Witjira National Park

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = protected

| name = Witjira National Park

| state = sa

| iucn_category = VI

| iucn_ref = {{cite web|title= Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab ) |url= http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/761994ab-42cc-4f24-952c-c21221861884/files/capad2016sa.xlsx |work=CAPAD 2016|publisher=Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE) |access-date=21 February 2018 |date=2016}}

| image = Dalhousie Springs in Witjira National Park - steps into the warm water.JPG

| caption = Dalhousie Springs in Witjira National Park

| image_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|26.3388494009999|S|135.675051581|E|scale:1000000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| relief = yes

| pushpin_label_position = bottom

| map_alt =

| nearest_town_or_city = Finke

| area = 7726.73

| area_footnotes = {{cite web|title=Protected Areas Information System Reserve List |url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/park_management/protected-areas-reserve-list-march2018-gen.pdf |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=26 April 2018 |date=9 March 2018 }}

| established = {{start date|1985|11|21|df=y}}

| established_footnotes = {{cite web|last1=Hopgood|first1=D.J.|title=NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT, 1972: SECTIONS 28 and 43: CONSTITUTION OF WITJIRA NATIONAL PARK|url=http://www9.austlii.edu.au/au/other/sa_gazette/1985/83/1544.pdf|website=The South Australian Government Gazette|publisher=South Australian Government|access-date=13 May 2018|page=1544|date=21 November 1985}}

| visitation_num = 15,000

| visitation_year = 2009

| visitation_footnotes = {{cite web|title= Witjira National Park Management Plan 2009|url= http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/9a300eca-278b-48c7-bec0-9e4f00b22e65/witjira-np-mp.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314183530/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/9a300eca-278b-48c7-bec0-9e4f00b22e65/witjira-np-mp.pdf |archive-date=2011-03-14 |url-status=live|publisher= Department for Environment and Heritage |access-date=8 February 2015|date= May 2009|pages =I, 1 & 55}}

| managing_authorities = Department for Environment and Water
Witjira Co-management Board

| url = https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/witjira-national-park

}}

Witjira National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia about {{convert|987|km|abbr=off}} north of the state capital of Adelaide.

File:Red Mulga.jpg, growing along 3 O'Clock Creek in Witjira National Park]]

History

The national park was proclaimed on 21 November 1985 to "protect Australia’s largest array of artesian springs: the nationally significant Dalhousie Mound Springs complex". In 2007, it became the first protected area in South Australia to have formal joint management arrangements between its traditional owners and the Government of South Australia.

The extent of land occupied by the national park was gazetted as a locality in April 2013 under the name "Witjira".{{cite web|title=Search result for "Witjira (LOCB)" (Record no SA0067224) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)" |url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/# |work=Property Location Browser|publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=27 May 2016}}

On 26 November 2021, the government changed the conditions of the park, to forever exclude mining in the Dalhousie Springs National Heritage Area.{{cite web | title=SA now home to Australia's biggest national park | website=Premier of South Australia |first=David| last=Speirs| author-link=David Speirs| date=26 November 2021 | url=https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/news/media-releases/news/south-australia-now-home-to-australias-biggest-national-park | access-date=22 December 2021}} 50px Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/ Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)] licence.

Description

As of 2018, it covered an area of {{convert|7726.73|km2}}.

The national park is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area. It was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate during or after 1998.{{cite AHD|access-date=13 May 2018}}

The historic Dalhousie Homestead Ruins, from the former Dalhousie Station, lie within the national park and are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.{{cite web | url=http://apps.planning.sa.gov.au/HeritageSearch/HeritageItem.aspx?p_heritageno=87 | title=Dalhousie Homestead Ruins, Witjira National Park | work=South Australian Heritage Register | access-date=12 February 2016}}

See also

References

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