Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park

Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park, part of which was formerly Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Conservation Park, Simpson Desert Conservation Park, and Simpson Desert National Park, is a protected area located in the far north of the Australian state of South Australia, near its border with Queensland and the Northern Territory. As of November 2021 it is the largest national park in Australia, covering 3,600,000 ha (14,000 sq mi).

Not to be confused with Munga-Thirri National Park in Queensland.

Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park
South Australia
Rangers looking at Approdinna Attora Knolls in the park
Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park is located in South Australia
Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park
Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park
Nearest town or cityOodnadatta[2]
Coordinates26°14′46″S 137°52′23″E[1]
Established14 December 1967[3]
Area36,000 km2 (13,899.7 sq mi)[4]
Managing authoritiesDepartment for Environment and Water
WebsiteMunga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Location

The park is about 970 kilometres (600 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide and above 215 kilometres (134 mi) north-east of the town of Oodnadatta.[5][2]

History

The conservation park occupied land within the Simpson Desert in the gazetted locality of the same name. It was bounded by the borders of the Northern Territory and Queensland to its north and by the Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Regional Reserve to its west, south and east.[5][2]

The land within the boundaries of the conservation park first obtained protected area status on 14 December 1967 as a national park proclaimed under the National Parks Act 1966 as the Simpson Desert National Park.[3][6] On 27 April 1972, the national park was reconstituted as the Simpson Desert Conservation Park upon the proclamation of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.[7] As of 2018, it covered an area of 6,932.68 square kilometres (2,676.72 sq mi).[4]

On 2 August 2018, the conservation park's name was altered by the Government of South Australia to Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Conservation Park.[8]

In an unprecedented move, the park and the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve were closed to public access by the state government from 1 December 2008 to 15 March 2009 due to extreme heat during the Australian summer.[9]

The conservation park was classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area as of 2016[1] In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.[5]

The conservation park, along with the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve and Witjira National Park, was described as a protected area representing one of the world's best examples of dunal desert. A wide variety of desert flora and fauna are protected in a landscape of varied dune systems, extensive playa lakes, spinifex grasslands and Acacia woodlands. These trees soak up water from underground water springs.

National park

A new national park was created by combining the Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Conservation Park with the Regional Reserve in November 2021, creating Australia's largest national park. At 3,600,000 ha (14,000 sq mi),[10][11] it is double the size of Kakadu National Park, and four times the size of Yellowstone National Park in the US.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  2. "Search results for 'Simpson Desert Conservation Park' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'NPW and Conservation Properties' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australian Government. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. Shard, A.J. (14 December 1967). "NATIONAL PARKS ACT, 1966: NORTH OUT OF HUNDREDS—SIMPSON DESERT NATIONAL PARK" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. p. 2534. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  4. "Protected Areas Information System Reserve List" (PDF). Government of South Australia. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  5. "Simpson Desert Conservation Park – listing on the now defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 5912)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 21 October 1980. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  6. "Simpson Desert area a park". The Canberra Times. Vol. 42, no. 11, 918. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 February 1968. p. 11. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "No. 56 of 1972 (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972)". The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia: 660 & 701. 27 April 1972. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  8. "National Parks and Wildlife (Simpson Desert Conservation Park) Proclamation 2018". The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. 2 August 2018. p. 2989. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  9. "Desert danger forces outback shutdown". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  10. Gooch, Declan (26 November 2021). "Australia's biggest national park declared in South Australia's far north". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  11. Speirs, David (26 November 2021). "SA now home to Australia's biggest national park". Premier of South Australia. Retrieved 19 December 2021. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
  12. Kurmelovs, Royce (25 November 2021). "Munga-Thirri-Simpson desert declared Australia's biggest national park after 10-year campaign". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
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