Tasmanian Wilderness

Tasmanian Wilderness*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Cradle Mountain, Little Horn and Dove Lake, Central Highlands, Tasmanian Wilderness
State Party	Australia
Type	Mixed
Criteria	iii, iv, vi, vii, viii, ix, x
Reference	181
Region**	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1982  (6th Session)
Extensions	1989
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is a contiguous network of reserved lands that extends over much of southwestern, western, and central Tasmania. In addition to constituting one of the last expanses of temperate rainforest in the world, the region contains alpine, sclerophyll, buttongrass moorland, and grassland and grassy woodland communities. Remains found in limestone caves attest to the human occupation of the area for tens of thousands of years.

Description

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area on the Australian island of Tasmania is one of the country's largest protected areas. It is comprised of multiple variously designated protected areas such as national parks, conservation areas, state and forest reserves, and historical preservation areas, totaling approximately 1.38 million hectares (3.41 million acres), or about 20 percent of Tasmania's total land area. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1982, with UNESCO extending its area in 1989 to its present boundaries. Within the area are natural, cultural and historical features of global significance.

The area contains alpine vegetation, extensive tracts of tall eucalypt forest, and one of the last expanses of temperate rainforest in the world. These provide habitats for a range of plants and animals that are not found anywhere else in the world, including many rare and endangered species. In addition, a high proportion of Tasmania's karst areas, glacial landscapes and known archaeological sites also occurs within the area.

A rich and complex geology has created landforms of immense beauty. There is evidence within its limestone caves of human habitation for tens of thousands of years. In addition, Tasmania’s first penal colony in Macquarie Harbour, which operated from 1822 to 1833, is contained within the protected area.

Geology

Australia's greatest variety of landscapes and geological types are found in this area, including rocks from all but one geological period. The area holds some of the deepest and longest caves in the country, and is renowned for its dramatic scenery which includes roaring rivers, deep valleys, dramatic mountain peaks and impressive gorges.

The oldest rocks — quartzites and quartz schists — date to the Precambrian period over one billion years ago, and form some of the area's mountains. The Cambrian and Ordovician periods donated sandstones, siltstones, and conglomerates, which are rich with ancient marine fossils.

Sedimentary rocks and fossil assemblages from the Permian and Triassic periods are similar to those on other continents, seeming to support the theory of the existence of the supercontinent, Gondwana. Tectonic activity during the Jurassic laid the foundations of the dolerite mountains scattered throughout the area. Widespread faulting during the Tertiary contributed to much of today's landscape. Three major glaciations during the Pleistocene carved rugged mountain landscapes and formed lakes, cirques and U-shaped valleys common to the Wilderness area.

Extensive areas of developed limestone, in some places as much as two kilometers (1.25 miles) thick, are found throughout the area. The acidic weathering of this stone has led to the formation of Australia's largest and deepest cave systems. Among these are are globally significant Aboriginal sites which have revealed some of the nation's richest archaeological finds. Others reveal formations of great beauty such as those found in Marakoopa Cave.

Flora and fauna

Threatened plants The WHA is rich in habitats containing rare and threatened plants. Nearly a third of the plant species in Tasmania that are listed as rare or threatened occur within the boundaries of the WHA. Such species include the ancient Kings Holly (Lomatia tasmanica), which is confined to two small areas in the southwest of the WHA, the lily Milligania longifolia which is restricted to cliff faces along a few western rivers, and Centrolepis pedderensis, which is now restricted to the shores of a single lake.

The WHA is the Australian stronghold of cool temperate rainforest — a type of rainforest very different to the better-known tropical rainforests. Some cool temperate rainforest communities are characterised by an open and verdant, cathedral-like quality; a silent, cool, dark and damp place where both the trunks of trees and the forest floor are covered with a luxuriant carpet of mosses and lichens.

Within these forests are the descendants of some of the most ancient of Australia's plants. Some species date back over 60 million years, and were dominant components of the vegetation across the Australian continent long before the arrival of the eucalypts and acacias which today dominate the Australian flora. The ancestors of many rainforest species, such as myrtle-beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), native plum (Cenarrhenes nitida) and leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida) evolved on the ancient continent of Gondwana.

Many rainforest species are extremely fire sensitive. It can take 400 years or more, in the absence of any further fires, for a rainforest to recover to its former glory after fire. Other threats to our rainforests include pests and diseases such as myrtle wilt and phytophthora root rot.

Full details of Tasmania's cool temperate rainforest can be found in our plants of Tasmania

Unique alpine communities Deciduous beech paints the mountains every autumn Fagus The most extensive and pristine areas of alpine vegetation in Australia occur within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. These communities differ from the alpine communities of mainland Australia in that the dominant species are shrubs rather than tussock grass and herb-dominant communities of the Australian Alps.

Some 60% of the alpine flora is endemic to Tasmania. These include such species as cushion plants (Donatia, Dracophyllum and Abrotanella spp.) scoparia (Richea scoparia) and Tasmania's only native deciduous species, the deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii). The latter species provides the superb autumnal colours of the alpine environment.

The alpine environment is extremely fragile. Bushwalkers and hoofed animals can impact upon the pristine values of alpine vegetation communities, while fire can destroy many alpine species. It is important that management policies reflect the fragility of the environment.

Ancient conifers Ancient pencil pines on a lonely moor Pencil pine Most of Tasmania's unique conifers occur within the WHA, including the Huon pine (Lagarostrobus franklinii), which is typically a component of the riverine rainforest habitats in the west of the WHA. It is the second longest lived organism in the world after the Californian bristlecone pine, reaching ages in excess of 3000 years.

The endemic King Billy pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides), pencil pine (A. cuppressoides) and their natural hybrid, A. laxifolia, are the sole representatives of the family Taxodiaceae to be found in the southern hemisphere. This family includes the world's tallest plant, the Californian redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).

As with rainforest species, the conifers of Tasmania are highly susceptible to fire. In certain areas, extensive stands of dead 'stags' bear testimony to the ravages of previous fires. Some species will never recover due to their very slow growth and poor seed dispersal abilities. An as yet unidentified dieback disease is killing pencil pines in the northeast of the WHA.

Extensive moorlands Buttongrass moorlands are extensive throughout the WHA. The dominant component of these moorlands is the sedge, Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, commonly known as buttongrass. Over 150 vascular plant species from a diverse range of families are found in buttongrass moorlands. One third of these are endemic to Tasmania.

This vegetation occurs on very acid peat soil which are among the most nutrient poor in the world. Nutrients are slow to accumulate due to the high frequency of fires within buttongrass moorlands.

Towering forests The tallest flowering plant in the world, the swamp gum (Eucalyptus regnans) is one of a number of eucalypt species that dominate the sclerophyllous forests of the WHA. This species can grow to heights in excess of 100 metres.

These forests are noted for their aesthetic beauty, their high biomass production on relatively infertile soils and the successional processes that involve the transition of vegetation from buttongrass moorland through scrub, wet eucalypt forest to rainforest in the absence of fire. Old-growth sclerophyllous forests contain the greatest diversity of living plants and animals in Tasmania.

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Animals

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) provides secure habitats for some of the most unique animals in the world. It also offers a final refuge for species that have only recently become extinct on mainland Australia and for those species that are threatened within Tasmania. The WHA is sufficiently large to allow natural, ongoing evolution to continue to operate free from the influence of humanity. The WHA is the world centre of diversity for a number of animal groups, such as the freshwater fish known as galaxids, freshwater crayfish, velvet worms and amphipods. The antiquity of many species reveals insights into the evolution of life on Earth.

Ancient Relicts

The ancient Anaspides Anaspides Many species which occur within the WHA are ancient relicts from a distant past. Species such as the velvet worms (Euperipatoides and Ooperipatellus spp.) have changed little in the last half billion years. They are considered the 'missing link' between the annelids (worms) and the arthropods (crustaceans and insects).

Tasmania acts as a living museum of species which reveal Gondwanan origins. Their closest relatives are found in the other continents that comprised Gondwana - South America, New Zealand, Antarctica and southern Africa. Such vertebrate groups as the marsupials, parrots, frogs, and freshwater fish comprise many species of Gondwanan ancestry. The invertebrate fauna is particularly rich in Gondwanan species, such as the 250 million year old mountain shrimp (Anaspides tasmaniae), one of the most ancient representatives of the Crustaceans.

Wildlife Unlike Any Other

Tasmanian devil — only found in Tasmania Tasmanian devil Tasmania is home to many unique animals which are quite unlike those found anywhere else in the world. Tasmania and the WHA have a high proportion of endemic species (species found nowhere else in the world) - a consequence of the continuing evolution of the fauna in isolation. Five species of mammal are endemic to the island, while over half of our mammal species are recognised as distinct subspecies from their mainland counterparts.

The three largest carnivorous marsupials in the world - Tasmanian devil, the spotted-tail quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) and eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) - can be found in the WHA.

The Tasmanian devil is well known for its remarkable vocalisations.

Our lizard fauna includes three distinct species which have evolved remarkable adaptations such as live-birth, storage of sperm within the female's body over the winter months and considerable control over their body temperatures - all adaptations to the cooler climate of the Tasmanian highlands.

A Final Refuge

The eastern quoll is now extinct on mainland Australia Eastern quoll The World Heritage Area acts as a final refuge — a last chance — for several species which have recently become extinct or threatened on mainland Australia. Macropod marsupials such as the pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) and the Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), as well as carnivorous marsupials such as the eastern quoll have died out on the mainland. Many of the processes, such as habitat loss and the impact of introduced foxes, which have led to their decline on the mainland do not operate within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Hope for Threatened Species

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area also acts as a refuge for many species that are threatened within Tasmania. Nineteen rare and threatened vertebrates are found within the boundaries of the WHA. This represents 80% of such species in the State. The endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) , of which less than 200 individuals remain, breeds solely within the south-west corner of the WHA. Similarly, the vulnerable white goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) and swift parrot (Lathamus disclorare) found in the region. The remarkable Pedra Branca skink (Niveoscincus palfreymani), a small lizard with a population of only 250 individuals, is confined to the tiny rock island, Pedra Branca, some 30 km off the south-east tip of the State. The island is incorporated within the boundaries of the World Heritage Area.

Pedra Branca skink Pedra Branca Island Pedra Branca skink Pedra Branca

Four rare or threatened freshwater fish occur within the WHA. The few remaining individuals of the highly endangered Pedder galaxias (Galaxias pedderensis) have an extremely restricted distribution. A significant proportion of the 175 invertebrates listed as rare or threatened enjoy secure habitats within the WHA. These include such species as the pencil pine moth, freshwater snails, caddisflies, stoneflies and dragonflies.

Historic Heritage

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) is recognised not only for its natural and Aboriginal cultural values, but also for its historic cultural heritage. The World Heritage values for which the area was listed include the earliest of Tasmania's penal settlements — Macquarie Harbour Historic Site. The site is an outstanding example of one of the most significant features of world population movement in the 18th and 19th centuries — the transportation of convicts. Sarah Island and the surrounding region of Macquarie Harbour were used for a penal settlement from 1822-1833.

Convict industry

Convict ruins on Sarah Island (Photography by Steve Johnson) Sarah Island convict ruins The Macquarie Harbour penal settlement was not just a "place of banishment and security for the worst description of convicts". The settlement, like all penal establishments of its day, was expected to recover much of its cost through industry. Although the settlement never quite achieved this aim, it did produce an enormous number of saleable items for the newly-founded colony. Convicts were engaged in various forms of labour including pining, carpentry, brickmaking, shoemaking tailoring and tanning.

Shipbuilding was a major industry on Sarah Island. During the latter years of the settlement, this small island was one of the largest shipbuilding yards in the southern hemisphere. During the life of the settlement a total of 113 vessels were constructed, 80 of them in the period 1828-1832.

Working in the wilderness

Ducane hut, along the Overland Track (Photography by Steve Johnson) Ducane hut The WHA also contains a variety of historic remains which portray the wide range of activities carried out by the early non-Aboriginal settlers of Tasmania. Such sites include trappers' huts, mines, tracks, tramways and long-abandoned settlements such as Adamsfield and Pillinger.

Piners, prospectors and trappers extracted the resources of the region. The historic remains that act as a testimony to their activities and lifestyles reveal a legacy of human interaction with the land and force us to reconsider what we mean by the term "wilderness".

Protected areas

The following protected areas, totaling 1,383,640 hectares (3,419,049 acres), are included in the UNESCO site:

National parks

• Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park - 161,000 ha
• Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park - 440,120 ha
• Southwest National Park - 605,000 ha
• Walls of Jerusalem National Park - 51,800 ha
• Hartz Mountains National Park - 7,140 ha
• Mole Creek Karst National Park

Reserves

• Devils Gullet State Reserve - 806 ha
• Marakoopa Cave State Reserve - 790 ha
• Liffey Falls State Reserve (partially contained) 20 ha
• Farm Cove Game Reserve - 1,720 ha
• Meander Forest Reserve - 1,660 ha
• Liffey Forest Reserve - 1,055 ha
• Drys Bluff Forest Reserve - 680 ha

Conservation areas

• Central Plateau Conservation Area - 89,200 ha
• Southwest Conservation Area - 616 ha
• Adamsfield Conservation Area - 5,400 ha
• Marble Hill Conservation Area - 77 ha

Historic sites

• Macquarie Harbour Historic Site - 15,300 ha
• Wargata Mina Protected Archaeological Site - 155 ha
• Maxwell River Protected Archaeological Site - 560 ha

Other designated areas

• Maatsuyker Island (Commonwealth freehold) - 180 ha
• St. Clare Lagoon - 29 ha
• Privately-owned land 320 ha

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

File:StClair1.JPG

Flora in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair is a national park in the Central Highlands areaof Tasmania (Australia), 165 km northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, most well known of which is the Overland Track. Major features of the park are Lake St Clair and to the north, Cradle Mountain. This park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Access from the south (Lake St. Clair) is usually from Derwent Bridge on the Lyell Highway. Northern access (Cradle Valley) is usually via Sheffield, Wilmot or Mole Creek.

In 2005, the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service introduced a booking system & fee for use of the Overland Track over peak periods.

File:StClair3.JPG

A fallen tree in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

The Tasmanian Government has moved to allow development in national parks and conservations areas. An 'In principle' permit has been granted for the establishment of an 'eco-friendly' resort at Pumphouse Point at Lake St Clair.

Flora in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is a significant location of Tasmania's endemic species - 40-55% of the park's documented alpine flora is endemic. Furthermore, 68% of the higher rainforest species recorded in alpine areas in Tasmania are present in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The park's alpine vegetation is very diverse and, has largely escaped forest fires that have caused neighboring regions to suffer.

A currawong in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

Animals present in the park include: pademelons, Bennett's wallabies, wombats, possums, ravens and currawongs.

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania (Australia), 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River.

The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park lies between the Central Highlands and West Coast Range of Tasmania in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area - the Lyell Highway.

The genesis of the Wild Rivers National Park was in the earlier Frenchmans Cap National Park which had the Franklin River as its boundary on the northern and western borders. Frenchmans Cap is a dominant feature in the region, and can be seen on the skyline from the west and north of the park.

The Gordon and Franklin Rivers were the subject of one of Australia's largest conservation battles - the battle to save the Gordon River from being dammed for a hydro-electric scheme.

The Franklin Dam was part of a proposed hydro-electric power scheme that had been in the plans of The Hydro for some time. But it was the enthusiastic endorsement by Robin Gray's Liberal Government which would have seen the river flooded. It became a national issue for the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, led by its director at the time, Bob Brown.

The Lyell Highway winds for 56 kilometres through the heart of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

Hartz Mountains National Park

Hartz Mountains is a national park in Tasmania (Australia), 55 km southwest of Hobart. The National Parks is usually covered with snow in winter, with access limited only to 4WDs. Only experienced walkers should walk the tracks (Lake Esperence - 90 Minutes Return and Hartz Peak - 4-5 hours return) in winter. When the snow melts in late spring the waterfalls that surround the park are beautiful and abundant in wildlife. It is one of 20 Tasmanian National Parks.

Mole Creek Karst National Park

Mole Creek Karst is a national park in Tasmania (Australia), 168 km northwest of Hobart. It is the only national park in Tasmania created specifically to protect karst landforms.

Southwest National Park

The Southwest National Park is located in the south-west of Tasmania, Australia.

The eastern boundary is 93km west of Hobart and the park stretches to the west and south coasts. This park comprises the bulk of Tasmania's South West Wilderness.

Mt Rugby on the shores of Bathurst Harbour

The Southwest National Park covers an area of 6,052km² (605,213 hectares) and forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

The park is well known for its pristine wilderness and remoteness, while weather in the park is highly changeable, and can be severe. The area is largely unaffected by humans. Although evidence shows Tasmanian Aborigines have visited the area for at least 25,000 years, and European settlers have made occasional forays into the park area since the 19th century, there has been very little permanent habitation and only minimal impact on the natural environment.

The core of the park was created in 1955 and was originally called Lake Pedder National Park. Over the following 35 years the park was gradually extended and renamed, finally reaching its present size in 1990.

File:Melaleuca Airstrip SW Tas.jpg

A tourist plane prepares for take-off from the Melaleuca Airstrip

Within the area there is only one road, to the hydro-electricity township of Strathgordon. The southern and western reaches of the park are far removed from any vehicular access. The only access is by foot, boat, or light aircraft.

The tiny locality of Melaleuca in the extreme south-west provides an airstrip and some very basic facilities, mainly to do with the National Parks Service. This area is also the summer breeding grounds of the highly endangered orange-bellied parrot

Two main walking tracks cross the park, one south from Lake Pedder to Melaleuca, the other west from Cockle Creek along Tasmania's south-coast to Melaleuca. The walks are generally for more experienced walkers, taking approximately ten to fourteen days to complete the full route. Alternatively a flight to or from Melaleuca may be arranged to split the walk, or for tourist access for day trips. Several more difficult walks also exist, encompassing the Eastern and Western Arthurs Ranges, Precipitous Bluff, the South West Cape, and Federation Peak (supposedly Australia's most difficult and dangerous walk). Many of these later routes are not recommended for inexperienced walkers, or for people travelling alone. Sea access to the region is best gained via Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour. See the South West Wilderness article for more details.

Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walls Of Jerusalem is a national park in Tasmania, Australia, 144 km northwest of Hobart. The park takes its name from the geological features of the park which are though to resemble the walls of the city of Jerusalem in Israel. As a result many places and features within the park also have Biblical references for names, such as Herods Gate, Lake Salome, Solomons Jewels, Damascus Gate, the Pool of Bathesda.

The most prominent feature of the park is King Davids Peak.

Central Plateau Conservation Area

The Central Plateau conservation area is an animal & plant conservation area in Tasmania, Australia.

The Central Plateau of Tasmania is the largest area of high ground in Tasmania. It is bound to the north east by the Great Western Tiers, a large number of hydro electric schemes emanating from rivers that flow to the south - and to the west by Cradle Mountain national park.

Devils Gullet State Reserve

Devils Gullet is a state reserve in Tasmania, Australia. It is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness.

The spectacular and isolated Bathurst Harbour, South West Wilderness, Tasmania, Australia

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Australian Government. Tasmanian Wilderness Retrieved September 4, 2008.
• Chapman, John, Monica Chapman and John Siseman (2006) Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and Walls of Jerusalem National Parks 5th ed. Laburnum, Vic. : J. Chapman. ISBN 1920995013
• Gee, Helen, Janet Fenton, Greg Hodge, and Chris Cowles. 1983. The Southwest book: a Tasmanian wilderness. Sydney: Collins. ISBN 9780002173056
• Poll, Mark J. 2005. Visitor experience in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Thesis (Ph.D.)—University of Tasmania, 2005.
• Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service. Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Retrieved September 4, 2008.
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Tasmanian Wilderness Retrieved September 4, 2008.

External links

All links Retrieved August 23, 2008.

• Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
• Visitors Guide to Tasmania's National Parks - Lake St Clair
• Visitors Guide to Tasmania's National Parks - Cradle Mountain
• Visitors Guide to Tasmania's National Parks - Southwest National Park
• South West National Park

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