Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area

Protected area in South Australia

35°50′29″S 136°42′56″E / 35.84139°S 136.71556°E / -35.84139; 136.71556Established15 October 1993^[4]Area413.63 km² (159.7 sq mi)^[3]Managing authoritiesDepartment for Environment and WaterSee alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Ravine Des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area is a protected area on the west end of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, about 80 km (50 mi) west of Kingscote. It was established in 1993 on land previously part of the Flinders Chase National Park.

Description

Location

Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area is located at the north-western end of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Kingscote.^[5] It is located within the gazetted localities of Cape Borda and Flinders Chase.^[1]^[2]

Extent

The wilderness protection area is bounded to the south by the West Bay Road and the West Melrose Track, to the east by the West End Highway, and the north in part by the Playford Highway. The remainder is the coastline, down to the mean low water mark, from the cove known as Harvey's Return in the north-east, to West Bay in the west. The coastline boundary excludes the former lighthouse reserve at Cape Borda, which is part of the Flinders Chase National Park.^[5]^[6]

Protected area designation

The Wilderness Protection Area is classified as an IUCN Category Ib protected area.^[3]

History and prior use of land

The wilderness protection area was proclaimed on 15 October 1993, "in order to protect and preserve the outstandingly high wilderness qualities of the area."^[4]^[5] It was named after the Ravine des Casoars, a valley and associated drainage basin located in the northern half of the wilderness protection area. Previously, the land had been part of the Flinders Chase National Park and its predecessors since 1919.^[7]

Prior to being part of a protected area, the land which was never cleared by European colonists for agricultural or any other purpose, appears to have supported Aboriginal people on the basis of archaeological evidence. As of 1999, radiocarbon dating of material recovered via archaeological excavation from sites at Cape du Couedic and Rocky River just outside the wilderness protection area's southern boundary, suggest an Aboriginal presence from approximately 7,500 years BP, to as recent as 350–400 years BP.^[8]

Wilderness qualities

The following qualities have been identified by the government agency managing the wilderness protection area:^[9]

The extensive woodlands and nature forests are virtually pristine. The area contains several complete natural drainage systems, from watershed to their discharge at sea. Wilderness quality is recorded as high over the entire area except where it is reduced in a narrow north-south band by the presence of Shackle Road, an unsealed public access road. The vegetation is biologically intact and many endemic plants are present.

Visitor services

The wilderness protected area can be visited on foot via the following walking and trekking trails, which connect locations both in the wilderness protection area and the Flinders Chase National Park.

The ‘Return Road Hike’ is a 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) walking trail, that starts at Harvey's Return and finishes at the Cape Borda Lightstation.^[10]

The ‘Flinders Chase Coastal Trek’ is a trekking trail between Cape du Couedic and the Ravine Des Casoars car park, on the north side of the ravine, at the southern end of Ravine Road. The trekking trail has three sections - Cape Du Couedic to Snake Lagoon (length of 16 kilometres (9.9 miles)), Snake Lagoon to West Bay (length of 20 kilometres (12 miles)) and West Bay to Ravine Des Casoars car park (length of 18 kilometres (11 miles)).^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b "Search result for "Cape Borda (Locality Bounded)" (Record no SA0050434 ) with the following layers being selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Road Labels"". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Search result for "Flinders Chase (Locality Bounded)" (Record no SA0058416 ) with the following layers being selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Road Labels"". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b Wiese, B.J. (15 October 1993). "WILDERNESS PROTECTION ACT 1992 SECTION 22(1): CONSTITUTION OF RAVINE DES CASOARS WILDERNESS PROTECTION AREA" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 1755. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Flinders Chase National Park, Kelly Hill Conservation Park, Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area and Cape Bouguer Wilderness Protection Area Management Plans" (PDF). Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs. 1999. p. 6. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^ "Parks of Kangaroo Island" (PDF). Department for Environment and Natural Resources. 2012. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^ Robinson, A. C.; Armstrong, D. M., eds. (1999). A Biological Survey of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 1989 & 1990 (PDF). Adelaide, SA: Heritage and Biodiversity Section, Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, South Australia. p. 35. ISBN 0-7308-5862-6. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^ Robinson, A. C.; Armstrong, D. M., eds. (1999). A Biological Survey of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 1989 & 1990 (PDF). Adelaide, SA: Heritage and Biodiversity Section, Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, South Australia. p. 35. ISBN 0-7308-5862-6. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^ "Wilderness Advisory Committee Annual Report 2012-13" (PDF). Annual Report: 18. September 2013. ISSN 1832-9357. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
^ "Ravine des Casoars WPA - Return Road Hike". Office for Recreation & Sport. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^ "TREKKING INFORMATION SHEET - Flinders Chase Coastal Trek, Flinders Chase National Park and Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area, Kangaroo Island" (PDF). Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 1 May 2014.

External links

Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area webpage on protected planet

Kangaroo Island

Major townships

Beaches

Coastal features

Western end of island	Cape Borda Cape du Couedic Cape Gantheaume D'Estrees Bay Fides Bluff Maupertuis Bay Nepean Bay Pelican Lagoon Point Marsden Ravine des Casoars Stokes Bay Vivonne Bay
Dudley Peninsula	Cape St Albans Cape Willoughby Kangaroo Head Moncrieff Bay Pink Bay

Protected areas

National parks	Flinders Chase
Conservation parks	Baudin Beatrice Islet Beyeria Busby Islet Cape Gantheaume Cape Willoughby Cygnet Estuary Dudley Kelly Hill Lashmar Lathami Lesueur Mount Taylor Nepean Bay Parndana Pelican Lagoon Seal Bay Seddon Simpson Vivonne Bay
Marine parks	Encounter Western Kangaroo Island Southern Kangaroo Island
Wilderness Protection Areas	Cape Bouguer Cape Gantheaume Cape Torrens Ravine des Casoars Western River

Islands adjacent to Kangaroo Island coast

Related and uncategorised

Category
Commons

v t e Protected areas of South Australia
National parks	Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary–Winaityinaityi Pangkara Belair Canunda Cleland Coffin Bay Coorong Dhilba Guuranda-Innes Flinders Chase Deep Creek Glenthorne National Park–Ityamaiitpinna Yarta Gawler Ranges Great Australian Bight Marine Ikara-Flinders Ranges Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Lake Frome Lake Gairdner Lake Torrens Lincoln Malkumba-Coongie Mount Remarkable Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Murray River Naracoorte Caves Nullarbor Nilpena Ediacara Onkaparinga River Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges Wapma Thura–Southern Flinders Ranges Witjira
Conservation parks	Aberdour Acraman Creek Aldinga Scrub Althorpe Islands Angove Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Islands Bakara Bandon Bangham Barwell Bascombe Well Baudin Baudin Rocks Beachport Beatrice Islet Belt Hill Beyeria Big Heath Billiatt Bimbowrie Bird Islands Black Hill Black Rock Boondina Breakaways Brookfield Bullock Hill Busby Islet Butchers Gap Calectasia Calpatanna Waterhole Cap Island Cape Blanche Cape Gantheaume Cape Willoughby Caralue Bluff Carappee Hill Carcuma Caroona Creek Carpenter Rocks Carribie Chadinga Charleston Christmas Rocks Clements Gap Clinton Cocata Cooltong Corrobinnie Hill Cox Scrub Cromer Cudlee Creek Custon Cygnet Estuary Danggali Darke Range Desert Camp Dingley Dell Douglas Point Dudley Eba Island Elliot Price Eric Bonython Ettrick Ewens Ponds Fairview Ferguson Ferries-McDonald Finniss Fort Glanville Fowlers Bay Franklin Harbor Furner Gambier Islands Gawler Ranges Geegeela Giles Glen Roy Goose Island Gower Grass Tree Greenly Island Guichen Bay Gum Lagoon Gum Tree Gully Hacks Lagoon Hale Hallett Cove Hanson Scrub Heggaton Hesperilla Hincks Hogwash Bend Hopkins Creek Horsnell Gully Ironstone Hill Jip Jip Kaiserstuhl Kapunda Island Karte Kathai Kellidie Bay Kelly Hill Kelvin Powrie Kenneth Stirling Kinchina Kulliparu Kungari Kyeema Lake Frome Lake Gilles Lake Hawdon South Lake Newland Lake St Clair Lashmar Lathami Laura Bay Lawari Lesuer Leven Beach Lincoln Lipson Island Little Dip Lowan Lower Glenelg River Maize Island Lagoon Malgra Mamungari Mantung Marino Mark Oliphant Marne Valley Martin Washpool Martindale Hall Mary Seymour Media Island Messent Middlecamp Hills Mimbara Minlacowie Moana Sands Mokota Monarto Monarto Woodlands Montacute Moody Tank Morgan Morialta Mount Billy Mount Boothby Mount Brown Mount Dutton Bay Mount George Mount Magnificent Mount Monster Mount Scott Mount Taylor Mowantjie Willauwar Mullinger Swamp Munyaroo Murrunatta Mylor Myponga Nene Valley Nepean Bay Neptune Islands Newland Head Ngarkat Ngaut Ngaut Nicolas Baudin Island Nixon-Skinner Nuyts Archipelago Nuyts Reef Olive Island Padthaway Pandappa Para Wirra Paranki Lagoon Parndana Peachna Peebinga Pelican Lagoon Penambol Penguin Island Penola Piccaninnie Ponds Pigface Island Pike River Pine Hill Soak Pinkawillinie Point Bell Point Davenport Point Labatt Pooginook Poonthie Ruwe Porter Scrub Pualco Range Pullen Island Pureba Ramco Point Ramsay Red Banks Reedy Creek Ridley Rilli Island Rocky Island (North) Rocky Island (South) Roonka Rudall Salt Lagoon Islands Sandy Creek Sceale Bay Scott Scott Creek Seal Bay Searcy Bay Seddon Shannon Sheoak Hill Simpson Sinclair Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Mere Spring Gully Spring Mount Stipiturus Swan Reach Talapar Talisker Tallaringa Tantanoola Caves Telford Scrub The Dutchmans Stern The Knoll The Pages The Plug Range Thidna Tilley Swamp Torrens Island Troubridge Island Tucknott Scrub Tumby Island Venus Bay Verran Tanks Vivigani Ardune Vivonne Bay Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Wahgunyah Waitpinga Waldegrave Islands Wanilla Wanilla Land Settlement Warren Warrenben West Island Wharminda Whidbey Isles White Dam Whyalla Wiljani Wills Creek Winninowie Wittelbee Woakwine Wolseley Common Yalpara Yeldulknie Yulte Yumbarra
Game reserves	Bool Lagoon Bucks Lake Chowilla Currency Creek Lake Robe Loch Luna Moorook Mud Islands Poocher Swamp Tolderol
Recreation parks	Anstey Hill Blackwood Forest Brownhill Creek Caratoola Cobbler Creek Granite Island Greenhill Long Island O'Halloran Hill Onkaparinga River Shepherds Hill Sturt Gorge Totness
Regional Reserves	Chowilla Innamincka Nullarbor Strzelecki Yellabinna
Conservation reserves	Bernouilli Buckleboo Bunbury Bunkers Cortlinye Cox Scrub Cunyarie Desert Camp Hardings Springs Lacroma Moongi Mootra Pinkawillinie Reservoir Poolgarra Tola Former conservation reserves
Wilderness Protection Areas	Billiatt Cape Bouguer Cape Gantheaume Cape Torrens Danggali Hambridge Hincks Investigator Group Memory Cove Nullarbor Nuyts Archipelago Ravine des Casoars Western River Yellabinna
Other protected areas	Arkaroola Protection Area
Former protected areas	Investigator Group Isles of St Francis Katarapko Mount Rescue Mount Shaugh Port Gawler Scorpion Springs Telowie Gorge
Related topics	Marine protected areas of South Australia List of protected areas in Adelaide