Caring for PlacesNational parks in south-west Western Australia
Educator and student resource Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence
Publisher Department of Conservation and Land Management, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, Western Australia, 6151.
Managing Editor Elizabeth Moore.
Editor Sue McKenna and Tracy Peacock.
Project Writers Nancy Longnecker, PlantEd; Sally Edwards, The Curiosity Company; Elizabeth Moore, Department of Conservation and Land Management.
Design and production Tiffany Taylor.
Illustrations Rob Fleming and Terry Roberts.
Cover Main: Collie River, Wellington National Park. Photo by Michael James/CALM. Left inset: Rafting on theCollie River. Photo by Chris Garnett/CALM. Right inset: Chuditch. Photo by Babs & Bert Wells/CALM.
Printing Lamb Print, Western Australia.
© Department of Conservation and Land Management 2005
The Department welcomes use of this publication within the restraints imposed by the Copyright Act.
ISBN 0 7307 5558 4
Printed on recycled paper
2005
098-
08-2
M
Acknowledgments
A number of people have contributed to this resource. We gratefully acknowledge their assistance andsupport.
For their commitment and enthusiasm in drafting this resource:Nancy Longnecker, PlantED.
Sally Edwards, The Curiosity Company.
For their professional advice:Kerry Boyd, Curriculum Council.
Louise Nielsen, Department of Education and Training.
Rosemary Cawley, Curriculum writer.
For desktop publishing the trial package:Marg Wilke, More than Words.
Teachers who have trialled activities:Bernie Kurz, Leon Maag, Judy Wall, Simon Midson, Bruce Cavosso—Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School.
Peter Silinger, Val Knott, Deadre Seeley, Brian Jones—Bunbury Senior High School.
Kahlia Bailey—St Brigids, Collie.
Gus Barker—Nyindamurra Family Family School of Creativity, Witchcliffe.
Leanne Hadley—Adam Road Primary School, Bunbury.
Cathy Levett—Glen Forrest Primary School, Glen Forrest.
For their professional comments and support in finalising this resource:Janet Date, Peter Henderson, Robyn Weir.
Photographs, illustrations and maps have been sourced from other Department of Conservation and LandManagement publications unless otherwise stated.
1Contents
Contents Page
About this resource
Why use this resource? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How to use this resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Elements of this resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
• Sharing the learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
• Curriculum planning and outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
• Helping students reflect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
• Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
• Benefits of ‘Going Wild’ with the Curriculum Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Supporting resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Setting the scene for educators
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Background information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
• National parks in south-west Western Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
• Wellington National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Project 1
National parks as biodiversity banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Project 2
Challenges for park management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Project 3
Interpreting changes over time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Project 4
Tourism and national parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Project 5
Impact of visitors on national parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
2 Caring for Places
About this resource
5About this resource Why use this resource?
Why use this resource?Caring for WA’s national parks is a privilege and the responsibility of every Western Australian and learningabout them is an opportunity for students to develop an understanding of their importance to sustainability,the natural environment and our society.
This resource can be used as a core component of the curriculum. It is supported by EcoEducation atCALM’s field centres in the metropolitan area and in the south-west.
National parks are places of important ecological significance• National parks play an essential role in the conservation of biodiversity.
• National parks alone are not enough to protect biodiversity. They need to be part of a varied pattern ofnatural environments including State forests, reserves, vegetated roadside reserves and privately-ownedland.
• The location and boundaries of national parks are chosen to protect and retain areas of ecologicalimportance. This ecological significance can refer to particular flora or fauna habitats, landscape andgeographical features.
About this resource
An investigation into national parks and reserves provides a context for understanding sustainability and aninsight into the role that school communities can play in sustaining our natural environment.
The term ‘national park’ in this resource is used in a broad sense and includes land-based national andregional parks, nature reserves and conservation parks.
This resource relates directly to the Curriculum Framework for WA. It is based on its underlyingprinciples, including:
• collaboration and partnerships – because education is a shared responsibility within the community; and
• explicit acknowledgment of core values – particularly social, civic and environmental responsibilities.
This resource will:
• provide educators with support for the achievement of outcomes in the Society and EnvironmentLearning Area with additional relevance to several other learning areas that are listed below; and
• provide students in the latter part of Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence with opportunities todevelop and demonstrate ‘Active Citizenship’ as part of the Society and Environment Learning Area –particularly in the context of contributing to maintaining biodiversity conservation.
Learning areas Relevance in this resource
Society and Environment main focus
English support focus
Science additional
Mathematics additional
The Arts additional
Technology and Enterprise additional
Health and Physical Education additional
6 Caring for Places
National parks are places of important cultural significance• Indigenous people occupied on a seasonal basis areas of the south-west forest in WA for many
thousands of years. They used the rivers and pools for potable water and the surrounding areas – someof which are now in national parks – for all their living requirements.
• The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 1972 protects historical areas of spiritual and cultural significancewithin national parks.
• National parks have significance for many people (including future generations) in many ways.
• Safeguarding our national parks is a shared responsibility of all members of society. In WA, CALMmanages national parks on our behalf.
• National parks provide different values for different people. The ways in which people wish to accessnational parks varies, not only between groups of people, but also between their various roles and atdifferent times of their lives.
Managing national parks is a complex task requiring the ongoing balancing ofecological, social, cultural and economic concerns• Protecting the ecological significance and integrity of an area requires careful collection and analysis of
scientific and other information to build knowledge that can be used to help make decisions.
• National parks are important for providing nature-based recreation and tourism opportunities.
• Managing human interactions with the environments of national parks is a highly complex and expensive taskthat involves research, communication and collaboration with the community as well as long-term planning.
Healthy national parks are important for the health of the community• There are many health benefits that can be derived from a healthy parks system.
• Physical activity in the outdoors not only reduces the risk of disease, but alsoimproves mental outlook.
• Parks help keep the environment healthy by improving air quality, reducingerosion, delivering clean drinking water and contributing to clean waterways.
Wellington National Park is a precious shared asset from which we can learn a greatdeal and enjoy many benefits, but it must becared for responsibly by the entire community• The more we understand about an ecosystem, the better
we are able to look after it.
• Wellington National Park includes an excellent example ofa jarrah-based ecosystem and plays an important role inthe conservation of biodiversity in south-west WA.
• Management of Wellington National Park involves finding abalance between different people’s needs and wants.
One more reason: Helping you to encourage students’ interest in
nature conservation.
7About this resource Elements of this resource
How to use this resourceCaring for Places - National Parks in the south-west of Western Australia can be used for an investigationinto any WA park or reserve. This resource has a focus on the south-west national parks and, in particular,Wellington National Park, near Collie. Information on other parks is available on CALM’s website, NatureBase:www.naturebase.net.
This resource can be used at:
at school, in the classroom, and school grounds;
fieldwork in local bushland; or
to complement a visit, excursion or camp to a national park or reserve.
There are two options for using this resource. Firstly, using only the information provided, students completethe activities of one or more of the five projects.
Secondly, students research additional resources and references working in groups on different projects.
Key aspects of this approach include:
• developing a working portfolio for students to share with parents;
• encouraging collaborative group work;
• focusing on enquiry as a process of learning;
• using open-ended tasks;
• exploring a variety of learning technologies; and
• providing opportunities for students to reflect on their learning.
Elements of this resource• Printed package including a copy of LANDSCOPE magazine special issue, Spring 2000, or reprints from
this issue National Parks - Celebrating 100 years in Western Australia.
• Video Deadly Protectors in your school library.
• Complementary resources and ideas for activities outlined on NatureBase: www.naturebase.net areindicated throughout the printed package.
• EcoEducation guided excursions to a CALM field centre or national park.
• Independent visits to CALM’s parks and reserves.
The resource has five projects, each is divided into:
• Educators’ background notes
• Reference sheets
• Student guides
8 Caring for Places
Sharing the learningIn keeping with the Curriculum Framework’s principle of Collaboration and Partnerships and emergingevidence on the importance of school-home communication, CALM encourages educators to share theirconservation education resources with students’ families and friends.
Educators can support this interaction by providing:
• information on what is being learnt and why;
• suggestions on ways to reinforce learning at home; and/or
• opportunities to contribute to the learning process directly (e.g. as guest speaker on a topic of specialinterest).
The first two can be achieved by sending a brief letter home with students. A sample letter is available on lineat www.naturebase.net.
Curriculum planning and outcomesThe five projects encompass concrete and abstract learning and can be used in any order. This will dependon the approach you and your students take, and the activities selected depending on students’ needs.Extension activities are outlined within each project.
The planning form that follows is a visual reminder to help educators address the requirements of theCurriculum Framework. The shaded numbers indicate the outcomes and values that are most likely to beachieved by using this resource.
9About this resource Elements of this resource
Rec
omm
enda
tion:
P
rint
onto
A3
pape
r an
den
larg
e to
141
%.
1 C
omm
unic
atio
n
Stu
dent
s us
e la
ngua
geto
und
erst
and,
dev
elop
and
com
mun
icat
e id
eas
and
info
rmat
ion
and
inte
ract
with
oth
ers.
2U
sing
num
eric
al a
ndsp
acia
l con
cep
ts
Stu
dent
s se
lect
,in
tegr
ate
and
appl
ynu
mer
ical
and
spa
tial
conc
epts
and
tech
niqu
es.
3In
vest
igat
ing
and
usin
g in
form
atio
n
Stu
dent
s re
cogn
ise
whe
n an
d w
hat
info
rmat
ion
is n
eede
d,lo
cate
and
obt
ain
it fro
ma
rang
e of
sou
rces
and
eval
uate
, use
and
sha
reit
with
oth
ers.
5Th
inki
ng c
ritic
ally
Stu
dent
s de
scrib
e an
dre
ason
abo
ut p
atte
rns,
stru
ctur
es a
ndre
latio
nshi
ps in
ord
er to
unde
rsta
nd, i
nter
pret
,ju
stify
and
mak
epr
edic
tions
.
9) C
ultu
ral i
nter
actio
n
Stu
dent
s in
tera
ct w
ithpe
ople
and
cul
ture
sot
her
than
thei
r ow
n an
dar
e eq
uipp
ed to
cont
ribut
e to
the
glob
alco
mm
unity
.
10) E
ngag
ing
incr
eativ
e ac
tivity
Stu
dent
s pa
rtic
ipat
e in
crea
tive
activ
ity o
f the
irow
n an
d un
ders
tand
and
enga
ge w
ith th
ear
tistic
, cul
tura
l and
inte
llect
ual w
ork
ofot
hers
.
11) V
alui
ng p
erso
nal
grow
th a
nd w
ell-
bei
ng
Stu
dent
s va
lue
and
impl
emen
t pra
ctic
es th
atpr
omot
e pe
rson
algr
owth
and
wel
l-bei
ng.
Ove
rarc
hing
Lea
rnin
g O
utco
mes
Asp
ect
1P
lann
ing
Asp
ect
2C
ondu
ctin
gA
spec
t 3
Pro
cess
ing
and
tran
slat
ing
Asp
ect
4A
pply
ing
and
com
mun
icat
ing
findi
ngs
Asp
ect
3C
are
ofpl
aces
Asp
ect
1U
se o
fre
sour
ces
Asp
ect
2M
anag
emen
tan
d en
terp
rise
Asp
ect
1B
elie
fs a
ndcu
lture
Asp
ect
1 C
ontin
uity
and
chan
geA
spec
t 2
Inte
rpre
tatio
nsan
d pe
rspe
ctiv
es
Asp
ect
1N
atur
alsy
stem
sA
spec
t 3
Ecol
ogic
alsu
stai
nabi
lity
Soci
ety
and
Env
ironm
ent
Lear
ning
Out
com
es
1) A
pur
suit
of k
now
ledg
ean
d a
com
mitm
ent t
oac
hiev
emen
t of p
oten
tial.
2) S
elf-
acce
ptan
ce a
ndse
lf-re
spec
t.
Clus
ter
of
Valu
es
4 U
sing
tec
hnol
ogie
s
Stu
dent
s se
lect
, use
and
adap
t tec
hnol
ogie
s.
6E
xplo
ring
idea
s,op
por
tuni
ties
and
solu
tions
Stu
dent
s vi
sual
ise
cons
eque
nces
, thi
nkla
tera
lly, r
ecog
nise
oppo
rtun
ity a
nd p
oten
tial
and
are
prep
ared
to te
stop
tions
.
7U
sing
sci
entif
icun
der
stan
din
gs
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
and
appr
ecia
te th
eph
ysic
al, b
iolo
gica
l and
tech
nolo
gica
l wor
ld a
ndha
ve th
e kn
owle
dge
and
skills
to m
ake
deci
sion
sin
rela
tion
to it
.
8A
ctiv
e A
ustr
alia
nci
tizen
ship
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
thei
r cu
ltura
l, gr
aphi
can
d hi
stor
ical
con
text
san
d ha
ve k
now
ledg
e,sk
ills a
nd v
alue
sne
cess
ary
for
activ
epa
rtic
ipat
ion
in li
fe in
Aus
tral
ia.
12Le
arni
ngin
dep
end
ently
and
colla
bor
ativ
ely
Stu
dent
s ar
e se
lf-m
otiv
ated
and
con
fiden
tin
thei
r ap
proa
ch to
lear
ning
and
are
abl
e to
wor
k in
divi
dual
ly a
ndco
llabo
rativ
ely.
13R
ecog
nisi
ng
right
s an
d b
ehav
ing
resp
onsi
bly
Stu
dent
s re
cogn
ise
that
ever
yone
has
the
right
to fe
el v
alue
d an
d be
safe
, and
, in
this
rega
rd,
unde
rsta
nd th
eir
right
san
d ob
ligat
ions
and
beha
ve re
spon
sibl
y.
Curr
icul
um p
lann
ing
form
Car
ing
for P
lace
s -
Nat
iona
l Par
ks in
sou
th-w
est W
AE
coE
duc
atio
n in
teg
rate
d le
arni
ng e
xper
ienc
es t
hro
ugh
So
ciet
y an
d E
nviro
nmen
t w
ith c
ross
cur
ricu
lar
links
to
Eng
lish,
un
der
pin
ned
by
the
clus
ter
of
valu
es:
Env
ironm
enta
l Res
po
nsib
ility
and
So
cial
and
Civ
ic R
esp
ons
ibili
ty.
1Th
e sh
aded
num
ber
of o
utco
mes
and
val
ues
are
thos
e th
at a
re s
uppo
rted
by
this
res
ourc
e. E
duca
tors
can
sel
ect
the
mos
t ap
prop
riate
dep
endi
ng o
n th
eir
stud
ents
’ ap
proa
ch.
Year
leve
l: P
hase
of D
evel
opm
ent:
Ti
mef
ram
e:
4S
ocia
l and
civ
icre
spon
sibi
lity.
5En
viro
nmen
tal
resp
onsi
bilit
y.
1) U
nder
stan
ding
Lang
uage
2) A
ttitu
des,
Val
ues
and
Bel
iefs
3) C
onve
ntio
ns
Cro
ss c
urric
ular
link
s to
Eng
lish
Lear
ning
Out
com
es4)
Pro
cess
es a
ndS
trat
egie
s5
List
enin
g6
Spe
akin
g7
View
ing
8R
eadi
ng9
Writ
ing
SA
ERC
ultu
reD
isab
ility
Incl
usiv
ity /
Stu
den
t N
eed
sR
ace
Soc
io-e
cono
mic
sta
tus
Gen
der
Soc
ial/E
mot
iona
lR
elig
ion
Soc
iety
and
Env
ironm
ent
12
Curr
icul
um C
oun
cil P
rogr
ess
Map
s Le
arni
ng O
utco
mes
Lev
els
34
56
78
Engl
ish
12
34
56
78
1In
vest
igat
ion,
Com
mun
icat
ion
and
Par
ticip
atio
n
Stu
dent
s in
vest
igat
e th
ew
ays
in w
hich
peo
ple
inte
ract
with
eac
h ot
her
and
with
thei
ren
viro
nmen
ts in
ord
er to
mak
e in
form
ed d
ecis
ions
and
impl
emen
t rel
evan
tso
cial
act
ion.
2P
lace
and
Sp
ace
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
that
the
inte
ract
ion
peop
le h
ave
with
pla
ces
in w
hich
they
live
issh
aped
by
the
loca
tion,
patte
rns
and
proc
esse
sas
soci
ated
with
nat
ural
and
built
feat
ures
.
3R
esou
rces
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
that
peo
ple
atte
mpt
tom
eet t
heir
need
s an
dw
ants
by
mak
ing
optim
um u
se o
f lim
ited
reso
urce
s in
ent
erpr
isin
gw
ays.
4C
ultu
re
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
that
peo
ple
form
gro
ups
beca
use
thei
r sh
ared
unde
rsta
ndin
gs o
f the
wor
ld, a
nd, i
n tu
rn, t
hey
are
influ
ence
d by
the
part
icul
ar c
ultu
re s
ofo
rmed
.
5Ti
me,
Con
tinui
ty a
ndC
hang
e
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
that
peo
ple’
s ac
tions
and
valu
es a
re s
hape
dby
thei
r un
ders
tand
ing
and
inte
rpre
tatio
n of
the
past
.
6N
atur
al a
nd S
ocia
lS
yste
ms
Stu
dent
s un
ders
tand
that
syst
ems
prov
ide
orde
r to
the
dyna
mic
nat
ural
and
soci
al re
latio
nshi
psoc
curr
ing
in th
e w
orld
.
7A
ctiv
e C
itize
nshi
p
Stu
dent
s de
mon
stra
teac
tive
citiz
ensh
ip th
roug
hth
eir
beha
viou
rsan
dpr
actic
es in
the
scho
olen
viro
nmen
t, in
acco
rdan
ce w
ith th
epr
inci
ples
and
val
ues
asso
ciat
ed w
ith th
ede
moc
ratic
pro
cess
,so
cial
just
ice
and
ecol
ogic
al s
usta
inab
ility.
3R
espe
ct a
nd c
once
rnfo
r ot
hers
and
thei
rrig
hts
10 Caring for Places
Rec
omm
enda
tion:
P
rint
onto
A3
pape
r an
den
larg
e to
141
%.
Lear
ning
and
tea
chin
g
•O
ppor
tuni
ty to
lear
n•
Con
nect
ion
and
chal
leng
e•
Act
ion
and
refle
ctio
n•
Mot
ivat
ion
and
purp
ose
•In
clus
ivity
and
diff
eren
ce•
Inde
pend
ence
and
col
labo
ratio
n•
Sup
port
ive
envi
ronm
ent
Prin
cip
les
Gro
up/c
lass
org
anis
atio
n Le
arni
ng t
echn
olog
ies/
equi
pm
ent
For:
•pr
esen
tatio
n (e
.g. w
ord
proc
essi
ng,
pow
erpo
int);
•co
mm
unic
atio
n (e
.g. e
mai
l, ph
one)
;•
rese
arch
(e.g
. Int
erne
t, lib
rary
);•
calc
ulat
ions
(e.g
. gra
phin
g);
•im
ages
(e.g
. pai
ntin
g, ta
king
vid
eo);
and
•or
gani
sing
dat
a (e
.g. t
able
s in
Wor
d,Ex
cel).
Res
ourc
e/R
efer
ence
mat
eria
ls
Nat
ureB
ase
web
site
•w
ww
.nat
ureb
ase.
net
•Vi
deo
Dea
dly
Pro
tect
ors
From
CA
LM (c
onta
ct C
usto
mer
Ser
vice
by
phon
e: 0
8 93
34 0
333
or fa
x: 0
8 93
34 0
498)
:•
Bro
chur
es a
bout
WA’
s na
tiona
l par
ks;
•W
ild P
lace
s, Q
uiet
Pla
ces
(boo
k);
•LA
ND
SC
OP
Em
agaz
ine,
Spr
ing
2000
;•
Wild
Abo
ut W
este
rn A
ustr
alia
(int
erac
tive
CD
-RO
M p
rovi
des
stud
ents
with
a ‘v
irtua
lre
ality
’ exp
erie
nce
of m
any
of W
A’s
natu
ral
won
ders
);•
Dis
cove
ry B
ooks
: ser
ies
of s
even
incl
udin
gD
isco
verin
g Le
euw
in-N
atur
alis
te N
atio
nal
Par
kan
d D
isco
verin
g Va
lley
of t
he G
iant
san
d W
alpo
le-N
orna
lup
Nat
iona
l Par
k; a
nd•
Bus
h B
ooks
: ser
ies
of p
ocke
t-si
zed
book
lets
on
WA’
s pl
ants
and
ani
mal
s.
Ass
essm
ent
(val
id, e
duc
ativ
e, e
xplic
it, f
air,
com
pre
hens
ive)
Pos
sibl
e fo
rmat
s:•
port
folio
s;•
lear
ning
jour
nals
;•
draw
ings
; •
oral
pre
sent
atio
ns;
•te
st;
•te
ache
r st
uden
t con
fere
ncin
g;•
tape
reco
rdin
gs;
•vi
deo
reco
rdin
gs; a
nd•
digi
tal p
hoto
grap
hs.
Op
por
tuni
ties
for
inte
grat
ion
acro
ss o
ther
lear
ning
are
as
Sci
ence
Mat
hsTh
e A
rts
Tech
nolo
gy a
nd E
nter
pris
eH
ealth
and
Phy
sica
l Edu
catio
n
Curr
icul
um p
lann
ing
form
Car
ing
for P
lace
s -
Nat
iona
l Par
ks in
sou
th-w
est W
AB
ackg
roun
d: T
his
reso
urce
pro
vide
s an
opp
ortu
nity
for
stud
ents
to in
vest
igat
e, u
nder
stan
d th
e m
anag
emen
t cha
lleng
es a
nd p
rom
ote
the
valu
es (p
hysi
cal a
nd
natu
ral)
and
prot
ectio
n of
nat
iona
l, co
nser
vatio
n an
d re
gion
al p
arks
or
natu
re r
eser
ves.
By
deve
lopi
ng a
wor
king
por
tfolio
stu
dent
s w
ill be
enc
oura
ged
to r
efle
ct o
n th
eir
lear
ning
. Thi
s re
sour
ce w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s to
dev
elop
kno
wle
dge,
ski
lls a
nd u
nder
stan
ding
s in
rel
atio
n to
the
sust
aina
bilit
y of
the
natu
ral e
nviro
nmen
t and
bio
dive
rsity
of
WA
.Ye
ar le
vel:
Pha
se o
f Dev
elop
men
t:
Tim
efra
me:
11About this resource Elements of this resource
Rec
omm
enda
tion:
P
rint
onto
A3
pape
r an
den
larg
e to
141
%.
Cho
sen
them
e/s
or
top
ic/s
Conc
epts
, un
der
stan
din
gs a
nd s
kills
Key
focu
s q
uest
ions
Act
iviti
esEv
alua
tion
(ind
ivid
ual,
pee
r, te
ache
r)
Exc
ursi
on a
ctiv
ities
The
Hills
For
est D
isco
very
Cen
tre:
Pho
ne: (
08) 9
295
6149
Wel
lingt
on D
isco
very
Cen
tre a
ndM
arga
ret R
iver
Eco
Dis
cove
ry C
entre
:P
hone
: (08
) 973
4 19
88
Per
up E
colo
gy C
entre
:P
hone
: (08
) 977
1 79
88
Follo
w u
p ac
tiviti
es /
refle
ctio
n S
ee id
eas
for
this
reso
urce
onl
ine
onN
atur
eBas
e at
: ww
w.n
atur
ebas
e.ne
t
Pre
limin
ary
activ
ities
Carin
g fo
r Pla
ces
- N
atio
nal P
arks
in s
outh
-wes
t WA
Year
leve
l: P
hase
of D
evel
opm
ent:
Ti
mef
ram
e:
Dat
e/s
of e
xcur
sion
/s:
This
form
is a
vis
ual r
emin
der
to h
elp
teac
hers
add
ress
the
req
uire
men
ts o
f the
Cur
ricul
um F
ram
ewor
k. T
he d
ocum
ent
prov
ides
a s
truc
ture
for
plan
ning
and
a p
lace
for
note
s.
12 Caring for Places
Key
Curr
icul
um O
utco
mes
Thi
s re
sour
ce s
upp
ort
s st
uden
ts t
o a
chie
ve t
he f
ollo
win
g o
utco
mes
in t
he S
oci
ety
and
Env
ironm
ent
Lear
ning
Are
a.N
ote
that
the
ter
m ‘
natio
nal p
ark’
incl
udes
ter
rest
rial n
atio
nal a
nd r
egio
nal p
arks
and
res
erve
s an
d co
nser
vatio
n pa
rks.
Soci
ety
and
Env
ironm
ent
Lear
ning
Are
a
Inve
stig
atio
n, C
om
mun
icat
ion
and
Par
ticip
atio
nS
tud
ents
inve
stig
ate
the
way
s in
whi
ch p
eop
le in
tera
ct w
ith e
ach
oth
er a
nd w
ith t
heir
env
ironm
ents
in o
rder
to
mak
ein
form
ed d
ecis
ions
and
imp
lem
ent
rele
vant
so
cial
act
ion.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s w
hen
inve
stig
atin
g to
:
•id
entif
y di
ffere
nt in
form
atio
n so
urce
s sp
ecifi
c to
nat
iona
l par
ks in
WA
suc
h as
web
site
s, b
roch
ures
, CD
RO
Ms
and
a ra
nge
ofte
xts
by d
iffer
ent
auth
ors,
writ
ten
for
diffe
rent
pur
pose
s;
•pl
an a
n in
vest
igat
ion
rela
ting
to n
atio
nal p
arks
, the
ir de
velo
pmen
t, pu
rpos
e, u
se a
nd r
esul
ting
issu
es s
uch
as c
halle
nges
for
man
agem
ent
and
the
impa
ct o
f vis
itors
;
•re
cogn
ise
key
patt
erns
suc
h as
the
spr
ead
of fe
ral a
nim
als,
die
back
dis
ease
in n
atio
nal p
arks
and
sur
roun
ding
are
as;
•tr
ansf
orm
info
rmat
ion
on n
atio
nal p
arks
into
str
uctu
red
form
s fo
r di
spla
y; a
nd
•us
e ev
iden
ce t
o su
ppor
t th
eir
pers
pect
ives
on
man
agem
ent
and
eco-
tour
ism
rel
atin
g to
nat
iona
l par
ks.
Pla
ce a
nd S
pac
eS
tud
ents
und
erst
and
tha
t th
e in
tera
ctio
n p
eop
le h
ave
with
pla
ces
in w
hich
the
y liv
e is
sha
ped
by
the
loca
tion,
pat
tern
san
d p
roce
sses
ass
oci
ated
with
nat
ural
and
bui
lt fe
atur
es.
In p
artic
ular
Asp
ect
3:
Car
e o
f p
lace
s -
The
rel
atio
nshi
p b
etw
een
peo
ple
and
the
ir e
nviro
nmen
t ca
n b
e en
hanc
ed b
y a
com
mitm
ent
toec
olo
gic
al s
usta
inab
ility
.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s to
:
•un
ders
tand
tha
t ge
ogra
phic
al p
roce
sses
affe
ct t
he n
atur
al a
nd b
uilt
feat
ures
of n
atio
nal p
arks
and
the
se fe
atur
es h
ave
anin
fluen
ce o
n hu
man
act
ivity
in p
arks
and
on
peop
le’s
vie
ws
abou
t w
hich
are
as n
eed
to b
e pr
otec
ted
with
in W
A’s
rese
rve
syst
em; a
nd
•un
ders
tand
tha
t pe
ople
and
nat
iona
l par
ks a
re in
terd
epen
dent
, res
ultin
g in
pat
tern
s of
act
iviti
es a
cros
s di
ffere
nt n
atio
nal
park
s an
d th
at p
eopl
e ac
t to
sus
tain
the
env
ironm
ent
of n
atio
nal p
arks
acc
ordi
ng t
o th
eir
valu
es.
Pro
ject
s**
1, 2
, 3, 4
, 5
1, 2
, 4, 5
** P
roje
cts
mos
t lik
ely
to c
ontr
ibut
e to
the
outc
omes
13About this resource Elements of this resource
Key
Curr
icul
um O
utco
mes
(co
ntin
ued
)
Soci
ety
and
Env
ironm
ent
Lear
ning
Are
a
Res
our
ces
Stu
den
ts u
nder
stan
d t
hat
peo
ple
att
emp
t to
mee
t th
eir
need
s an
d w
ants
by
mak
ing
op
timum
use
of
limite
d r
eso
urce
sin
ent
erp
risi
ng w
ays.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s to
:
•un
ders
tand
tha
t pe
ople
hav
e to
mak
e ch
oice
s in
the
ir us
e of
land
set
asi
de in
nat
iona
l par
ks fo
r th
eir
ecol
ogic
al, s
ocia
l,cu
ltura
l and
eco
nom
ic b
enef
its; a
nd
•un
ders
tand
tha
t pe
ople
att
empt
to
be e
nter
pris
ing
in t
heir
man
agem
ent
of n
atio
nal p
arks
, rec
ogni
sing
the
m a
s a
limite
dre
sour
ce.
Nat
ural
and
So
cial
Sys
tem
sS
tud
ents
und
erst
and
tha
t sy
stem
s p
rovi
de
ord
er t
o t
he d
ynam
ic n
atur
al a
nd s
oci
al r
elat
ions
hip
s o
ccur
ring
in t
he w
orl
d.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s to
:
•un
ders
tand
tha
t, in
the
nat
ural
eco
syst
ems,
rel
atio
nshi
ps o
ccur
bet
wee
n pl
ants
, ani
mal
s an
d th
e no
n-liv
ing
envi
ronm
ent
that
prov
ide
orde
r to
the
inte
ract
ions
foun
d w
ithin
the
m.
Tim
e, C
ont
inui
ty a
nd C
hang
e S
tud
ents
und
erst
and
tha
t p
eop
le’s
act
ions
and
val
ues
are
shap
ed b
y th
eir
und
erst
and
ing
and
inte
rpre
tatio
n o
f th
e p
ast.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s to
:
•un
ders
tand
tha
t th
e st
orie
s of
peo
ple,
impo
rtan
t pe
ople
and
eve
nts
are
wov
en in
to t
he n
arra
tive
hist
ory
over
par
ticul
arge
olog
ical
and
rec
ent
time
perio
ds a
nd a
re a
lso
part
of t
he h
isto
rical
sto
ry o
f nat
iona
l par
ks;
•un
ders
tand
tha
t th
ere
have
bee
n si
gnifi
cant
eve
nts,
peo
ple
and
idea
s in
com
mun
ities
and
soc
ietie
s at
par
ticul
ar t
imes
in t
hepa
st;
•un
ders
tand
tha
t at
par
ticul
ar t
imes
the
re a
re v
ario
us fo
rces
(clim
atic
, soc
ial a
nd c
ultu
ral)
whi
ch r
esul
t in
cha
nge;
and
•un
ders
tand
tha
t di
ffere
nt p
ersp
ectiv
es a
bout
peo
ple,
eve
nts
and
idea
s at
a p
artic
ular
tim
e ca
n be
gai
ned
from
his
toric
alac
coun
ts o
f Ind
igen
ous
peop
le li
ving
in t
he s
outh
-wes
t of
WA
.
Pro
ject
s**
1, 2
, 4, 5
1, 3
, 4
1,3
** P
roje
cts
mos
t lik
ely
to c
ontr
ibut
e to
the
outc
omes
14 Caring for Places
Key
Curr
icul
um O
utco
mes
(co
ntin
ued
)
Soci
ety
and
Env
ironm
ent
Lear
ning
Are
a
Act
ive
Citi
zens
hip
Stu
den
ts d
emon
stra
te a
ctiv
e ci
tizen
ship
thr
ough
the
ir b
ehav
iour
s an
d p
ract
ices
in t
he s
choo
l env
ironm
ent,
in a
ccor
dan
cew
ith t
he p
rinci
ple
s an
d v
alue
s as
soci
ated
with
the
dem
ocra
tic p
roce
ss, s
ocia
l jus
tice
and
eco
logi
cal s
usta
inab
ility
.
Asp
ect
3: E
colo
gic
al s
usta
inab
ility
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill as
sist
stu
dent
s to
val
ue a
nd r
espe
ct e
nviro
nmen
ts/h
abita
ts o
f nat
iona
l par
ks in
par
ticul
ar t
o:
•be
sen
sitiv
e to
and
con
cern
ed a
bout
the
livi
ng a
nd n
on-li
ving
env
ironm
ent
of n
atio
nal p
arks
;
•re
cogn
ise
the
valu
es o
f bio
dive
rsity
and
bal
ance
in n
atur
e an
d th
e in
tegr
ity o
f all
livin
g th
ings
in n
atio
nal p
arks
;
•pr
otec
t th
e en
viro
nmen
t an
d liv
ing
thin
gs in
nat
iona
l par
ks; a
nd
•m
inim
ise
thei
r im
pact
on
the
envi
ronm
ent
in n
atio
nal p
arks
.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill he
lp t
he s
tude
nts
to v
alue
and
app
reci
ate
the
need
to
cons
erve
res
ourc
es a
nd p
rese
rve
envi
ronm
ents
/hab
itats
of n
atio
nal p
arks
in p
artic
ular
to:
•up
hold
the
val
ues
of e
colo
gica
l sus
tain
abilit
y an
d us
e re
sour
ces
in a
sus
tain
able
way
;
•ap
prec
iate
the
nee
d to
con
serv
e re
sour
ces
in n
atio
nal p
arks
; and
•w
ork
to p
rese
rve
natu
ral h
abita
ts/s
peci
es in
nat
iona
l par
ks.
Thes
e pr
ojec
ts w
ill he
lp t
he s
tude
nt t
o re
cogn
ise
the
need
to
enha
nce
envi
ronm
ents
of n
atio
nal p
arks
in p
artic
ular
to:
•w
ork
to r
ehab
ilitat
e an
d re
gene
rate
deg
rade
d en
viro
nmen
ts w
ithin
nat
iona
l par
ks;
•w
ork
tow
ards
enh
ance
men
t of
the
env
ironm
ent
of n
atio
nal p
arks
; and
•id
entif
y pr
actic
es t
hat
they
can
follo
w w
hen
usin
g na
tiona
l par
ks (s
tayi
ng o
n es
tabl
ishe
d ro
ads
and
path
s, p
rote
ctin
g flo
raan
d fa
una,
follo
win
g ru
les
abou
t lig
htin
g fir
es).
Cul
ture
Stu
den
ts u
nder
stan
d t
hat
peo
ple
fo
rm g
roup
s b
ecau
se o
f th
eir
shar
ed u
nder
stan
din
gs
of
the
wo
rld
, an
d,
in t
urn,
the
yar
e in
fluen
ced
by
the
par
ticul
ar c
ultu
re s
o f
orm
ed.
This
pro
ject
will
assi
st s
tude
nts
to u
nder
stan
d ch
arac
teris
tics
of c
ultu
res
in p
artic
ular
to:
•id
entif
y tr
aditi
onal
asp
ects
of I
ndig
enou
s cu
lture
in t
he s
outh
-wes
t of
WA
.
Pro
ject
s**
1, 2
, 4, 5
3
** P
roje
cts
mos
t lik
ely
to c
ontr
ibut
e to
the
outc
omes
15About this resource Supporting resources
Helping students reflect on their learningExamples of activities to assist students to reflect on their learning are available on NatureBase atwww.naturebase.net. These are designed for educators to make overheads and model the process ofstudents’ reflection.
GlossaryA glossary of terms useful for an investigation into parks and reserves is available at www.naturebase.net.Alternatively students can develop their own glossary.
Benefits of ‘Going Wild’ with the Curriculum Framework Conservation education, in the context of education for sustainability, offers profound and practicalbenefits. As a curriculum theme, conservation education:
✔ creates a cross-curricular approach which emerges naturally and does not need to be forced;
✔ has an intrinsic focus on relationships and aids in the explicit development of relationships betweenknowledge, skills and values;
✔ has a broad, direct relevance to students’ daily lives as well as their personal development and rolesin large scale societal/global issues;
✔ is oriented clearly towards the future, offering potential for building students’ sense of optimism;
✔ facilitates development of a systems thinking approach suitable for all students and learning styles;
✔ assists students in understanding the complex nature of the natural and social worlds in which theylive;
✔ connects with the interests and motivations of many school students and young people; and
✔ is ideal for values-focused education.
Supporting resourcesCALM’s role, in partnership with the community, is to conserve WA’s biodiversity, and manage the lands andwaters entrusted to it for their intrinsic values and for the appreciation and benefit of present and futuregenerations.
This resource is part of CALM’s ongoing contribution to community education. It is designed to relate directlyto our other curriculum resources which can be used in conjunction with this package.
Resource packs• Biodiversity’s Base – Incredible Invertebrates Years 4 and 5
• Forest Detective Trail: Excursion Training Manual Years 5 and 6
• Catchment Carers’ Trail Notes Years 5, 6 and 7
• Western Shield – Threatened Species Action Pack Years 5, 6 and 7
• Discovering The Hills Forest teacher resource package Years 6 and 7
• Landscope’s Urban Wildlife Antics Years 5, 6 and 7
• Exploring Woodlands with Nyoongars Years 5, 6 and 7
• Exploring Wheatbelt Woodlands Teaching Activities for Upper Primary Schools Years 5, 6 and 7
• Sharing the Dreaming and other fliers for all learning levels.
• Welcome to Kepwari – Lake Warden Wetlands Curriculum Package Years 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
O
16 Caring for Places
Videos Deadly Protectors – 60 minute video about threatened species and Western Shieldavailable in your school library.
Mission Wild – 30 minute video about threatened species and Western Shieldavailable for loan from CALM’s Forest Science Library phone: (08) 9334 0324.
Other resources• NatureBase web site www.naturebase.net.
• Diversity at Different Levels – Project 1 Activity Years 5-10 available todownload from www.naturebase.net.
• Brochures.*
• The best-selling book, Wild Places, Quiet Places.*
• Bush Books*-pocket-sized guides with colour photographs suitable for all learning levels.
• LANDSCOPE magazine* (available by subscription, in most public libraries and in some school libraries).
• Your local CALM office or WA tourist centre.
*available from CALM’s Marketing and Customer Service Section phone: (08) 9334 0333, fax: (08) 9334 0498.
Excursions and campsEcoEducation excursions and camps are available at the following CALM centres:
• The Hill Forest Discovery Centre, Mundaring
Phone: (08) 9295 6149 or email [email protected]
• Wellington Discovery Forest, located between Collie and Bunbury
• Margaret River Eco Discovery Centre
Phone: (08) 9734 1988 or email [email protected]
• CALM also offers camp activities for schools at:
Perup Ecology Centre
Phone: (08) 9771 7988
Dryandra Woodland Irabina Study Centre
Phone: (08) 9881 9200
Go visit nature“The best way to learn about our natural environment
is to experience it!”
CALM offers a wide range of excursion and camp options as well as a comprehensive variety of professional development and support services.
Phone: Customer Service (08) 9334 0333 Website: www.naturebase.net
Setting the scencefor educators
19Setting the scene Introduction
Setting the scene
IntroductionWhen planning to use this resource and to determine the level of your students’understanding of this topic consider the central questions: What is the value ofnational parks? and How do you value national parks?
To engage students in the topic, encourage them to relate experiences theyhave had when visiting a park or reserve and invite them to bring photographsor memorabilia to the next session.
Based on the rationale for using this resource (see previous section Why use this resource) and the followingreference information and map (Figure 1), ask students to consider the value of national parks.
A structured brainstorm approach is outlined at www.naturebase.net and may assist students to prioritiseand select goals.
Understanding biodiversity Central to an understanding of sustainability and the importance of parks and reserves for conservation is theconcept of biodiversity. An introductory activity to assist in understanding biodiversity is provided on line atwww.naturebase.net.
Download Diversity at different levels from www.naturebase.net.
The Cascades – rich in biodiversity.
20 Caring for Places
Background information
National parks in south-west Western Australia
There are 96 national parks in WA. CALM manages more than 25 million ha of national parks, conservationparks, nature reserves, marine parks, State forests, timber reserves and other miscellaneous landclassifications. This area is roughly equivalent to the entire landmass of Tasmania.
Looking back
The first national park in WA was a small reserve within the area we now know as John Forrest NationalPark, near Mundaring, in the foothills of Perth. It was set aside for future conservation in 1898 andproclaimed a national park in 1900, soon after the declaration of the world’s first ever national park,Yellowstone, in 1872 in the USA and the formation of the Royal National Park in New South Wales in 1879.
WA was one of the first places in the world to have a national park. Since then the number of national parksaround the world has increased dramatically and WA provides a shining example in its conservation efforts.
Looking forward
Criteria used in the consideration of the status of a national park include whether the area is representative ofnatural features such as plants, animals or geological formations that are unique, rare or threatened.
National parks conserve our natural heritage, making it accessible to the WA community and to visitors fromaround the world. The State Government is currently developing a policy to address ownership,administration and joint management of conservation lands with Indigenous Western Australians. Workingtogether with traditional owners to care for the land will be beneficial to the preservation of natural andcultural heritage as well as for cross-cultural awareness.
National park management continues to evolve and WA’s national parks form part of a global mosaic ofareas.
DefinitionsA national park is an area of national significance that is managed to conserve wildlife and thelandscape, for scientific study and to preserve features of archaeological, historical or scientific interestwhile allowing forms of recreation that do not adversely affect their ecosystems or landscapes. Althoughthey are called national parks, in Australia these areas are strictly a State responsibility. They are selected,gazetted and funded entirely by State Governments. The Federal Government may have jurisdiction if thearea becomes listed under the World Heritage Act.
Conservation parks are managed in almost the same way as national parks but have regional or local,rather than national, significance.
Nature reserves have high conservation value because they represent natural ecosystems or becausethey provide habitat for particular species of plants or animals. Nature reserves are terrestrial areas setaside for the purpose of ‘Conservation of Flora and Fauna’ and they are managed to maintain and restorethe natural environment, and to protect, care for and promote the study of indigenous flora and fauna.Recreation that does little harm to the environment, such as bush walking, is allowed.
21Setting the scene Background information
The global area of lands covered by national parks grew five-fold between the 1970s and 1990s and visitornumbers grew at a similar rate. The growth in global national park area has slowed, but visitation continuesto rise. With more environmental awareness and enthusiasm for ‘getting away from it all’, hundreds ofmillions of people visit the world’s national parks each year putting enormous pressure on their ecosystems.In WA, visits to areas managed by CALM have almost doubled in the past 10 years from 5.8 million in1994–95 to 10.9 million in 2003–2004.
Southern wonders
The south-west corner of WA is unique in the world because there are many species of plants, animals andecosystems that exist nowhere else on Earth. It is one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, and the onlyinternationally-recognised hotspot in Australia. The special value of the natural environments in the south-west of WA has been recognised and understood more and more by each generation.
Figure 1 shows all the protected areas including national parks, nature reserves and conservation parks inthe south-west of WA (the focus of this pack). You can find out about other national parks from theNatureBase website: www.naturebase.net.
Responsibilities1. CALM looks after approximately half of all Australia’s conservation areas.
2. Interest in nature-based tourism is growing very quickly. In 1995 there were 60 registered touroperators for national parks in WA. In 2004 there were 389!
3. CALM has more than 6000 registered volunteers who provided 355,000 hours of work on natureconservation and visitor services projects in 2003–04.
4. Many national parks have their own advisory committees made up of CALM staff and localcommunity members.
5. CALM has designed, built and manages approximately 1100 recreation sites, many of which cater forvisitors with disabilities.
PERTH
Mandurah
Narrogin
Busselton
ALBANY
HIGHWAY
Cape LeeuwinAugusta
Walpole Denmark
Albany
Mt Barker
Bunbury
HWY
EASTERNGREAT
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WESTERN
Yanchep NP
Neerabup NP
Marmion Marine Park
Herdsman Lake RP
Canning River RP
Shoalwater IslandsMarine Park
Penguin Island
Yalgorup NP
Leschenault Peninsula CP
Avon Valley NP
Walyunga NP
Kalamunda NPLesmurdie Falls NP
Tuart Forest NP
Scott NP
Beedelup NP
Stirling Range NP
Warren NP
D’Entrecasteaux NP
William Bay NP
West CapeHowe NP
Torndirrup NP
CapeNaturaliste
Shannon NP
Mt Frankland NPGloucester NP
Manjimup
Dwellingup Forest Heritage Centre Dryandra Woodland
Serpentine NP
Margaret River
Two PeoplesBay NR
Pemberton
Yellagonga RP
Beeliar RP
ALBANY
HIGHWAY
Wellington NP
The Hills ForestDiscovery Centre
Perup Ecology Centre
Wellington Discovery Centre
Leeuwin
Walpole-NornalupNP
HassellNP
WaychinicupNP
PorongurupNP
Margaret RiverEco Discovery Centre
LanePoole
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Other areas including Conservation Park (CP),Nature Reserve (NR), Regional Park (RP) andMarine Park/Marine Nature Reserve
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December 2004, IMB 03033402
Protected Areas in the South-West of WA
John Forrest NP
Irabina Study Centre
NaturalisteNP
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22 Caring for Places
Figure 1
23Setting the scene Background information
Wellington National Park Wellington National Park is one of WA’s newest national parks. It is an excellent example of our unique jarrahforest and provides habitat for many native plants and animals, several of which are rare or threatened. It isalso accessible and popular, providing for an unusually wide variety of human interactions with the naturalenvironment.
Adjacent to Wellington National Park is the Wellington Discovery Forest (WDF), an A class reserve forscientific research and education. CALM’s EcoEducation Section regularly offers professional developmentfor educators and a wide range of educational programs, excursions and camps. Details are available in theschools section of the Department’s website: www.naturebase.net. Wellington National Park, WDF and theWellington Discovery Centre offer wonderful educational value, particularly in developing students’understanding of the complex issues involved in conservation and the many facets of Active Citizenship.
Wellington National Park (Figure 2) is located 36 km east of Bunbury and 16 km from the town of Collie.Wellington National Park covers 16,790 ha and WDF 684 ha.
A patchwork past: history of the Wellington National Park
Archaeological evidence from the Wellingtonarea is limited, but it does show the presence ofIndigenous people throughout the Wellingtonarea, dating back many thousands of years.Records kept by early European writers showthat at the time of European settlement, localIndigenous groups lived in the area on aseasonal basis. They came to the forestespecially in the cooler, wetter months to huntand gather forest food before returning to theswamps and rivers nearer the coast when theweather became warmer.
Major events in the past 200 years
The area is thought to have been first visited byEuropeans when an 1830 expedition led byJohn Septimus Roe ventured up the Collie Riverand then overland. The area was named after England’s Duke of Wellington.
“Among the hills we found large rich valleys with water courses in them … on the hills the timberwas tall and straight.”
Shenton’s Exploration Diary, 1831
For the first few decades after European settlement, activity in the area focused on agricultural efforts thatwere often unproductive at first because the resilience of the existing forest made it extremely difficult to clearfor conventional European farming practices.
“Even at midday the forest wore a sombre aspect, and a stillness and solitude reignedthroughout it that was very striking. Occasionally a timid kangaroo might be seen stealing off inthe distance, or a kangaroo-rat might dart from a tuft beneath your feet, but these were rarecircumstances.”
Sir George Grey’s Exploration Diary, 1839
Indigenous archaeological material is particularlyhard to find in the forests of the south-west of WA.Most of the cultural artefacts were organic, madefrom plant and animal materials that have
decomposed easily in the denseforest environment, leaving little orno trace. The environment did not
lend itself to the creation ofartefacts such as cave paintings;
so most archaeological sitesare based on stone tools,generally made from quartz.
24 Caring for Places
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25Setting the scene Background information
The potential of the area for establishment of a timber industry was recognised soon after Europeansettlement but a lack of transport meant that it was not until 1881 that the first timber mill finally beganoperation in the Wellington area. The new Wellington Mill was connected to Bunbury’s railway system via atramline going through the forest. A small township of around 800 people soon grew around the mill. The millclosed in 1918 when it was no longer able to compete with mills that had lower transport costs. Thetownship continued on for a while before suffering a major fire in 1950.
The other major industry in the area has beencoal mining. In the late nineteenth century, thenew settlement of WA desperately neededenergy to fuel things such as railways. Largeincentives were offered to people who found andmined coal. Collie proved to have the only viabledeposits of coal in the south-west and the townhas derived economic benefit from this sinceshortly after coal was first discovered near theCollie River in 1883.
Water has long been an issue for the survival ofliving things around the Wellington area and themost emphatic human impact relating to water wasthe construction of the Wellington Dam in the mid-twentieth century.
A load of logs being hauled into Karridale in 1899. Photo reproduced from Steam in the Forests by M.R.H.
Southcombe, published by Hesperian Press.
Steam whim hauling at Yarloop in 1905. Photo courtesy The West Australian.
Wellington Dam in 1933. Photo courtesy of the Water Corporation library.
The Griffin Mine in about 1927. Coal was carted to therailhead at Collie in horse drawn drays, until the railway
reached the mine in about 1930. Photo courtesy Griffin CoalMining Company Pty Ltd.
26 Caring for Places
Some of the land that is now part of Wellington National Park has been State forest for many years. Thismeans it has been managed by CALM as a ‘mixed use’ forest including the harvesting and regeneration oftimber. The other land that is now part of Wellington National Park was once privately owned by the WorsleyTimber Company. This land was bought by the State Government in 1999. In 2000, laws were passed in theWA Parliament making more than 3700 ha of the purchased land the new Wellington National Park.
Going way back
The land we now know as Australia was once part of a much larger landmass or ‘supercontinent’ calledGondwana. For many millions of years, Australia was located close to the South Pole and covered in a giantice sheet. Many of the valleys in the Wellington National Park area were partly carved out 280 million years
ago when the enormous glaciers of Gondwana movedacross the land.
Between 135 and 45 million years ago, Gondwanabroke up into the smaller landmasses we see aroundthe world today. Australia gradually became muchwarmer as it moved north. Scientists believe thatbetween 120 and 60 million years ago, theenvironment around the Wellington area wouldprobably have been dense tropical jungle (a bit like theAmazon Basin). Around 60 million years ago, Australiawas lifted higher and the Darling Plateau formed. Riverflows driven by gravity caused erosion that cut deepcrevasses and valleys into the side of what we call theDarling Scarp.
The last major climate change ended only about 12,000 years ago. During these ‘glacial’ periods whenAustralia suffered very low rainfall and strong winds, only the toughest of native plant species could survive.Scientists think this is why jarrah was able to become dominant along much of the Darling Ranges. Its abilityto thrive on little moisture, poor soils and regular burning from natural bushfires meant it was the onlyeucalypt species able to survive as a forest at the time.
Most of Australia had much larger animals thanit does now. Scientists have found fossils thatindicate most of the animals were similar tothose we know today – but much, muchbigger. They call these the ‘megafauna’. For example, some types of wombat were as bigas rhinoceroses. So far we have not found any fossil evidence of megafauna from Wellington National Park butscientists think the area was probably home to several very large species of animal.
Darling Scarp.
An illustration of Diprotodon optatum. Illustration by Jill Ruse, courtesy of Western Australian Museum.
27Setting the scene Background information
Balancing today and tomorrow
Wellington National Park has many values including conservation, cultural, educational, and commercial,recreation and tourism.
Conservation value
Wellington National Park is an excellent example of our unique jarrah forest. It contains many variations oflandscape and ecology and has a diversity of flora and fauna. The conservation value of the park is not in itsecological uniqueness, as much as in how well the park represents and protects a type of ecosystem that iscrucial to retaining biodiversity in the south-west of WA.
The forest is dominated by jarrah-marri complexes andincludes important populations of other vegetationbordering the banks of the Collie River. The area providesa vital habitat for many animal species, including five,which are threatened species (chuditch: Dasyurusgeoffroii; quokka: Setonix brachyurus; western ringtailpossum: Pseudocheirus occidentalis; Baudin’s cockato:Calyptorhynchus baudinii; and Carnaby’s cockatoo:Calyptorhynchus latirostris). Woylies (Bettongia penicillata)have been reintroduced to the area.
Cultural value
There are Indigenous sites and landscapes ofmythological, ceremonial, cultural and spiritualsignificance, particularly the Collie River, within theWellington National Park. It is important that traditionalowners are able to continue cultural activities andceremonies and that places and objects of culturalsignificance are protected. A policy to enableIndigenous input into future planning and managementof the park is currently being formed.
Education value
Natural environments provide a diverse array ofresearch and educational opportunities associatedwith plants, animals and their ecosystems within thepark’s boundaries. The Wellington Discovery Centreprovides an extensive range of school communityeducation and interpretation opportunities.
Commercial, recreational and tourism value
Wellington Dam, situated within Wellington National Park, is the largest reservoir in WA’s south-west. As wellas being a major tourist attraction it provides vital irrigation for downstream horticultural operations. TheWater Corporation has examined the feasibility of pumping water from Wellington Dam to Perth. This meansthat everything happening in the catchment in general, and around the dam in particular, must be carefullycontrolled to protect water quality. Salinity of the dam water, for example, is a major issue. As water is amajor focus for recreation activities this means that managing people’s access to and behaviour in WellingtonNational Park is a major priority.
In addition there are commercial nature-based tourism opportunities that focus on the wide range of naturaland cultural values.
Collie River.
Ringtail possum.
28 Caring for Places
Other nature-based activities include recreational driving, cycling,bushwalking, swimming, picnicking, camping, abseiling, fishing andmarroning. The Munda Biddi Mountain Bike Trail runs through thepark.
The park, while offering spectacular scenery for tourists, alsoprovides a place of seclusion that is reasonably close for busypeople who live in highly populated cities or rural centres to enjoy.
Competing values
There are many stakeholders concerned about the future ofWellington National Park. An important social issue in WellingtonNational Park is the historical use of the area by local people such asthe residents of Collie. Local communities have been accustomed to accessing the forest in an unregulatedway, not only for recreation but also for activities such as the collection of firewood. Classifying the Wellingtonarea as a national park imposes limitations on what local people can do in the forest and even raises thequestion of fees before entering. Naturally this creates objections among people who are used to having nolimitations and no costs and who in many ways feel a sense of local ownership over the forest.
Special value
One of the most significant features of the park is the Wellington Dam. The Dam is almost 20 km long,covers nearly 1600 ha and holds more than 180 billion litres of water. However, it didn’t start this big! Arather modest wall of about 16 m was completed in 1934. This had such a positive impact on the localeconomy that the wall was raised one metre in 1944, increasing the capacity by two billion litres – but thedam still could not meet the increasing demand for water. Work began in 1955 to double the height of the wall. The project was completed in 1960 and since then the dam has averaged a collection of 200 billion litres (Note: an Olympic size swimming pool holds about 1 million litres) from its catchment of over2800 sq/km.
Wellington Dam.