Walpole-Nornalup National Park

Walpole-Nornalup National Park Western Australia
IUCN category II (national park)
The Tree Top Walk in the Valley of the Giants
Walpole-Nornalup National Park
Nearest town or city	Walpole
Coordinates	34°59′S 116°46′E / 34.983°S 116.767°E / -34.983; 116.767Coordinates: 34°59′S 116°46′E / 34.983°S 116.767°E / -34.983; 116.767
Established	1957
Area	194.48 km² (75.1 sq mi)^[1]
Managing authorities	Department of Environment and Conservation
Website	Walpole-Nornalup National Park
See also	List of protected areas of Western Australia

Walpole-Nornalup National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia, 355 km south of Perth. It is famous for its towering Karri and Tingle trees. Red Tingle trees are unique to the Walpole area.

Tourism

The "Valley of the Giants" is one of the main tourist draws in the area. Those with a head for heights can get a tree top view on the "Tree Top Walk" a 40 m high walk-way that can accommodate wheelchairs. Most similar canopy walks around the world are constructed using suspension bridge-type structures — not for the faint of heart. The Tree Top Walk, however, is a series of sixty-metre, lightweight steel trusses built on steel pylons to form a secure ramp. Beneath the canopy walk there is a pathway around the Tingle trees for walkers — this is known as the "Ancient Empire". A whale watching vantage point is settled at Conspicuous Beach, providing views of migrating whales (humpback and southern right) and dolphins.^[2]

Environment

Conspicuous Cliff

The Tingle tree has evolved to cope with bush fires and can withstand low level fires. The Department of Conservation and Land Management in Western Australia (CALM) carries out fuel reduction backburning in the national park; this limits the risk of a large scale bush fire by reducing the amount of dry leaf litter on the ground. Tingles can look completely burned in the inside but continue to survive as they grow from just under the layer of outside bark.

The park also extends to the coast, providing a range of habitats from forest to coastal heathland featuring swamp paperbark and a red flowering gum which is endemic to the region. Conspicuous Cliff is one of the few places the coast is accessible in the National Park.

The Bibbulmun Track winds through the park to the coast.

National parks of Western Australia

Alexander Morrison Avon Valley Badgingarra Beedelup Beelu Boorabbin Brockman Cape Arid Cape Le Grand Cape Range Collier Range D’Entrecasteaux Drovers Cave Drysdale River Eucla Fitzgerald River Francois Peron Frank Hann Geikie Gorge Gloucester Goongarrie Gooseberry Hill Greenmount Gull Rock Hassell Hidden Valley John Forrest Kalamunda Kalbarri Karijini Karlamilyi Kennedy Range Leeuwin-Naturaliste Lesueur Millstream-Chichester Mirima Mitchell River Moore River Mount Augustus Mount Frankland Nambung Neerabup Peak Charles Porongurup Purnululu Rudall River Scott Serpentine Shannon Sir James Mitchell Stirling Range Stokes Tathra Torndirrup Tuart Forest Tunnel Creek Walpole-Nornalup Walyunga Warren Watheroo Waychinicup West Cape Howe William Bay Windjana Gorge Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater Yalgorup Yanchep

Protected areas of Western Australia

References

↑ "Department of Environment and Conservation 2009–2010 Annual Report". Department of Environment and Conservation. 2010: 48. ISSN 1835-114X.
↑ http://www.everytrail.com/guide/bibbulmun-track-day-walk-conspicuous-cliff-to-rame-head-campsite

Gallery

Red tingle

External links

Walpole-Nornalup National Park (Naturebase)
Valley of the Giants (Naturebase)

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