There are so many things that define Australia: culture, cuisine, places, and people. As far as people are concerned, this 7.6-million-kilometer (1.9 billion acres) nation—the sixth-largest in the world, is home to some of the world’s most celebrities: Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, and the Hemsworth brothers. There must be something in Australian food then.
The Land Down Under is known for its barbecues—people will see grilled cuisines in most urban districts. These cuisines are best paired with Australian beer and wine. The country is one of the top five largest consumers of beer in the world. It is also among the top 10 largest producers of wine in the world.
Aboriginal Australians are also known for introducing important cultural traits and traditions. One of their important contributions to music is the didgeridoo. One hobby Australians are known for is surfing. Tourists even travel to Australia just to experience surfing in what is known as the driest, flattest, and oldest inhabited continent.
Other celebrities and noted residents of Australia are the kangaroos and koalas. While some koalas are found in the wild, they are also considered vulnerable species. Kangaroos, on the other hand, are abundant in Australia. There are tens of millions of kangaroos in the entire nation. For these animals to thrive in Australia, they have to be in their natural habitats. Good thing Australia is known for its beautiful natural resources.
The natural ecosystem is aplenty in Australia, as the nation is home to at least 500 national parks. The parks are located in eight territories: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. With so many national parks to choose from, here is a list of 10 national parks that are still largely undiscovered:
1. Abercrombie River National Park
Located in the Central Tablelands, this park features amazing water bodies: Silent Creek, Retreat River, and of course the Abercrombie River, which is a perennial river in the central west of New South Wales. Like a perennial river, only 42 kilometers is protected under the national park. Since the Abercrombie river is the centerpiece of the park, it is a given that among the most popular activities in the park are swimming and some paddling.
There are also so many different layers of the park, which opens it up to so many other activities. There are some great camping grounds in the park-like Bummaroo Ford, which is close to the Abercrombie River. There is also the Silent Creek campground, which is near the eponymous river, and The Sink campground near the Retreat River. The park also has its own beach that is also great for camping. Other activities that tourists will enjoy in the park are fishing and birdwatching.
2. Cathedral Rock National Park
This park in New South Wales is noted for its stunning and unique rock formations and tors. The centerpiece is, of course, the Cathedral Rock. Going there is also a great way to hike as tourists get to check out natural vistas along the way. Another fun formation to watch as well as the photograph is the Woolpack Rocks. The park provides different kinds of natural images for the tourists: dry eucalypt forest and granite outcrops.
The park is also home to the Round Mountain, which is the highest peak in the New England Tableland. The Round Mountain has an elevation of 1,586 meters. These mountains are great hiking venues. There are also campgrounds in the park for those who want to stay and watch the stars at night. The park is also a great place to do some birding and spot cockatoos, and for the lucky ones, the endangered and rare turquoise parrot.
3. Djukbinj National Park
This wetland park is located in the Northern Territory. Not only is the area rich in history, but it is also rich in natural beauty. The park was established in 1997 and included areas that were already considered as protected natural resources: part of the former Escape Cliffs Historical Reserve, a portion of the former Cape Hotham Forest Reserve, and certain parts of the former Marrakai Conservation Reserve.
With so many historical features and stunning vistas, one of the favorite tourist activities in the park is the scenic drive. The drive passes through a network of billabongs—from Scotts Creek to Twin Billabong. The scenic drive is also a cultural education of sorts.
Birding is also a favorite activity in the park. Among the most spotted birds in the park are egrets, geese, herons, and magpies.
4. Family Islands National Park
The Family Islands are a group of islands that resemble a family: Dunk Island is the father, Richards Island is the mother, Wheeler and Coombe Islands are known as the twins, while the Smith, Bowden and Hudson Islands are known as the triplets. Then this large family also has cousins, the smaller islands: Battleship Rock, Kumboola, Thorpe and Woln Islands. Thorpe, Richards, and Woln-Garin, though, are not part of the national park.
These islands were believed to be part of the mainland until eight millennia ago when the sea level rose and the islands were separated. Just so, the group of islands is now a national park.
Dunk is among the most visited among the islands. It has a great beach area for swimming, and it also has a couple of campgrounds for those who want to stay overnight. A large part of the island is covered with rainforest. A large part of the forest was damaged by the 2011 cyclone, though, and the island continues to be recovering from that. Bush camping is also available in Wheeler and Coombe islands.
The waters surrounding the Family Islands are rich in marine resources. The coral reefs are beautiful in most parts of the park and the seabed is blanketed with seagrass, which makes it an important food source for sea turtles and dugong. This makes the Family Islands a great place for diving and snorkeling.
5. Little Desert National Park
This is one of the parks in the whole of Australia that is largely unperturbed by human activities. The reason could be because this park is not known for its vegetation. The park is surrounded by agricultural lands but Little Desert owns its name. The general topography is deep sandy soil with low fertility. The place, though, is a great camping area.
Adding to the kind of soil in the Little Desert is the low rainfall, which means there are not a lot of trees and plants in the park. However, there is still a smattering of casuarina, cypress pine, and mallee. Wildlife includes brush-tailed possums and grey kangaroos. There are also some 200 species of birds in the park. The park has been designated as an Important Bird Area due largely to the population of diamond firetails and malleefowl, which is rare in an arid area like the Little Desert. The malleefowl sighting is one of the reasons why the area has been designated as a national park.
6. Lizard Island National Park
When British explorer Captain James Cook passed by this island on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, he noted that the only animals he saw on the island were lizards—and there were plenty of them. That’s how the island became known as Lizard Island. The most common species of lizards on the island is the yellow-spotted monitor.
As part of the Great Barrier Reef, the park is great for diving and scuba diving. The island is home to some well-developed fringing reef. There are also several heritage-registered structures within Lizard Island, one of them being Mrs. Watson’s Cottage. The cottage is a stone ruin overlooking Watson’s Bay. It was named after its owner, Mary Watson, a 19th-century Australian heroine.
Among the top activities in the park are sightseeing, hiking, camping, boating, and fishing. While lizards are the most common residents of the park, there are also pythons and tree snakes on the island. An island is also a great place for birding.
7. Namadgi National Park
This is the lone national park in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and makes up 46% of its land area. The park is meant to protect the Australian Alps, which is the highest mountain range in the nation. The park is known for its granite mountains. The highest peak in the park is the Bimberi Peak at 1,911 meters, which also happens to be the highest peak in the entire ACT.
During hot days, the park’s mountains are covered with grassy, but it turns into a winter wonderland during snowy months. The animal species in the park are magpies, ravens, rosellas, wallabies, wombats, and of course the kangaroos.
For a dose of history and culture, people should drop by the Yankee hat, which features aboriginal paintings. This structure provided shelter to the aborigines over 800 years ago. Archeological sites in the park also suggest that aborigines have been in the area over 3,700 years ago. The drawings in the Yankee Hat include the common Australian animal residents: kangaroo, dingo, echidna, emu, and turtle.
The national park is one of the 11 protected areas included in the Australian National Heritage List.
8. Onkaparinga River National Park
For those visiting Australia for the kangaroos, the Onkaparinga River National Park is the perfect place to meet them because not only will visitors see Australia’s national animal, they will also enjoy the region’s natural resources.
The centerpiece of the park is the Onkaparinga River, which is the second major river in the Adelaide metropolitan area. The park was created specifically to create a space for the public to just relax along the river. The authorities also wanted to preserve the landscape of the area. It was a great idea to preserve the area and make it into a park to revitalize flora and fauna.
Human activity has disturbed the previously rich vegetation in the park. Some of Hardy’s Scrub remains, though, and hopefully, the rest will be revitalized. There are also different species of eucalyptus in the park as well as some olives. Kangaroos are around, sometimes playing peekaboo among the trees.
9. Purnululu National Park
There are so many opportunities for photography in this park in Western Australia. The majority of the park are geological marvels, which contributed to the park’s declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the most important spots of the park is the Bungle Bungle Range, an extensive sandstone tower. The sandstone range is shaped like beehives. The beautifully shaped hills are a product of 20 million years of erosion. They are also marked with dark gray horizontal bands.
Other landforms in the park are the plateau, canyons, and gorges. There are also imposing cone towers providing a whole lot of range in the landscape of the entire park. There are so many different colors in the park, as well as different natural textures.
10. Walls of Jerusalem National Park
This Australian national park in Tasmania with geological structures that resemble the walls of Jerusalem. Following on the biblical characteristics, the rest of the park’s tourist spots are also named after things that are found in the bible: Damascus Gate, Herods Gate, Lake Salome, Pool of Bethesda and Solomons Jewels.
The centerpiece of the park is King Davis Peak, which is known as the park’s West Wall. It has an elevation of close to 1,500 meters. This is a favorite mountain among bushwalkers and mountain climbers. Hiking in the area is exquisite because it features rocks, grassland, and marsh. The park also contains some tarns and lakes. Herods Gate provides some great vegetation that’s lush and colorful, which is a welcome vista while walking the park.
Camping can be challenging, especially if the climate is not cooperative. There is a wooden floorboard along with Wild Dog Creek campsite just in case it rains.
Carrying on that biblical theme, locals believe that the area is protected. A prophet roams around the park. Those who don’t respect the park will not be safe.