Walpole-Nornalup National Park is located in the South West region of Western Australia, 355 kilometres (221 miles) south of Perth. The park is known for its tall karri and tingle trees. Red tingle trees are found only in the Walpole area. The park is part of a larger area called the Walpole Wilderness Area, which was created in 2004. This area is recognized as an international biodiversity hotspot, meaning it has many different types of plants and animals.
History
The traditional people of the area are the Murrum of the Minang group, part of the larger Noongar group, who have lived in the region for more than 30,000 years.
The park is named after the nearby town of Walpole, which was named to honor William Walpole. He served with James Stirling on the ship HMS Warspite in 1809. The Noongar people call the area Nor-Nor-Nup, which means "the place of the black snake." This name was later changed to Nornalup in English.
Explorer William Nairne Clark visited the area in 1841 and sailed up the Frankland River. Botanist and explorer Ferdinand von Mueller explored the region in 1877. The Bellanger family were the first European settlers in the area, arriving in 1910. They settled near the Frankland River and built a homestead in 1914.
The park was first created in 1910 when James Mitchell, the Minister of Lands and Agriculture, visited the area. He was so impressed by its beauty that he set aside 370 hectares (910 acres) for conservation as an A-class reserve. Another area west of the Irwin Inlet was declared a reserve in 1912 and later became part of the park.
The park had 158,167 visitors during 2008–2009.
Tourism
The Valley of the Giants is a major attraction for visitors in the area. People who enjoy heights can experience a view from the Tree Top Walk, a 40-meter-high (130 ft) walkway that is accessible to wheelchairs. Many similar canopy walkways worldwide use suspension bridge-like structures, which may be challenging for some. The Tree Top Walk, however, is made of lightweight steel beams supported by steel pylons to create a safe path. Underneath the walkway, there is a path around the tingle trees called the Ancient Empire, designed for walking. At Conspicuous Beach, there is a viewing area for whale watching, offering sightseeing opportunities for migrating humpback and southern right whales, as well as dolphins.
Environment
The tingle tree has developed ways to deal with bushfires and can survive small fires. The Department of Parks and Wildlife does fuel reduction backburning in the national park. This helps reduce the risk of large bushfires by removing dry leaves and plant material from the ground. Tingle trees may look completely burned on the inside, but they can still survive because they grow from just below the outer layer of bark.
The park also includes areas near the coast, which have many different habitats, such as forests, coastal heathland, swamp paperbark, and a red flowering gum tree that is found only in this region. Conspicuous Cliff is one of the few places where visitors can reach the coast within the national park. The area also includes the Walpole-Nornalup Inlets, which are supplied by the Deep and Frankland rivers.
The Bibbulmun Track passes through the park and continues to the coast.