Regional parks in Western Australia

Regional parks in Western Australia are conservation areas with the purpose of serving as urban havens to preserve and restore cultural heritage and valuable ecosystems as well as to encourage sustainable nature-based recreation activities.[1]

The regional parks of Perth, Western Australia

As of 2021, there are eleven regional parks in the Perth region of Western Australia,[1] as well as regional parks outside the metropolitan area.

Apart from the already existing regional parks, future proposals exist, like the recently approved Kalgulup Regional Park, located within the City of Bunbury, Shire of Capel, Shire of Dardanup and Shire of Harvey,[2] which encompass the former Preston River to Ocean Regional Park proposal, proposed for almost 40 years,[3] and the Leschenault Regional Park along the Collie and Brunswick Rivers.[4]

Another one, the Darling Range Regional Park in the Darling Scarp, was proposed as the largest regional park in Australia, with 11,703 hectares, but never fully realised and eventually replaced by a number of smaller national and regional parks.[5][6]

History

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The concept of regional spaces in Western Australia open to the public was first proposed in 1955, when the Stephenson-Hepburn Report recommended preserving private land for future public use in what would become the Perth Metropolitan Region in 1963. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) identified areas of significant conservation, landscape and recreation value in a report in 1983. In 1989, the state Government allocated the responsibility of managing regional parks to the Department of Conservation and Land Management.[7]

A Regional Parks Taskforce was established in 1990 but the EPA reported in 1993 that the establishment of these parks encountered difficulties but, from the mid-1990s, a number of regional parks were established in Western Australia.[7]

List of Western Australian regional parks

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The list of regional parks in Western Australia:

Name LGA Size Co-ordinates Image Source
Banyowla Regional Park City of Gosnells
City of Armadale
2,607 ha (6,440 acres) 32°03′15″S 116°02′27″E / 32.05417°S 116.04083°E / -32.05417; 116.04083 (Banyowla Regional Park)   [8]
Beeliar Regional Park City of Cockburn
City of Kwinana
City of Melville
3,171 ha (7,840 acres) 32°10′03″S 115°49′57″E / 32.16750°S 115.83250°E / -32.16750; 115.83250 (Beeliar Regional Park)   [9]
Canning River Regional Park City of Canning 266 ha (660 acres) 32°01′41″S 115°54′58″E / 32.02806°S 115.91611°E / -32.02806; 115.91611 (Canning River Regional Park)   [10]
Chapman River Regional Park City of Greater Geraldton 300 ha (740 acres) 28°43′35″S 114°37′16″E / 28.72639°S 114.62111°E / -28.72639; 114.62111 (Chapman River Regional Park)   [11]
Herdsman Lake Regional Park City of Stirling 400 ha (990 acres) 31°55′12″S 115°48′25″E / 31.92000°S 115.80694°E / -31.92000; 115.80694 (Herdsman Lake Regional Park)   [12]
Jandakot Regional Park City of Armadale
City of Canning
City of Cockburn
City of Gosnells
City of Kwinana
Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale
2,362 ha (5,840 acres) 32°12′20″S 115°52′41″E / 32.20556°S 115.87806°E / -32.20556; 115.87806 (Jandakot Regional Park)   [13]
Kalgulup Regional Park City of Bunbury
Shire of Capel
Shire of Dardanup
Shire of Harvey
3,100 ha (7,700 acres) 33°13′40″S 115°41′23″E / 33.22778°S 115.68972°E / -33.22778; 115.68972 (Kalgulup Regional Park) [2]
Meelup Regional Park City of Busselton 577 ha (1,430 acres) 33°33′00″S 115°04′00″E / 33.55000°S 115.06667°E / -33.55000; 115.06667 (Meelup Regional Park)   [14]
Mundy Regional Park City of Kalamunda 31°59′47″S 116°1′49″E / 31.99639°S 116.03028°E / -31.99639; 116.03028 (Mundy Regional Park)   [15]
Rockingham Lakes Regional Park City of Rockingham 4,270 ha (10,600 acres) 32°17′44″S 115°47′26″E / 32.29556°S 115.79056°E / -32.29556; 115.79056 (Rockingham Lakes Regional Park)   [16]
Woodman Point Regional Park City of Cockburn 54 ha (130 acres) 32°08′06″S 115°44′31″E / 32.13500°S 115.74194°E / -32.13500; 115.74194 (Woodman Point Regional Park)   [17]
Wooroloo Regional Park Shire of Mundaring 31°50′06″S 116°17′00″E / 31.83500°S 116.28333°E / -31.83500; 116.28333 (Wooroloo Regional Park)   [18]
Wungong Regional Park City of Armadale 32°11′59″S 116°03′46″E / 32.19972°S 116.06278°E / -32.19972; 116.06278 (Wungong Regional Park)   [19]
Yellagonga Regional Park City of Joondalup 1,400 ha (3,500 acres) 32°44′42″S 115°47′06″E / 32.74500°S 115.78500°E / -32.74500; 115.78500 (Yellagonga Regional Park)   [20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National, marine and regional parks in Western Australia" (PDF). Department of Parks and Wildlife. June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Kalgulup Regional Park draft management plan" (PDF). Department of Parks and Wildlife. August 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Preston River to Ocean Regional Park establishment plan proposal" (PDF). Department of Planning. April 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  4. ^ "South-West regional parks milestone". miragenews.com. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Plans for Darling Range Regional Park released for comment". Government of Western Australia. 7 May 1996. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. ^ "UBC article on fate of the Darling Range Regional Park" (PDF). Nature Reserves Preservation Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Management Plan 2010 (PDF) (Report). Conservation Commission of Western Australia, Department of Environment and Conservation & City of Rockingham. 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Banyowla Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Beeliar Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Canning River Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Chapman River Regional Park" (PDF). visitgeraldton.com.au. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Herdsman Lake Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Jandakot Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Meelup Regional Park". meeluppark.com. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Mundy Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Rockingham Lakes Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Woodman Point Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Wooroloo Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Wungong Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Yellagonga Regional Park". Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
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