Editing Watarrka National Park

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                   = protected
| name                   = Watarrka National Park
| state                  = nt
| city = [[Petermann, Northern Territory|Petermann]]<ref name=NT-Atlas>{{cite web |title=Petermann |url= http://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/imfPublic/imf.jsp?site=nt_atlas&qhlt=true&qsel=true&qbuf=0.2&qry=PLACE_ID=22280&qlyr=113 |website=NT Atlas and Spatial Data Directory | date=February 2005 |publisher=Northern Territory Government |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref>
| iucn_category          = II
| iucn_ref               = <ref name=CAPAD2012NTSum/>

| image                  = File:Kings Canyon - panoramio (4).jpg
| caption                = [[Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)|Kings Canyon]]
| image_alt              = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|24|16|47|S|131|33|30|E|scale:500000|display=inline,title}}
| relief                 = yes
| pushpin_label_position = right
| map_alt                = 
| nearest_town_or_city   = [[Yulara, Northern Territory|Yulara]]
| area                   = 1051.85
| area_footnotes         = <ref name=CAPAD2012NTSum>{{cite web|title=CAPAD 2012 Northern Territory Summary (see 'DETAIL' tab)|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/0f927a4e-336a-490c-a896-ec37874a5c73/files/capad2012nt.xlsx|work=CAPAD 2012|publisher=Australian Government - Department of the Environment|access-date=7 February 2014|date=7 February 2014}}</ref>
| established            = {{start date|1989|07|31|df=y}}
| established_footnotes  = <ref name="CAPAD2012NTSum"/>
| visitation_num         = 176,100
| visitation_year        = 2022
| visitation_footnotes   = <ref name="MP"/>{{rp|3}}<ref name="Visitors">{{cite web |title=Park visitor data |url=https://dtsc.nt.gov.au/parks-and-wildlife-commission/parks-and-wildlife-statistics-and-research/park-visitor-data |website=Department of Tourism Sport and Culture |publisher=Northern Territory Government |access-date=19 June 2019|quote= ...Traffic counters located along Luritja Road at two separate entry points...}}</ref>
| managing_authorities   = [[Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory]]
| url                    = https://nt.gov.au/leisure/parks-reserves/find-a-park/find-a-park-to-visit/watarrka-national-park
}}
'''Watarrka National Park''' is a [[protected area]]  in the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia, which contains the popular [[Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)|Kings Canyon]] (Watarrka).

==Location==
The park is located about {{cvt|1,316|km}} south of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] and {{convert|323|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Alice Springs]].<ref name="MP">{{cite book |title=Watarrka National Park Joint Management Plan July 2018 |date=July 2018 |publisher= Traditional Owners and Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory |isbn=9781743501429 |page=3 |url=https://dtsc.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/545729/Watarrka-NP-JMP.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|3}} 

==History==
Watarrka National Park was established in 1989, on the [[traditional owners|traditional lands]] of the [[Matutjara]] people.<ref name=norther/> It is named after the [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] ([[Luritja]] and [[Arrernte people|Arrernte]]<ref name=discover>{{cite web | title=Kings Canyon Tourism | website=Discover Central Australia | url=https://www.discovercentralaustralia.com/regions/kings-canyon | access-date=10 April 2023}}</ref>) name for Kings Creek and Canyon ''watarrka'' (pronounced what-ARR-kah<ref>{{cite web | title=Kings Canyon Watarrka - Better than Uluru? | website=Travel Outback Australia | date=27 January 2022 | url=https://traveloutbackaustralia.com/outback-destinations/kings-canyon-watarrka.html | access-date=10 April 2023}}</ref>). This is the [[Luritja language|Luritja]] word for the local [[umbrella bush]] (''Acacia ligulata'') that grows in the vicinity.<ref>{{cite web | title=Watarrka | website=Central Art Aboriginal Art Store | url=https://www.aboriginalartstore.com.au/aboriginal-art-culture/aboriginal-words-glossary/pintupi-luritja/watarrka/ | language=id | access-date=10 April 2023}}</ref>

The park was established on land owned by England-born Jack Cotterill and his two sons, Jack and Jim, who opened it up for tourism from their property, Wallara Ranch.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/442014/watarrka-early-pioneer.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326113844/https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/442014/watarrka-early-pioneer.pdf |archive-date=2019-03-26 |url-status=live| title= An early pioneer: Watarrka National Park: Jack Cotterill will not be forgotten| first= Genny |last=O'Loughlin}}</ref>

==Description==
The national park is categorised as an [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] [[IUCN protected area categories#Category II – National Park|Category II protected area]].<ref name="CAPAD2012NTSum"/> On 25 March 1986, it was listed on the now-defunct [[Register of the National Estate]].<ref name="NRE"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article240546433 |title=COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 NOTICE OF ENTRY IN THE REGISTER OF THE NATIONAL ESTATE |newspaper=[[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special]] |issue=S127 |location=Australia |date=25 March 1986 |access-date=20 June 2019 |page=25 |via=National Library of Australia|quote = Kings Canyon National Park, …72,400 ha, located 325 km west of Alice Springs }}</ref>

It contains the popular [[Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)|Kings Canyon]] (Watarrka) at the western end of the George Gill Range and [[Kathleen Springs]], around {{convert|21|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the southeast of Kings Canyon.<ref name=norther>{{cite web | title=Watarrka National Park | website=Norther | date=9 February 2022 | url=https://norther.com.au/national-parks/watarrka-national-park/ | access-date=10 April 2023}}</ref>

In 1986, Kings Canyon was described by the Department of Environment as follows:<ref name="NRE">{{cite AHD|190|Watarrka (Kings Canyon) National Park, Ernest Giles Rd, Yulara (sic), NT, Australia  - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate |date=25 March 1986|accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref><blockquote>One of the most spectacular canyons in Central Australia. Kings Canyon contains some 60 rare or relict plant species and a total of 572 different plant species and 80 species of birds. It is a 'living plant museum' and is notable for its stands of cycads & permanent rock pools. There are some well-preserved Aboriginal paintings and engravings in the area...</blockquote>

==Climate==

{{Weather box|location = Watarrka, elevation {{convert|614|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|width= auto
|collapsed = Y
|Jan high C =	38.4
|Feb high C = 	36.9
|Mar high C = 	35.1
|Apr high C = 	30.9
|May high C = 	25.0
|Jun high C = 	21.4
|Jul high C = 	22.0
|Aug high C = 	24.5
|Sep high C = 	29.7
|Oct high C = 	33.1
|Nov high C = 	35.1
|Dec high C = 	36.4
|Jan low C = 	23.5
|Feb low C = 	23.0
|Mar low C = 	20.8
|Apr low C = 	16.7
|May low C = 	10.9
|Jun low C = 	6.4
|Jul low C = 	6.1
|Aug low C = 	8.2
|Sep low C = 	13.2
|Oct low C = 	17.5
|Nov low C = 	19.8
|Dec low C = 	22.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 	45.7
|Feb rain mm = 	39.8
|Mar rain mm = 	29.2
|Apr rain mm = 	12.8
|May rain mm = 	16.8
|Jun rain mm = 	14.6
|Jul rain mm = 	13.4
|Aug rain mm = 	5.8
|Sep rain mm = 	10.0
|Oct rain mm = 	24.8
|Nov rain mm = 	44.7
|Dec rain mm = 	39.5
|unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 	3.8
|Feb rain days = 	3.5
|Mar rain days = 	2.2
|Apr rain days = 	1.8
|May rain days = 	2.1
|Jun rain days = 	1.7
|Jul rain days = 	1.6
|Aug rain days = 	1.1
|Sep rain days = 	1.8
|Oct rain days = 	3.1
|Nov rain days = 	4.5
|Dec rain days = 	5.2
|year precipitation days = 	
|source 1 = Australian Bureau of Meteorology<ref name="BoM" >{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=015652&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1991-2020&tablesizebutt=normal
| title = Climate statistics for Australian locations- WATARRKA
| date = 7 April 2024}}</ref>
}}

== See also ==
* [[Protected areas of the Northern Territory]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{CC-notice|cc=by3au|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=190 |author=[[Commonwealth of Australia]]}}

==External links==
*[https://nt.gov.au/leisure/parks-reserves/find-a-park/find-a-park-to-visit/watarrka-national-park Official webpage]
*[https://www.protectedplanet.net/watarrka-national-park Webpage on the Protected Planet website]
*[https://norther.com.au/national-parks/watarrka-national-park/ Watarrka National Park]

{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage}}
{{National Parks of the Northern Territory|state=collapsed}}
{{Protected areas of the Northern Territory|state=collapsed}}


{{authority control}}

[[Category:National parks of the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1989]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Northern Territory places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate]]


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{{Australia-protected-area-stub}}