Moorook Game Reserve 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 ...

covering the floodplain on the south side of the

River Murray The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the n ...

in the localities of Kingston-on-Murray and Moorook immediately south of the section of the

Sturt Highway Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route. Initiall ...

that passes between the towns of Kingston-on-Murray in the west and

Cobdogla Cobdogla is a town in the Riverland region of South Australia, The town is on the Murray River, north-east of the state capital, Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Cobdogla had a population of 232. Cobdogla is the home of the Irrigation and Steam M ...

in the east. It is located about east north-east 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 ...

. The game reserve occupies land in sections 474, 475 and 476 in the cadastral unit of the

Hundred of Moorook 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

which covers Wachtels Lagoon and low-lying land to the south-east. It was proclaimed on 2 September 1976 under 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 ...

''. The Loch Luna Game Reserve immediately adjoins the game reserve's northern boundary. It and the Loch Luna Game Reserve are reported as providing "significant wildlife habitat and are popular recreation sites, particularly for river-based activities and camping". As of 2018, it covered an area of . In 1980, the game reserve was described as follows:

Moorook Game Reserve is an area of wetland habitat in the River Murray floodplain 9 km west of Barmera (3km south of Kingston-on-Murray). It has been reserved for the management and conservation of waterfowl, particularly native game species. Shooting of some species is permitted during restricted open seasons… Moorook Game Reserve encompasses a large open swamp, Wachtel's Lagoon, fringed by river red gums (''
Eucalyptus camaldulensis ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as river red gum, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to Australia. It is a tree with smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flow ...
'') and river box (''
Eucalyptus largiflorens ''Eucalyptus largiflorens'', or black box or river box, is a tree that is endemic to Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark, dull greenish-grey, lance-shaped leaves, oval to club-shaped green to yellow flower buds, white flowers and hemi ...
''). It is situated on the western bank of the River Murray, 3km. south of Kingston-on-Murray. Development of a small area of the Reserve for controlled production of waterfowl food crops is planned for the near future. These crops will be grown in the southwestern corner of the Reserve… Mostly unmodified, although irrigation drainage and some local effluent seep into one corner of the Reserve.

The game reserve 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 VI protected area. In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

References

External links

Moorook and Loch Luna Game Reserves official webpageMoorook Game Reserve brochureMoorook Game Reserve webpage on protected planet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moorook Game Reserve Game reserves of South Australia Protected areas established in 1976 1976 establishments in Australia Murray River South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate

See also

References

External links