Editing Naracoorte Caves National Park

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                   = protected
| name                   = Naracoorte Caves National Park
| state                  = sa
| city = [[Joanna, South Australia|Joanna]] & [[Mount Light, South Australia|Mount Light]]<ref name="LMV">{{cite web |title=Search results for "Naracoorte caves National Park" with the following datasets selected – "NPW and Conservation Properties", "Suburbs and Localities", "Local Government Areas", "SA Government Regions" and "Gazetteer" |url=http://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/?map=roads&x=140.7237&y=-37.054&z=12&uids=41,19,20,105&pinx=140.807350&piny=-37.059080&pinTitle=Location&pinText=Naracoorte+Caves+National+Park,+Park |website=Location SA Map Viewer |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=19 October 2019}}</ref>
| iucn_category          = II
| iucn_ref      = <ref name=CAPAD2016SASum>{{cite web|title= Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab ) |url= http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/761994ab-42cc-4f24-952c-c21221861884/files/capad2016sa.xlsx |work=CAPAD 2016|publisher=Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE) |access-date=21 February 2018 |date=2016}}</ref>

| image                  = Thylacoleo skeleton in Naracoorte Caves.jpg
| caption                = Skeleton of a marsupial lion (''[[Thylacoleo carnifex]]'') in the Victoria Fossil Cave
| image_alt              = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|37|2|10|S|140|47|51.5|E|scale:1000000|display=inline,title}}
| relief                 = yes
| pushpin_map_caption      = 
| pushpin_label_position   = top
| map_alt                = 
| nearest_town_or_city   = [[Naracoorte, South Australia|Naracoorte]]
| area                   = 6.60
| area_footnotes         = <ref name=ReserveList>{{cite web|title=Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 25 November 2014)|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/b88e6e26-4bd9-4c68-8fff-9e800114eb69/park-management-protected-areas-gen.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702090603/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/b88e6e26-4bd9-4c68-8fff-9e800114eb69/park-management-protected-areas-gen.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-02 |url-status=live|publisher=Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources|access-date=8 January 2015}}</ref>
| established            = '''Conservation Park''' {{start date|1972|04|27|df=y}}<br/> '''National Park''' {{start date|2001|01|18|df=y}}
| established_footnotes  = <ref name=NPWact>{{cite journal |title= No. 56 of 1972 (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972) |journal= The South Australian Government Gazette |date= 27 April 1972 |pages= 660 & 702 |url= http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/num_act/npawa56o1972293/ |access-date= 26 February 2018|publisher= Government of South Australia}}</ref><ref name="SAGG-2001">{{cite web|last1=Brindal|first1=Mark|title=NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT 1972 SECTIONS 29(3) AND 28(1): ABOLITION OF NARACOORTE CAVES CONSERVATION PARK AND CONSTITUTION OF NARACOORTE CAVES NATIONAL PARK|url=http://governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/public/documents/gazette/2001/January/2001_005.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226152015/http://governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/public/documents/gazette/2001/January/2001_005.pdf |archive-date=2018-02-26 |url-status=live|website=South Australian Government Gazette|publisher=South Australian Government|access-date=26 February 2018|page=70|date=18 January 2001}}</ref>
| visitation_num         = 90812
| visitation_year        = 2022
| visitation_footnotes   = <ref>{{Cite web |last=Australia |first=Premier of South |date=2023-03-14 |title=Visitor numbers to some of South Australia’s most iconic national parks have skyrocketed |url=https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/media-releases/news-items/visitor-numbers-to-some-of-south-australias-most-iconic-national-parks-have-skyrocketed |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=Premier of South Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>
| managing_authorities   = [[Department of Environment and Water (South Australia)|Department of Environment and Water]]
| url                    = http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/naracoorte/Home
| footnotes              = 
 {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 | child       = yes
 | Part_of     = Australian Fossil Mammal Sites ([[Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh)|Riversleigh]]/Naracoorte)
 | Image       = Naracoorte Caves National Park 1.jpg
 | Criteria    = Natural: viii, ix
 | ID          = 698-002
 | Year        = 1994
 | Area        = 300 ha
 }}
}}

'''Naracoorte Caves National Park''' is a national park near [[Naracoorte, South Australia|Naracoorte]] in the [[Limestone Coast]] [[tourism region]] in the south-east of [[South Australia]] ([[Australia]]). It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive [[fossil]] record when the site was inscribed on the [[World Heritage List]], along with [[Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh)|Riversleigh]]. The park preserves 6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of remnant vegetation, with 26 caves contained within the 3.05&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> World Heritage Area.<ref name=WH-listing>{{cite web|title=Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte)|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/698|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=17 May 2015}}</ref> Out of the 28 known caves in the park, only four are open to the public. Other caves are kept away from the public eye as they are important for scientific research and also for the protection of the caves and their contents. Many of the caves contain spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au/plan-your-visit/about-naracoorte-caves|title=About Naracoorte Caves|website=National Parks South Australia}}</ref>

==History ==
===European discovery===
The caves, which are located within the boundaries of what is now the national park, were first encountered in 1845 with the discovery of [[Blanche Cave]].<ref name=mp>{{Citation | publisher=South East Region, National Parks and Wildlife SA, Department for Environment and Heritage | title=Naracoorte Caves National Park management plan, South East, South Australia | date=2001 | url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/park_management/parks_pdfs_naracoorte_mp.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226092328/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/park_management/parks_pdfs_naracoorte_mp.pdf |archive-date=2018-02-26 |url-status=live |page=15| isbn=978-0-7308-5846-1 }}</ref>

===Naracoorte Forest Reserve===
In 1885, the [[Department of Woods and Forests (South Australia)|Department of Woods and Forests]] appointed a caretaker due to "the popularity of the caves and their vulnerability to vandalism".<ref name=mp/>

=== First fossil collection ===
The first recorded collection of Pleistocene megafaunal fossils from the caves was a 1908 collection reported by William Reddan from Specimen Cave. This collection was carried out largely without regard for the stratigraphic context of the fossils, limiting the collection's scientific utility.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Turner |first=Nerita K. |last2=Reed |first2=Elizabeth H. |date=2 January 2023 |title=Using historical research to constrain the provenance and age of the first recorded collection of extinct Pleistocene large mammal fossils from the Naracoorte Caves, South Australia |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03721426.2023.2188442 |journal=[[Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia]] |language=en |volume=147 |issue=1 |pages=143–159 |doi=10.1080/03721426.2023.2188442 |issn=0372-1426 |access-date=2 June 2024 |via=Taylor and Francis Online}}</ref>

===National Pleasure Resort===
In 1916, the control of the portion of the forest reserve which contained many of the caves and which consisted of about {{convert| 50 |acre|ha|order=flip}} of land was transferred from the Department of Woods and Forests to the Immigration, Publicity and Tourist Bureau who would manage it as a national pleasure resort under the ''National Pleasure Resort Act 1914'' until 1972. The change of control was gazetted on 1 March 1917.<ref name="SAGG-1917">{{cite web|last1=STYLES|first1=A. W.|title=GRANT OF NARACOORTE CAVES AS A PUBLIC PLEASURE RESORT, &c|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/sa_gazette/1917/11/368.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823111222/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/sa_gazette/1917/11/368.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-23 |url-status=live|website=The South Australian Government Gazette|publisher=South Australian Government|access-date=30 March 2018|page=368|date=1 March 1917}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79773016 |title=THE NARRACOORTE CAVES. |newspaper=[[The Border Watch]] |volume=LV |issue=5463 |location=South Australia |date=22 July 1916 |access-date=26 February 2018 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name=NPWact/> The national pleasure resort's development into "an important regional tourist destination was greatly assisted by the discovery in 1969 in Victoria Cave of the largest known Australian Pleistocene vertebrate fossil cave deposit".<ref name=mp/>

===Conservation Park===
On 27 April 1972, it was renamed as the '' Naracoorte Caves Conservation Park'' upon the proclamation of the ''[[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972]]'' which repealed the former act along with other statutes concerned with [[conservation (ethic)|conservation]].<ref name=NPWact/> In 1982, the conservation park was listed on the now-defunct [[Register of the National Estate]].<ref name=NRE>{{cite AHD|8013|Naracoorte Caves Conservation Park}}</ref>

===World heritage listing===
On 17 December 1994, part of the conservation park, being an area of {{convert|300|ha}} was "inscribed on the World Heritage List" along with the [[Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh)|Riversleigh fossil site]] in Queensland as the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh/Naracoorte).<ref name=AHD-WHL>{{cite AHD|105089|Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh/Naracoorte), Naracoorte, SA, Australia}}</ref>

===National Park===
On 18 January 2001, the Naracoorte Caves Conservation Park was abolished and the land that it occupied was reconstituted as a national park because it was considered to be "of national significance by reason of the natural features of the land" and was assigned the name, Naracoorte Caves National Park.<ref name="SAGG-2001"/>

===National heritage listing===
On 21 May 2007 The Australian Fossil Mammal Sites was one of 15 World Heritage places to be added to the [[Australian National Heritage List]].<ref name="AHD">{{cite AHD|105692|Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Naracoorte), Naracoorte, SA, Australia |date=21 May 2007|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref>

===State heritage listing===
On 17 May 2017, the extent of the national park was listed as a state heritage place on the [[South Australian Heritage Register]] with the name of the ''Naracoorte Caves Complex''.<ref name="SAHR">{{cite web|title=Naracoorte Caves Complex (designated place of geological, palaeontological and speleological significance)|url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/heritagesearch/HeritageItem.aspx?p_heritageno=27695|website=Heritage Places Database|publisher=South Australian Government|access-date=26 February 2018|date=17 May 2017}}</ref>

==Visitor attraction==
<!-- [[File:Naracoorte NP Info Centre.JPG|thumb|left|Naracoorte Cave National Park Information Centre]] -->
The park is a visitor destination in itself, with a camping ground and caravan park, dormitory accommodation for groups, picnic grounds and a licensed cafe. The range of visitor activities is extensive. Show cave tours are guided by professional interpreters through highly decorated caves with some tours visiting amazing fossil deposits. Modern technology has been utilised to show visitors the normally inaccessible interior of Bat Cave, where thousands of [[southern bent-wing bat]]s breed each year. Other opportunities include adventure caving, a selection of specialty tours and special events. The Wonambi Fossil Centre, the park's visitor centre, features displays of fossils and bones found in the caves and dioramas of extinct animals.

==Structure==
The limestone of the area was formed from coral and marine creatures 200 million years ago and again 20 million years ago when the land was below sea level. Ground water since then has dissolved and eroded some of the limestone, creating the caves. The caves, such as the Victoria Fossil Cave and [[Blanche Cave]], are often not far below ground, and holes open up creating traps for the unwary. This is the source of the remarkable collection of fossils. Mammals and other land creatures have fallen into open caves and been unable to escape. The fossil record has been preserved in strata formed from eroded topsoil washed and blown in. In some places, the fossil-bearing silt is up to 20 metres thick. Some of these areas are being preserved for future research when better methods of dating and reconstructing fossil records may have been found. These fossil traps are especially significant for tracing [[Australian megafauna]].

The latest research<ref name="2022-09-29_ABC">[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-29/world-heritage-listed-naracoorte-caves-one-million-years-old/101481018 World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves 500,000 years older than previously thought, research reveals], Jack D Evans, [[ABC News Online]], 2022-09-29</ref> pushes back the date of the caves' formation to at least 1.34 million years ago.

==See also==
{{Portal|South Australia}}
* [[Protected areas of South Australia]]
* [[List of World Heritage Sites in Oceania]]
* [[List of fossil parks]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation |journal=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]] |title=Lost Giants |last=Achenbach |first=Joel |pages=90–109 |date=October 2010 |volume=218 |issue=4 }}.
* {{cite web | url = http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/naracoorte/sitemap/index.htm | title = Naracoorte Caves | access-date = 2008-02-22 | date = 2006-09-05 | work = ParksWeb: Wonambi Fossil Centre | publisher = [[Government of South Australia]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070901122002/http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/naracoorte/sitemap/index.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-09-01}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Naracoorte Caves National Park}}
* [https://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au/Home Official webpage]
* [http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/fossil-mammal-sites/index.html World heritage listing for Naracoorte]
* [https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=698 UNESCO site with information on Riversleigh, Australia]
* [http://www.protectedplanet.net/naracoorte-caves-national-park Naracoorte Caves National Park webpage on protected planet]
* [http://www.naracoortelucindale.com/ Naracoorte Lucindale Tourism]

{{Protected areas of South Australia|state=collapsed}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Australia}}
{{Limestone Coast}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:National parks of South Australia]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1972]]
[[Category:South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Australia]]
[[Category:Australian National Heritage List]]
[[Category:South Australian Heritage Register]]
[[Category:Limestone Coast]]
[[Category:Show caves in Australia]]
[[Category:Paleontology in South Australia]]
[[Category:Fossil museums in Australia]]
[[Category:Fossil parks in Australia]]
[[Category:Limestone caves]]
[[Category:Natural history museums in Australia]]
[[Category:Pleistocene paleontological sites of Australia]]
[[Category:Museums in South Australia]]