends about 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-eastwards. Road access is fromMeningie.The beach on the coastal side of the peninsula, the longest in Australia, is also commonly called The Coorong.

The Coorong lies within the traditional lands of theNgarrindjeripeople, anAboriginal Australiangroup. Notable locations within the park includeSalt Creek,Policeman's Point,Jack Point,andWoods Well.

Sunset over the northern part of The Coorong, approaching the town ofMeningie, South Australia.
Flock ofbanded stiltson sand flats at the Coorong.
View of the Coorong andYounghusband Peninsula.
Entrance to The Coorong (mid-distance) looking fromHindmarsh Island.

Etymology

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Its name is thought to be a corruption of theNgarrindjeriwordkurangk,also writtenKurangh,meaning a long or narrow lagoon or neck.[5][6][7]

History

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The Coorong National Park was proclaimed on 9 November 1967 under theNational Parks Act 1966in respect to land in sections 17 and 60 in the cadastral unit of theHundred of Glydeand section 6 in theHundred of Santo.[2]

At the commencement of theNational Parks and Wildlife Act 1972on 27 April 1972, the national park consisted of land in sections 17, 59 and 60 in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Glyde and sections 6, 43 and 52 in the Hundred of Santo.[8]

TheCoorong Game Reservewhich was purchased by the Government of South Australia in 1968 was abolished on 14 January 1993 and its lands was added to the national park.[9]The game reserve occupied part of the Coorong lagoon to the immediate west ofSalt Creekand had an area of 68.4 square kilometres (26.4 sq mi) as of May 1982.[10]: 79 

In February 2013, a lifeboat fromMS Oliva,a ship that foundered in theSouth Atlanticduring 2011, washed up on a beach in the national park.[11]

Description

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The western end of the Coorong lagoon is at theMurray MouthnearHindmarsh Islandand theSir Richard Peninsula,and it extends about 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-east. The national park area includes the Coorong itself, and Younghusband Peninsula which separates the Coorong fromGulf St Vincentin theSouthern Ocean.The Coorong has been cut off fromLake Alexandrinaby the construction of theGoolwa Barrages(weirs) from Goolwa to Pelican Point during the late 1930s.[12]

The national park was formed in 1967 as a sanctuary for many species of birds, animals and fish. It attracts many migratory species. It provides refuge for these animals during some of Australia's regular droughts. The 467 square kilometres (180 sq mi) also supports coastal dune systems, lagoons and coastal vegetation.[13]

One of the unique aspects of the Coorong is the interaction of water along its length, with sea water andMurray Riverwater meeting rainfall and groundwater. The freshwater supports the fauna (animal) of the area while the sea water is the habitat for much of the birdlife.[14]

Notable locations within the park include Salt Creek, Policeman's Point, Jack Point, and Woods Well.[15]

The waters of the Coorong are a popular venue for recreational and commercial fishers.Coorong mullet,mullowayandbreamare the main species.[15][6]

Beach

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The 194 km (121 mi) long sandy beach running down the outer side of the Younghusband Peninsula and commonly referred to as The Coorong, is the longest beach in Australia. It runs from the Murray mouth toCape Jaffa.[16]

Cultural significance

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The Coorong is of great cultural significance to theNgarrindjeri people,who havesonglinesrelating tocreation storiesassociated with the area as well as a long history of living sustainably and looking after the complex environment.[17]

Camp Coorong

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Camp Coorong is a place of cultural learning, where visitors can learn about Ngarrindjeri culture, history, arts and crafts, includingbasket-weaving.It is owned and run by Ngarrindjeri people, and situated about 11 km (6.8 mi) south ofMeningie.[6]The centre was founded by brothers Tom and George Trevorrow in 1985, with the aim of creating a place where the local community could have camps, younger members of the community might find employment, and Ngarrindjeri culture could be shared. It was officially closed to the public in 2018.[18]

Ngarrindjerielderand well-known weaver Aunty Ellen Trevorrow, who is Tom's widow, works from one of the rooms at the camp, along with artist and academic Jelina Haines, who was born in the Philippines. Their work has been commissioned for the recently refurbishedDepartment for Infrastructure & Transportoffices inPirie Street.[18]

Ecology

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The wetlands within the part of the national park containing the Coorong Lagoon form a complexecosystemof freshwater,estuarine,andhypersalinewaterbodies with a unique diversity of habitats for plants and animals. The coastal lagoons are consideredcritically endangereddue to the loss of freshwater flows, local extinction of characteristic submerged plants and subsequent loss of habitat diversity.[19]

In December 2018, theFederalandSouth Australiangovernments announced a newenvironmental managementprogram called "Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin".[20]Ongoing as of 2021,the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation is working with theDepartment for Environment & Waterto share their knowledge oflandcarepractices, which will be incorporated in a new database.[17]

Flora and fauna

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The Coorong is an area of huge naturalbiodiversity.[17]

Birds

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The Coorong National Park has been recognised byBirdLife Internationalas anImportant Bird Area.It has supported thechestnut teal,Australian shelduck,sharp-tailed sandpiper,red-necked stint,banded stilt,red-necked avocet,pied oystercatcherandred-capped plover.Australasian bitternshave been recorded. It has also supported significant numbers oforange-bellied parrots,fairy ternsandhooded plovers,although their usage of the site has declined from reduced freshwater inflows.[21]

The largest pelicanrookeryin Australia is at Jack Point, just off thePrinces Highwayand about 7 km (4.3 mi) north of Salt Creek.[6]The pelicans also breed on North Pelican Island.[17]The Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is the largest species of pelican, and breeds from August until January.[6]

Marine life

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As mentioned above,Coorong mullet,mullowayandbreamare the main species caught for human consumption in the Coorong.[15][6]

In the arts

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The park was the setting of the popular 1976 filmStorm Boy,[22]as well as its2019 remake.Both films are based onthe 1964 novelbyColin Thieleof the same name set on the Coorong that portrays the bond of a young boy who rescues and raises an extraordinary orphaned pelican which he names Mr Percival.[23][22]

Lucy Treloar's award-winning novel,Salt Creek(2015), is set in the Coorong, specifically the area aroundSalt Creek,in 1855.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )".CAPAD 2016.Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016.Retrieved21 February2018.
  2. ^abWalsh, Frank (9 November 1967)."NATIONAL PARKS ACT, 1966: VARIOUS NATIONAL PARKS NAMED"(PDF).South Australian Government Gazette.South Australian Government. p. 2043.Retrieved17 March2018.
  3. ^"Protected Areas Information System Reserve List"(PDF).Government of South Australia. 9 March 2018.Retrieved26 April2018.
  4. ^"The Coorong, Lake Alexandrina & Albert Wetland".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.
  5. ^Mosley, Luke; Ye, Qifeng; et al., eds. (2018).Natural History of the Coorong, Lower Lakes, and Murray Mouth Region (yarluwar-ruwe)(PDF).University of Adelaide Presson behalf ofRoyal Society of South Australia.p. 78.ISBN978-1-925261-81-3.Retrieved7 August2021.
  6. ^abcdef"Coorong, The, SA".Aussie Towns.Retrieved6 August2021.
  7. ^"6 things you might not know about the Coorong".Good Living.Department for Environment & Water.Retrieved6 August2021.
  8. ^"No. 56 of 1972 (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972)".The South Australian Government Gazette.Government of South Australia: 700. 27 April 1972.Retrieved20 January2017.
  9. ^"NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT 1972 PART HI: RECONSTITUTION OF THE COORONG GAME RESERVE AS PART OF THE COORONG NATIONAL PARK"(PDF).The South Australian Government Gazette.Government of South Australia: 170. 14 January 1993.Archived(PDF)from the original on 28 June 2023.Retrieved7 January2018.
  10. ^Rudduck, Penny (May 1982).EUROPEAN HERITAGE OF THE COORONG, A general survey of the sites of Early European Heritage of the area now comprising the Coorong National Park and Coorong Game Reserve(PDF)(Report). National Parks and Wildlife Service, Government of South Australia.Retrieved6 January2018.
  11. ^"Shipwreck lifeboat washes up in Australia".ABC News Online.Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 February 2013.Retrieved7 May2019.
  12. ^Map of the CoorongAccessed 3/3/7
  13. ^Coorong National ParkArchived20 October 2009 at theWayback Machine–Things to see and do,Accessed 30/7/9
  14. ^Coorong National ParkArchived21 October 2009 at theWayback Machine–Natural Attractions,Accessed 30/7/9
  15. ^abc"Coorong, The".Sydney Morning Herald.8 February 2004.Retrieved7 August2021.
  16. ^"Beach in Policeman Point The Coorong SA".SLS Beachsafe.2 November 2015.Retrieved7 August2021.
  17. ^abcdGreen, Selina (2 August 2021)."Coorong Landcare project embraces Ngarrindjeri knowledge, cultural connection".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved7 August2021.
  18. ^abMarsh, Walter (7 October 2022)."In the studio with Aunty Ellen Trevorrow".InDaily.Retrieved9 October2022.
  19. ^Keith, DA; Rodríguez, J.P.; et al. (2013)."Scientific Foundations for an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems".PLOS ONE.8(5): e62111.Bibcode:2013PLoSO...862111K.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062111.PMC3648534.PMID23667454.Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2020.Retrieved8 September2018.
  20. ^"Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin".Department for Environment & Water.Retrieved8 August2021.
  21. ^"Important Bird Areas factsheet: Coorong".BirdLife International. 2016.Retrieved3 December2016.
  22. ^ab"Storm Boy remake planned 40 years after original award-winning film".ABC News.Australian Broadcasting Corporation.18 November 2016.Retrieved6 August2021.
  23. ^"IMDB - Storm Boy (2019)".IMDb.
  24. ^Treloar, Lucy (18 August 2020)."Salt Creek".Pan Macmillan.Retrieved7 August2021.

Further reading

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Media related toCoorong National Parkat Wikimedia Commons

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