Lesueur National Park

This article is about the protected area in Western Australia. For the protected area in South Australia, see Lesueur Conservation Park.

Lesueur National Park
Western Australia
Mount Lesueur
Lesueur National Park is located in Western Australia
Lesueur National Park
Lesueur National Park
Map
Nearest town or cityJurien Bay
Coordinates30°08′04″S 115°06′02″E / 30.13444°S 115.10056°E / -30.13444; 115.10056
Established1992
Area272.35 km2 (105.2 sq mi)[1]
Managing authoritiesDepartment of Environment and Conservation
WebsiteLesueur National Park
See alsoList of protected areas of
Western Australia

Lesueur National Park is a national park straddling the boundary between the Wheatbelt and Mid West regions of Western Australia, 211 km north of Perth. The park was gazetted in 1992. It includes two mesas known as Mount Lesueur and Mount Michaud, and supports a highly diverse flora.

Flora

Open Eucalyptus woodland with a diverse understorey

Lesueur National Park lies in the Geraldton Sandplains bioregion, which is characterised by scrubby heath with a high number of plants from the family Proteaceae.

Vegetation in the park is structurally complex, with patches of woodland amongst shrublands.[2]

There are over 900 indigenous plant species in the park, many of which are endemic.[2] Rare or threatened species include the Mount Lesueur Grevillea, Forrest's Wattle, the Lesueur Hakea and the Laterite Mallee.

The park is the northern limit for Jarrah and Mountain Marri, both of which grow as mallees instead of the more usual tall tree form.

Lesueur National Park is under threat from the effects of Phytophthora dieback, a disease which kills plants and is spread through movement of infected soil or water.[3]

1980s coal mining and power station proposals

In the 1980s, due to appraisals of coal deposits in the area, the Mount Lesueur and Hill River areas were in controversy over proposed coal mining and power station development,[4][5][6] until the creation of the National Park in 1990.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Department of Environment and Conservation 2009–2010 Annual Report". Annual Report. Department of Environment and Conservation: 48. 2010. ISSN 1835-114X. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Management Plan:Lesueur National Park and Coomallo Nature Reserve1995 - 2005" (PDF). Department of Conservation and Land Management. 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  3. ^ Dunne, Chris; Kilgour, Sharon (2005). Managing Phytophthora Dieback in Bushland (PDF) (3 ed.). Perth, Western Australia: WWF Australia. p. 48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  4. ^ Western Australia. Environmental Protection Authority; Western Australia. Environmental Protection Authority (1990), Coal mining and power generation, near Mt Lesueur : report and recommendations of the Environmental Protection Authority, The Authority, ISBN 978-0-7309-3537-7
  5. ^ Canning Resources; Dames & Moore; Canning Resources Pty. Limited; Hill River Power Development Company (1990), The Hill River project : environmental review & management programme, coal mine & coal-fired power station : draft environmental impact statement, coal-fired power station, Canning Resources, Hill River Power Development Company, ISBN 978-0-646-01473-9
  6. ^ National Park and Nature Conservation Authority submission on the Hill River coal mine and power station project, The Authority, 1989, retrieved 10 October 2023
  7. ^ "IN BRIEF - Mines now in national park in WA". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 445. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 April 1991. p. 11. Retrieved 10 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.