Messent Conservation Park

Messent Conservation Park
South Australia
Messent Conservation Park is located in South Australia
Messent Conservation Park
Messent Conservation Park
Nearest town or citySalt Creek [2]
Coordinates36°03′32″S 139°46′22″E / 36.058757299°S 139.772756512°E / -36.058757299; 139.772756512[1]
Established9 January 1964 (1964-01-09)[3]
Area115.83 km2 (44.7 sq mi)[4]
Managing authorities Department for Environment and Water
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Messent Conservation Park, formerly the Messent National Park and the Messent Wildlife Reserve, is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state’s south-east in the gazetted localities of Colebatch and Deepwater about 164 kilometres (102 mi) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-east of the town centre in Salt Creek.[2][5]

The conservation park consists of land in sections 1 and 65 of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Colebatch and Sections 1 and 10 in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Messent. Section 1 in the Hundred of Messent first acquired protected area status as a wild-life reserve proclaimed under the Crown Lands Act 1929. On 9 November 1967, this land was proclaimed as the Messent National Park under the National Parks Act 1966. On 18 June 1970, section 1 in the Hundred of Colebatch was added to the national park. On 27 April 1972, the national park was reconstituted as the Messent Conservation Park under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. On 6 December 1979, section 65 in Hundred of Colebatch and section 19 in Hundred of Messent were added to the conservation park.[6][3][7][8][9] As of 2018, it covered an area of 115.83 square kilometres (44.72 sq mi).[4]

In 1980, the conservation park was described as follows:[5]

Messent Conservation Park conserves a large area of open scrub, open heath and tussock sedgeland, which include seven rare plant species. These associations, in turn, provide valuable habitat for western grey kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, ash-grey mice, emus, mallee fowl and a variety of waterbirds… This park is an extensive area of sand plain overlain by stabilized sand dunes. Sedge flats, swamps and a lake occur in the interdunal depressions. The vegetation is primarily Eucalyptus diversifolia open scrub with relatively large areas of open heath and tussock sedgeland…

Messent is currently recovering (regenerating) from a recent bushfire (1977). The swamps and lake do not fill to the same level as they used to in the past and this may be attributed (at least in part) to the drainage of swampy land further to the south…

The conservation park is categorised as an IUCN Category III protected area[1] In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Search results for 'Messent Conservation Park' with the following datasets selected – 'NPW and Conservation Properties', 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Hundreds', 'Roads' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australian. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b McEwin, A. Lyell (9 January 1964). "CROWN LANDS ACT, 1929-1960: HUNDRED OF MESSENT - WILD-LIFE RESERVE DEDICATED" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 37. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Protected Areas Information System Reserve List" (PDF). Government of South Australia. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Messent Conservation Park, park access road, Salt Creek (sic), SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 7958)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 21 October 1980. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  6. ^ "No. 56 of 1972 (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972)". The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia: 660 & 700. 27 April 1972. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  7. ^ Walsh, Frank (9 November 1967). "NATIONAL PARKS ACT, 1966: VARIOUS NATIONAL PARKS NAMED" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 2043. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. ^ Shard, A.J. (18 June 1970). "NATIONAL PARKS ACT, 1966: HUNDRED OF COLEBATCH—MESSENT NATIONAL PARK" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 2115. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  9. ^ Rodda, W. Allan. (6 December 1979). "NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT, 1972-1978: HUNDREDS OF COLEBATCH AND MESSENT - ALTERATION OF BOUNDARIES OF MESSENT CONSERVATION PARK" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 1896. Retrieved 14 January 2019.