Limmen National Park
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type = protected
| name = Limmen National Park
| state = nt
| iucn_category = II
| image = Limmen National Park 0416.svg
| caption = Limmen National Park map
| nearest_town_or_city = Katherine
| area = 9369.26
| established = {{start date|2012|06|26|df=y}}
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| managing_authorities = Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory
| url = http://www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/limmen
}}
Limmen National Park, announced in 2012, is the third largest national park in the Northern Territory, after Judbarra / Gregory National Park, with an area of approximately {{convert|9,369|sqkm|sqmi}}.{{cite news|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8436380/limmen-national-park-declared-in-nt|title=Limmen National Park declared in NT|last=La Canna|first=Xavier|date=16 March 2012|work=Ninemsn|accessdate=17 March 2012}} Located about 600 km south-east of Darwin on the Gulf of Carpentaria, the park incorporates wetlands, sandstone structures and numerous rivers, including the Limmen Bight River from which the park takes its name.{{cite news|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/massive-new-national-park-declared-in-northern-territory.htm|title=Huge national park declared in Northern Territory|last=Hancock|first=David|date=21 March 2012|work=Australian Geographic|accessdate=16 March 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116212901/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/massive-new-national-park-declared-in-northern-territory.htm|archivedate=16 January 2013|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/200102/limmen-national-park.pdf|title=Limmen National Park fact sheet|work=Northern Territory Government|accessdate=28 April 2016}}
Controversy and Mining
Limmen National Park was declared in 2012 but approximately 20% of the area originally planned for the park was excluded to allow for Iron Ore exploration and extraction,{{cite news|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/massive-new-national-park-declared-in-northern-territory.htm|title=Huge national park declared in Northern Territory|last=Hancock|first=David|date=21 March 2012|work=Australian Geographic|accessdate=16 March 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116212901/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/massive-new-national-park-declared-in-northern-territory.htm|archivedate=16 January 2013|df=dmy-all}} a decision welcomed by Western Desert Resources, the company developing an Iron Ore mine in the excised region.{{cite news|url=https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20120316/pdf/4252ls3n6nrdsv.pdf|title=Roper Bar Iron Ore project excluded from proposed Northern Territory National Park|work=Western Desert Resources|accessdate=21 May 2021}} However, the NT Environment Centre argued that the NT Government had been "unnecessarily generous to miners"{{cite news|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/massive-new-national-park-declared-in-northern-territory.htm|title=Huge national park declared in Northern Territory|last=Hancock|first=David|date=21 March 2012|work=Australian Geographic|accessdate=16 March 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116212901/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/massive-new-national-park-declared-in-northern-territory.htm|archivedate=16 January 2013|df=dmy-all}} and concerns were also raised by the Amateur Fishermen's Association of the Northern Territory and neighbouring pastoral lease holders, upset by Western Desert Resources building a haul road across their property.{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2013-09-18/mining-the-roper-region/4957770|title=Mining the Roper: opinions and landscapes divived|work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=21 May 2021}}
Following a decline in the price of Iron Ore, Western Desert Resources went into administration in 2014 and their mining operations ceased.{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2014-09-08/western-desert-resources-goes-into-voluntary-administration/5722388|title=Plummeting iron ore price claims third Top End miner|work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=21 May 2021}} In 2018, the Northern Territory Government approved a new operator to restart the mine,{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-15/nt-government-approves-restart-of-roper-bar-mining-project/9448190|title=Northern Territory Government approves restart of defunct Roper Bar iron ore mine|work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=21 May 2021}} this time operated by Nathan River Resources, a company owned by international shipping and mining company British Marine.
Heritage and attractions
A major attraction in the park are the "Lost Cities"—sandstone rock formations resembling tall apartment blocks.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/nts-limmen-is-finally-a-national-park/story-fn3dxiwe-1226431147575|title=NT's Limmen is finally a national park|last=La Canna|first=Xavier|date=2 August 2012|work=The Australian|accessdate=16 March 2013}}
=Rock art=
Miniature rock art of the stencilled variety at a rock shelter known as Yilbilinji, in Limmen National Park, is one of only three known examples of such art. Usually stencilled art is life-size, using body parts as the stencil, but the 17 images of designs of human figures, boomerangs, animals such as crabs and long-necked turtles, wavy lines and geometric shapes are very rare. Found in 2017 by archaeologists, the only other recorded examples are at Nielson's Creek in New South Wales and at Kisar Island in Indonesia. It is thought that the designs may have been created by stencils fashioned out of beeswax.{{cite web | title=Indigenous rock art found in the NT one of just three such examples worldwide|first=Henry|last=Zwartz | website=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) | date=27 May 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-27/rare-rock-art-found-in-nt-park/12287914 | access-date=28 May 2020}}{{cite web | author=Flinders University | title=Miniature rock art expands horizons | website=Phys.org | date=26 May 2020 | url=https://phys.org/news/2020-05-miniature-art-horizons.html | access-date=28 May 2020}}{{cite web | title=Archaeologists reveal rock art's big little secret | website=Flinders University (News) | date=27 May 2020 | url=https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2020/05/27/archaeologists-reveal-rock-arts-big-little-secret/ | access-date=28 May 2020}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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External links
- [https://nt.gov.au/leisure/parks-reserves Northern Territory Government National Parks and Reserves]
- [https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/200102/limmen-national-park.pdf Official fact sheet and map]
- [https://norther.com.au/national-parks/limmen-national-park/ Limmen National Park]
{{National Parks of the Northern Territory}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Carpentaria tropical savanna
Category:National parks of the Northern Territory