Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia, 267 km (166 mi) south of Perth. It is named after two capes at each end of the park, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste. The park covers parts of the Augusta, Margaret River, and Busselton council areas. It is believed to have the most visitors of any national park in Western Australia. The park received 2.33 million visitors between 2008 and 2009.
Description
The park stretches over 160 kilometres (100 miles), from Cape Naturaliste in the north to Cape Leeuwin in the south. It includes 28 different reserves, which together cover an area of about 15,600 hectares (39,000 acres). Even though the park is very large, the reserves are not connected, and in many places the park is only a narrow strip along the coast.
The park has many interesting features, such as limestone and granite rock formations like Sugarloaf Rock and Canal Rocks. The coastal area includes many beaches with famous surf spots, such as Supertubes, Yallingup Beach, and Smiths Beach. Other coastal features are steep rock faces and sand hills shaped by wind. The park also has many caves, some of which are open to the public. There are saltwater and freshwater lakes, as well as springs, and the park is crossed by several creeks and rivers, including the Margaret River.
The park either passes through or includes historic sites, such as the Cape Leeuwin water wheel.
Leeuwin–Naturaliste Ridge
The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge is a broken strip of coastal dune limestone that runs north to south along the western shore of Australia, from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin. This ridge has two main parts: Tamala Limestone, which is a type of wind-blown limestone found along the western coast of Western Australia, and the Leeuwin Complex, which is the rock beneath the limestone. The Leeuwin Complex is a type of rock that was changed by heat and pressure over time and is mostly made of granite-like and other types of gneiss. The Dunsborough Fault marks the eastern edge of the Leeuwin Complex where it meets the sedimentary rocks of the Perth Basin. The ridge’s geology and the different types of plants growing there are found in narrow strips that follow the north-south direction of the ridge.
Caves
The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge has more than 150 caves, created by the erosion of Tamala Limestone. In the national park, six caves are open to the public.
Ngilgi Cave, formerly called Yallingup Cave, is located northeast of Yallingup and offers semi-guided tours.
Calgardup Cave provides self-guided tours.
Mammoth Cave offers self-guided audio tours.
Lake Cave provides guided tours.
Calgardup Cave provides self-guided tours.
Jewel Cave provides guided tours.
Flora and fauna
The park has many different types of rocks, soil, and land shapes. These varied conditions help many different plants grow. Along the coast, plants like coastal grasses, sedgelands, and heath can be found. Further inland, the land supports shrublands, woodlands, and forests. These include areas with peppermint trees (Agonis flexuosa), Banksia shrubs, and woodlands. Large areas of tall karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests also grow here.
Many bird species live in the park, such as sea birds, red-eared firetails, white-breasted robins, rock parrots, and emus. Native mammals found in the park include southern brown bandicoots, western grey kangaroos, western ringtail possums, and brush wallabies.
Conservation
The national park was established using crown lands along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge after the main industries in the area were dairying and forestry. At that time, conflicts over land use were growing because of the expansion of wineries, more people living on hobby farms, and other farming activities.
Since its creation, many different uses of the land have made it difficult for state and local government officials to manage the area. The national park is located on some of the most sensitive land in the region.
2021 Bushfire
On December 8, 2021, a wildfire started near Mammoth Cave in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. It was said to have been started on purpose. The Premier of Western Australia, Mark McGowan, told people to leave the area quickly because there were a lot of dry plants and trees, and the conditions were dangerous. By the next day, the fire had burned over 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres).
Cape to Cape Track
In 2001, the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) established the Cape to Cape Track, a 135-kilometre walking track along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge.