Flinders Chase National Park (formerly Flinders Chase) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

located at the west end of

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...

about west-south west of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and west of the municipal seat of Kingscote. It is a sanctuary for endangered species and home to a few geological phenomena. It was the second

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

to be declared in South Australia. Flinders Chase National Park consists of three sections - an area of coastal landscapes around

Cape du Couedic Cape du Couedic is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located on the southwest tip of Kangaroo Island in the locality of Flinders Chase. It was named after a French naval officer, , by the Baudin expedition to Australia durin ...

in the south west corner of the island, the Gosse Lands in the centre of the west end of the island and the former Cape Borda Lightstation reserve in the north west corner of the island.

Description

Location

Flinders Chase National Park is located at the north-western end of Kangaroo Island in

approximately west of Kingscote. It is located within the gazetted localities of Flinders Chase,

Gosse Gosse is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bob Gosse (born 1963), American film producer and director * Charles Gosse (1849–1885), Australian surgeon, son of William * Clarence Gosse (1912–1996), Canadian physician and Lieu ...

and Karatta.

Extent

As of 1993, the national park consists of three separate parcels of land: *''Cape du Couedic'' which is refers to the main parcel of land within the national park and which is bounded at the north by the West Bay Road and the West Melrose Track, to the east by the West End Highway and an unsealed track called the Sand Dune Track; and the portion of coastline extending from West Bay in the west to Cape du Couedic in the south and to Sanderson Bay in the east. This portion of the national park includes the following islands -

Paisley Islet Paisley Islet (also known as West Bay Islet) is an islet located in the Great Australian Bight immediately off the west coast of Kangaroo Island in South Australia approximately west south-west of Kingscote, South Australia, Kingscote. It is c ...

(also known as West Bay Island) at West Bay and the Casuarina Islets immediately south of Cape du Couedic. *The Gosse Lands - a parcel of land which is bounded by the Playford Highway to the north and the West End Highway to the west. *The former lighthouse reserve at

Cape Borda Cape Borda is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located in the gazetted locality of Cape Borda on the north west tip of Kangaroo Island about west of the municipal seat of Kingscote. It was named after Jean-Charles de ...

Protected area designation

The national park is classified as an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

category II protected area.

History

Following a deputation of scientists in 1906, the premier, Tom Price, agreed to set aside the Cape Borda lighthouse reserve of 61 square miles as a nature reserve. and in 1909 the South Australian government converted another 79 square miles of what had been pastoral reserve to a nature reserve, under the control of the Fauna and Flora Board. The board had asked for 300 square miles but the additional properties needed had already been leased, and the lessees, who had yet to make any improvements, demanded £28,000 as compensation for losing what they had been getting for £28 per year

Professor Stirling Sir Edward Charles Stirling (8 September 1848 – 20 March 1919) was an Australian anthropologist and the first professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide. Early life Stirling was born at "The Lodge" Strathalbyn, South Australia, t ...

urged that when those leases expired they be turned over to the Board. The reserve was named Flinders Chase at the suggestion of Samuel Dixon "

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national American financial institution * Chase UK, a British retail bank * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturer * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in ...

" is an old English term for a private game reserve. (died 1927). Apart from its intended use as a habitat for koalas and other mammals, it was considered a likely refuge for the

lyre bird A lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds that compose the genus ''Menura'', and the family Menuridae. They are most notable for their impressive ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environme ...

, "pheasant" (perhaps the

malleefowl The malleefowl (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken (to which it is distantly related). It is notable for the large nesting mounds constructed by the males and lack of parental ca ...

, 'Leipoa ocellata'' and "bush turkey" (perhaps

Australian brushturkey The Australian brushturkey, Australian brush-turkey, or gweela (''Alectura lathami''), also frequently called the bush turkey or scrub turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family (biology), family Megapode, Meg ...

, 'Alectura lathami'', all threatened on the mainland due to depredations by foxes. The

Rocky River Rocky River may refer to: Localities *Rocky River, Ohio, USA * Rocky River, New South Wales near Uralla, Australia Electorates *Electoral district of Rocky River (South Australia) Streams In Australia: * Rocky River (New South Wales) * ...

was touted as a

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypi ...

reserve. Parts of the national park first acquired protected area status as a 'flora and fauna reserve' declared on 16 October 1919 under the ''Fauna and Flora Reserve Act 1919'', an act whose specific purpose was:

…to establish a Reserve on Kangaroo Island for the Protection, Preservation, and Propagation of Australasian Fauna and Flora, and to provide for the Control of such Reserve, and for other purposes.

No funds were made available for fencing or provision of a ranger however, and the laws regarding burning, shooting, poisoning and taking of protected species were unenforceable and broken with impunity. In 1922 the government brought the Chase's total area close to by the addition of the Rocky River freehold and leases south of Rocky River to the landing reserve by the

lighthouse. The Chase's eastern boundary was now a straight line running south from the De Mole River mouth to the island's south coast. It also gave the board a couple of cottages for the use of a ranger and visitors. It was constituted as a national park upon the proclamation of the ''

National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 Protected areas of South Australia, consisting of protected areas located within South Australia and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by South Australian Government agencies. As of 2018, South Australia contained 359 separat ...

'' on 27 April 1972 which repealed five items of existing legislation including the ''Fauna and Flora Reserve Act 1919''. At proclamation in 1972, it consisted of the following land in the following cadastral units as well as the entirety of the Casuarina Islets - section 11 in the Hundred of Borda, section 64 in the

Hundred of Gosse County of Carnarvon is a cadastral unit located in the Australian state of South Australia which covers the full extent of Kangaroo Island. It was proclaimed in 1874 by Governor Musgrave in response to the demand for agriculture land on Kang ...

, section 17 in the Hundred of McDonald and section 66 in "South out of Hundreds". On 15 October 1993, land in section 11 of the Hundred of Borda, section 64 of Hundred of Gosse and Allotments 50 and 52 in DP 38340 and with an area of was removed from the national park and constituted under the ''Wilderness Protection Act 1992'' as the

Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area Ravine Des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area is a protected area on the west end of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, about west of Kingscote. It was established in 1993 on land previously part of the Flinders Chase National Park. Descript ...

Sanctuary

Since creation in November 1919, it has become a sanctuary for endangered species, some of them introduced from the mainland in the 1920s and 1930s. During the 1940s, 23 additional species were introduced, including

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

s (1923) and

(1928). Most of these species can still be observed today.

Kangaroos Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey ...

goannas A goanna is any one of several species of lizard of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...

and

echidnas Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae , living in Australia and New Guinea. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only l ...

are commonly seen in the national park.

Little penguins

Little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

s have been recorded in Flinders Chase in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. It is believed that these colonies have since gone extinct, partly due to the increase of long-nosed fur seal populations after the end of commercial sealing. In 1886, little penguins were seen at Admiral's Arch.

Geological monuments

The national park contains two geological features that have been listed as geological monuments by the

Geological Society of Australia The Geological Society of Australia (GSA) was established as a non-profit organisation in 1952 to promote, advance and support earth sciences in Australia. The founding chairperson was Edwin Sherbon Hills. William Rowan Browne was a founder of t ...

and Remarkable Rocks. Remarkable Rocks are naturally sculptured formations precariously balanced atop a granite outcrop. They remind visitors of the sculptures of

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

Fire

Lightning strikes on Thursday 6 December 2007 caused approximately of land in both the national park and the adjoining Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area to be burnt, before being brought under control ten days later. The national park was again damaged during the

2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season commenced with serious uncontrolled fires in June 2019. , fires this season have burned an estimated , destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and killed at least 34 people. An estimated o ...

, with the Visitor Centre completely destroyed.

Gallery

Image:Australia kangaroo island echidna.jpg, An

echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the Family (biology), family Tachyglossidae , living in Australia and New Guinea. The four Extant taxon, extant species of echidnas ...

at Flinders Chase National Park Image:Remarkable Rocks 03.jpg , Remarkable Rocks Image:Admirals arch kangaroo island.jpg, Admirals Arch Image:Flinders Chase NP 1.jpg, View from Bunker Hill lookout File:Kangaroo_Island-kangaroo.jpg,

Western grey kangaroo The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, i ...

Image:Cape de Couedic.jpg, Cape de Couedic File:Flinders Chase Visitor Centre.jpg, Flinders Chase Visitor Centre

Notes and references

External links

* *
Flinders Chase National Park official webpageFlinders Chase National Park webpage on protected planet
{{authority control National parks of South Australia Protected areas of Kangaroo Island Wildlife sanctuaries of Australia Protected areas established in 1919 1919 establishments in Australia Penguin colonies