Connells Lagoon Conservation Reserve facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Connells Lagoon Conservation ReserveNorthern Territory |
|
|---|---|
|
IUCN Category Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
|
|
 Connells Lagoon Conservation Reserve
Location in Northern Territory
|
|
| Nearest town or city | Tennant Creek |
| Established | 1994 |
| Area | 258.90 km2 (100.0 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory |
| Website | Connells Lagoon Conservation Reserve |
| See also | Protected areas of the Northern Territory |
The Connells Lagoon Conservation Reserve, also known as Dalgajini, is a special protected area in Australia's Northern Territory. It's a place set aside to protect nature.
This reserve is about 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Tennant Creek. It's also about 350 kilometers (217 miles) southeast of Elliott. You can find it on the eastern edge of a large property called Brunette Downs Station. The reserve is right in the middle of the Barkly Tableland. It was created mainly to protect areas of Mitchell grass and the animals that live there.
What the Land Looks Like
The land at Connells Lagoon is mostly flat. In the northern parts, you'll find watercourses. These areas have small groups of trees. You might also see bluebush growing in the wettest spots.
The ground is made of "black soil" plains. These are cracking clays over flat beds of Cambrian Camooweal Dolomite. In higher areas, the soil is red and gravelly. The actual lagoon that gives the reserve its name is just outside the reserve's fence.
Amazing Plants and Animals
Scientists did a study in the reserve in 1982. They found a huge variety of life! They counted 189 different types of plants. There were also 53 kinds of birds, 19 types of reptiles, and 9 kinds of mammals.
Some of the birds found here are quite rare. These include the flock bronzewing pigeon and the red-chested button-quail. You might also spot the large Australian bustard or the small pictorella mannikin. Protecting this area helps these special birds survive.
Traditional Owners and History
The traditional owners of this land are the Wambaya people. This reserve is part of a larger area called Mangurinji. This area is very important to the Wambaya people. They believe that ancestral beings, called Mangaya, created many features of the land during the Dreamtime.
People who raised livestock, called pastoralists, came to this area in the 1880s. The reserve land was used as a place for cattle along the Barkly stock route. This route was very busy until the 1960s. That's when trucks started moving cattle instead of drovers.
Since 1984, cattle and uncontrolled fires have been kept out of the reserve. This was when the area was officially set aside and fenced. In 2002, the Connells Lagoon Conservation Reserve was added to the Register of the National Estate. This list no longer exists, but it shows the area's past importance.
