Cape Range National Park is a national park in Western Australia, 1,105 kilometres (687 mi) north of Perth.
The park occupies the western side of the North West Cape peninsula over an area of 47,655 hectares (117,760 acres). The nearest town is Exmouth. Directly off the coast is the Ningaloo Reef.
The area resulted from a gradual uplifting from the sea floor followed by fluctuating sea levels, wind and water erosion that have slowly eroded the range and plain leaving behind a range of rugged limestone, deep canyons and pristine beaches.
The Cape is the only elevated plateau composed of limestone on the North West Coast. The range has plateaus to an elevation of 314 metres (1,030 ft) and forms the backbone of the peninsula which extends are far as North West Cape.
Yardie Creek, a spectacular gorge where the water is trapped by a sandbar, is located within the park.
Over 700 caves are located within the park and it is probable that many others remain undiscovered. Over 630 species of wildflower are found within the park, that generally bloom toward the end of winter, including the Bird Flower and the Desert Sturt Pea.
The area was under pastoral lease beginning in 1876 when J Brockman acquired leases in the area covering North West Cape to run cattle. Brockman sold parts of the lease in 1888 to ornithologist Thomas Carter including Yardie Creek and Ningaloo Station. Carter was the first settler in the area and established a pastoral station in 1889 The area was declared a national park in 1964, the off-shore area, Ningaloo Marine Park, was declared in 1987.
An abundance of flora and fauna are found within the park. Flora species include mangroves, acacia, spinifex, grevillea, verticordia, eucalyptus and minilya lily. Fauna found within the park include rock wallabies, red kangaroos, emus, euros, 100 different species of bird and 80 species of reptile.
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An old WWII radar tower with the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse behind
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The Vlamingh Head Lighthouse at dusk
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Beach in Cape Range
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One of the countless termite hills
Famous quotes containing the words cape, range, national and/or park:
“A great proportion of the inhabitants of the Cape are always thus abroad about their teaming on some ocean highway or other, and the history of one of their ordinary trips would cast the Argonautic expedition into the shade.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Whereas children can learn from their interactions with their parents how to get along in one sort of social hierarchy—that of the family—it is from their interactions with peers that they can best learn how to survive among equals in a wide range of social situations.”
—Zick Rubin (20th century)
“Our national experience in Americanizing millions of Europeans whose chief wish was to become Americans has been a heady wine which has made us believe, as perhaps no nation before us has ever believed, that, given the slimmest chance, all peoples will pattern themselves upon our model.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)
“Borrow a child and get on welfare.
Borrow a child and stay in the house all day with the child,
or go to the public park with the child, and take the child
to the welfare office and cry and say your man left you and
be humble and wear your dress and your smile, and don’t talk
back ...”
—Susan Griffin (b. 1943)