Editing Werrikimbe National Park

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                     = protected
| name                     = Werrikimbe National Park
| state                    = nsw
| iucn_category            = Ib
| image                    = Werrikimbe.jpg
| caption                  = [[Tree fern]]s in Werrikimbe National Park
| image_alt                = 
| relief                   = 1
| coordinates              = {{coord|31|12|S|152|14|E|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_label_position   = left
| map_alt                  = 
| nearest_town_or_city     = [[Walcha, New South Wales|Walcha]]
| pop                      = 
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| established              = {{start date|1975|07|11|df=y}}
| established_footnotes    = <ref name=oeh/>
| abolished                = 
| gazetted                 = 
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| elevation                = 
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| area                     = 333
| area_footnotes           = <ref name=oeh>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0042|title=Werrikimbe National Park|work=Office of Environment and Heritage|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref>
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| managing_authorities     = [[National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)|NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service]]
| url                      = http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/werrikimbe-national-park
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}}

The '''Werrikimbe National Park''' is a [[state park|protected]] [[national park]] located in the catchment zone of the Upper [[Hastings River]] in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. [[Government gazette|Gazetted]] in 1975, the {{convert|33309|ha|adj=on}} park is situated approximately {{convert|486|km}} north of [[Sydney]], {{convert|65|km}} north-west of {{NSWcity|Wauchope}},  and {{convert|90|km}} east of [[Walcha, New South Wales|Walcha]] on the eastern escarpment of the [[Great Dividing Range]].

The park is part of the Hastings-Macleay group [[World Heritage Site]] [[Gondwana Rainforests of Australia]] inscribed in 1986<ref name="ausgovdep">{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/gondwana/index.html |title=Gondwana Rainforests of Australia |access-date=10 September 2014|work=[[Department of the Environment (Australia)|Department of the Environment]]|publisher=[[Australian Government]] }}</ref> and added to the [[Australian National Heritage List]] in 2007.<ref name=anhl>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=105135|title=Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Lismore, NSW, Australia|work=Australian Heritage Database: [[Department of the Environment (Australia)|Department of the Environment]]|date=2014|access-date=10 September 2014|publisher=[[Australian Government]]}}</ref>

==Description==
Werrikimbe Park is noted for a rich diversity of plants and animals, rainforest, extensive wilderness, scenic wild rivers and opportunities for outdoor recreation in a remote location. This national park contains an [[Australian Aborigines|Aboriginal]] stone arrangement of two stone rings, [[bora ring]]s, where initiation ceremonies were held.<ref name="NPWS96">Werrikimbe Wilderness, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, April 1996</ref>

===Access and facilities===
All access roads to the park have a gravel surface, winding and steep in places. These roads are unsuitable for caravans. Beyond the Mooraback Road there is a [[four-wheel drive]] (4WD) trail to Youdales Hut visitor area which is only accessible by a 4WD with low range, after obtaining a key for the locked gate from either the [[National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)|National Parks and Wildlife Service]] or Apsley Motors in Walcha.<ref>Werrikimbe National Park, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, July 2000</ref> There are five visitor areas with basic facilities — three on the eastern side near the edge of the escarpment, and two on the west, on the plateau.

Camping sites are available at:
* Brushy Mountain campground (20 sites) on the north-eastern edge of the park. Campsites are suitable for: car and trailer (though not caravan) next to campsite. Facilities: toilets, amenities block, picnic tables, wood barbecues
* Mooraback campground (5 sites) at the north-western end of the park. Facilities: toilets, picnic tables, wood barbecues
* Plateau Beech campground (5 sites), on the eastern side of the park.  Campsites are suitable for: people who are happy to walk a short distance from car to tent. Facilities: Pit/composting toilets, amenities block, picnic tables, wood barbecues

The [[Bicentennial National Trail]] passes through the western edge of the Werrikimbe Wilderness along the headwaters of the [[Hastings River]] and onto the Kunderang Brook. Horses and vehicles are not permitted within the declared Wilderness.<ref name="NPWS96"/>

==History==
The Mooraback area was one of the earliest settlements along the "Falls Country" to the east of Walcha, with records showing the first settlers grazed blocks at Mooraback in the 1850s. The names of some of these settlers are reflected in the names featured in the park: Bishops Swamp, Cleghorns Creek and Careys Trail.

During the 1950s some [[manganese]] mining was carried out in what is now within the park confines.

==Flora and fauna==
There is a great variety of vegetation here, depending on rainfall and altitude: [[eucalypt]] [[woodland]]s, [[Ceratopetalum apetalum|coachwoods]], [[Atherosperma|southern sassafras]], [[Dendrocnide|stinging trees]], [[Philotheca myoporoides|long-leaf waxflowers]] and [[Sloanea woollsii|yellow carabeens]] with their flying buttressed trunks.  Werrikimbe is home to the rare plants such as ''[[Chiloglottis]]'' bird orchids,<ref>Threatened Species of the New England Tablelands & NW Slopes of NSW, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, 2003, {{ISBN|0-7313-6673-5}}</ref> downy guinea flowers and [[Thismia|fairy lanterns]]. These forests also contain the only examples of [[Leptopteris fraseri|filmy king fern]] known to occur in northern New South Wales.  The [[Nothofagus moorei|Antarctic beech]] forest, found at the end of the North Plateau Road, is estimated to be up to 1,000 years old and forms the largest compact southern beech forest in existence.<ref>''Reader's Digest Guide to Australian Places'', Reader's Digest, Sydney</ref> The threatened ''parva'' subspecies of [[Callitris oblonga|pygmy cypress pine]] occurs on the eastern edge of the [[Northern Tablelands]] in the park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10132|title=Threatened Species|work=Office of Environment and Heritage|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|access-date=13 March 2009 }}</ref>

Werrikimbe is the habitat of at least 22 threatened animal species. The rare [[Hastings River mouse]] was considered to be extinct until rediscovered in the park in 1981; it frequents the heathlands and open forest areas near streams.  The [[Australian brushturkey]], [[koala]], [[eastern whipbird]], [[powerful owl]], [[gliding possum|gliders]], [[quoll]]s and [[lyrebird]]s may be seen.  The park has been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because it contains one of only five known populations of [[rufous scrub-bird]]s.  It also supports [[flame robin|flame]] and [[pale-yellow robin]]s, [[paradise riflebird]]s, [[green catbird]]s, [[regent bowerbird]]s and [[Australian logrunner]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm |title=IBA: Werrikimbe |access-date=24 November 2011|work=Birdata|publisher=Birds Australia }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Yellow Carabeen - Cobcroft Rest Area - Werrikimbe National Park.JPG|[[Yellow carabeen]], Werrikimbe National Park
Werrikimbe NP.jpg|Werrikimbe National Park
Eriostemon myoporoides - Morren.jpg|''[[Philotheca myoporoides]]'', found in the national park
SpottedQuoll 2005 SeanMcClean.jpg|[[Spotted quoll]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{stack|{{portal|New South Wales|environment}}}}
* [[Protected areas of New South Wales]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.australiannationalparks.com/newsouthwales/Werrikimbe/default.htm Werrikimbe National Park]

{{National Parks of New South Wales}}
{{Towns in New England}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:National parks of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1975]]
[[Category:Gondwana Rainforests of Australia]]
[[Category:1975 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of New South Wales]]