Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve
| Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve Western Australia | |
|---|---|
  Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 19°41′S 123°20′E / 19.683°S 123.333°E |
| Established | 1979 |
| Area | 17,733 hectares (43,820 acres)[1][2] |
| Region | Great Sandy Desert, Kimberley, Western Australia |
| Managing authorities | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions |
| See also | List of protected areas of Western Australia |
Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve is located in the Great Sandy Desert in the southern part of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
It covers an area of around 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) and is 210 kilometres (130 mi) east of the Great Northern Highway.
Dragon Tree Soak is a swamp believed to be a relic of the riverine vegetation found along the Mandora Palaeoriver during its partial rejuvenation by the wetter climates of the early to mid Holocene Epoch.[3]
It is used by birds from the surrounding hummock grasslands but also has species generally associated with scrub or tree-lined watercourses elsewhere. Species not recorded elsewhere in the region but present in the Typha beds were the Clamorous Reed-Warbler and the Australian crake.[4]
It is a wetland of significance,[5] described as:
Dragon Tree Soak is a swamp with bullrush Typha domingensis and dragon tree Sesbania formosa. It includes a freshwater spring, a permanent freshwater marsh and peatland. It has an area of 5 ha (main water area: 1 ha). It forms an oasis supporting plants and animals that are absent or scarce elsewhere in the desert.[5]
Wild camel damage has been reported as extensive, and programmes to reduce their effect on the reserve have been conducted.[6]
Assessability
[edit]It is a reserve that contains old dry lake beds, and is well away from named tracks. It is accessible by driving east following the track at 19°41'54.6"S 121°14'19.9"E, near Eighty Mile Beach, until 20°03'52.9"S 123°18'37.0"E, then heading north by 37 km. Flying by helicopter from Broome or Port Hedland is also possible.
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Terrestrial CAPAD 2022 WA summary". dcceew.gov.au/. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Australian Protected Areas Dashboard". dcceew.gov.au/. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Veth, Peter (1 January 1995), "Aridity and settlement in northwest Australia.(Special Issue)(Transitions: Pleistocene to Holocene in Australia & Papua New Guinea)", Antiquity, 69 (265), Antiquity Publications, Ltd: 733, doi:10.1017/S0003598X00082302, ISSN 0003-598X
- ^ "Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve WA".
- ^ a b "Australian Web Archive". Archived from the original on 9 August 2010.
- ^ "Australian Web Archive". Archived from the original on 12 February 2007.