Walpole-Nornalup National Park - Department of Environment and ...

SUMMARY
REGIONAL CONTEXT
Walpole-Nornalup National Park is located on the south coast of Western Australia, surrounding the
towns of Walpole, Nornalup and Peaceful Bay (Map 1, page iv). The Park adjoins D'Entrecasteaux
National Park to the west. Together with Quarrum Nature Reserve and William Bay National Park to
the east, the southern coastline is reserved for about 190 km.
The Park also lies within CALM's Walpole District and in the Southern Forest Region. This plan
complements the Southern Forest Region Regional Management Plan (CALM, 1987a). Within the
Region, national parks comprise four percent of its area, nature reserves 1.7 percent, State forest 43
percent and private property 33 percent (CALM, 1987a).
The close proximity of State forest increases the conservation value of the Park as it forms a
continuous natural area that maximises diversity and ecosystem integrity. It also provides a protective
buffer for the Park.
VALUES
The Park's vegetation structure ranges from karri-tingle forest to sedgelands and includes 14 plant
community types, 10 of which are susceptible to dieback disease and erosion. The flora of the Park is
diverse with at least 698 native species including many that are restricted to high rainfall areas. The
Park is one of Australia's richest reserves for orchids with 104 species and has four species of
eucalypts endemic to the Walpole area, including the red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii) and the red
flowering gum (E. ficifolia). Thirty undescribed plants have been found, some of which are endemic
to the area.
Of the 19 species of mammals found in the Park, one is gazetted as threatened as are four of the 109
species of birds. One species of frog is confined to a 12 km radius of Walpole, and one of the 22
species of reptile found in the Park is gazetted as threatened. The Park's animal community includes
species of Gondwanan invertebrates that have survived for at least 65 million years.
Walpole-Nornalup National Park has spectacular landscapes encompassing estuaries, forested hills
dissected by rivers and extensive areas where there is little or no evidence of human activity. It is one
of the few places in Western Australia where the forest meets the coast.
Aboriginal occupation of the area dates at least 40 000 years, while the earliest recorded European
contact was in 1627 when Francis Thyssen sailed along the south coast and named Point Nuyts. The
first permanent European settlers arrived in 19 10.
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