The Mutawintji National Park, formerly the Mootwingee National Park, is a
protected
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
that is located in the
Far West Far West may refer to:
Places
* Western Canada, or the West
** British Columbia Coast
* Western United States, or Far West
** West Coast of the United States
* American frontier, or Far West, Old West, or Wild West
* Far West (Taixi), a term us ...
region of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, in eastern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. The national park is situated approximately west of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
and about north-east of .
Features and location
The rugged, mulga-clad Byngnano Range is dissected by colourful gorges, rockpools and creek beds lined with red gums. Scattered among the caves and overhangs are Aboriginal rock art and engravings.
In 1979, the
Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife purchased and fenced , in the Coturaundee Ranges, now part of Mutawintji National Park, for the conservation and protection of the
yellow-footed rock wallaby
The yellow-footed rock-wallaby (''Petrogale xanthopus''), formerly known as the ring-tailed rock-wallaby, is a member of the macropod family (the marsupial family that includes the kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, and wallaroos).
Descript ...
.
Follow-up funding of fox eradication in the reserve ensured the survival of this last population of yellow-footed rock-wallabies in New South Wales. Of the wild animals,
wedge-tailed eagle
The wedge-tailed eagle (''Aquila audax'') is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. Adults of this species have lo ...
,
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey bac ...
,
short-billed correllas,
zebra finches,
budgerigars,
apostle birds and
magpies can also be found here.
The park also protects Mutawintji Historic Site, containing one of the best collections of
Australian Aboriginal
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...
.
See also
*
Protected areas of New South Wales
The Protected areas of New South Wales include both terrestrial and marine protected areas. there are 225 national parks in New South Wales.
Based on the Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) 2020 data there are 2136 separat ...
References
Gallery
File:Hand stencils. Mootwingee. 1976.jpg, Hand stencils. Mootwingee.
File:Etched rock figures. Mutawintji National Park.jpg, Etched rock figures. Mutawintji National Park
File:Waterhole, Mootwingee.jpg, Waterhole, Mootwingee
File:Rock etchings. Mootwingee.jpg, Rock etchings. Mootwingee
File:Hand stencil in rock overhang, Mootwingi.jpg, Hand stencils in rock overhang, Mootwingee
File:Mootwingee waterhole.jpg, Mootwingee waterhole
File:Ancient rock etchings. Mootwinjee.jpg, Ancient rock etchings. Mootwinjee
File:Etched human-like figures. Mootwingee.jpg, Etched human-like figures. Mootwingee
File:Kangaroos etched on rocks. Mootwingee.jpg, Kangaroos etched on rocks. Mootwingee
External links
*
*
* ''The Archaeology of Mootwingee,Western New South Wales'' by F. D. McCarthy and N. W. G. Macintosh. Records of the Australian Museum, VOL. XXV, No. 13, 1962, pp. 249–298.
National parks of New South Wales
Protected areas established in 1998
Rock art in Australia
1998 establishments in Australia
Far West (New South Wales)
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