Coorong National Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coorong National ParkSouth Australia |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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The view across the Coorong near Salt Creek
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A map of the Coorong
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 Coorong National Park
Location in South Australia
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| Nearest town or city | Goolwa |
| Established | 9 November 1967 |
| Area | 490.15 km2 (189.2 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Department for Environment and Water |
| Website | Coorong National Park |
| Footnotes | |
| Official name: The Coorong, Lake Alexandrina & Albert Wetland | |
| Designated: | 1 November 1985 |
| Reference #: | 321 |
| See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Coorong National Park is a protected area located in South Australia about 156 kilometres (97 mi) south-east of Adelaide, that predominantly covers a coastal lagoon ecosystem officially known as The Coorong and the Younghusband Peninsula on the Coorong's southern side. The western end of the Coorong lagoon is at the Murray Mouth near Hindmarsh Island and the Sir Richard Peninsula, and it extends about 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-eastwards. Road access is from Meningie. The beach on the coastal side of the peninsula, the longest in Australia, is also commonly called The Coorong.
The Coorong lies within the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri people, an Aboriginal Australian group. Notable locations within the park include Salt Creek, Policeman's Point, Jack Point, and Woods Well.
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Etymology
Its name is thought to be a corruption of the local Aboriginal people's word kurangh, meaning "long neck"; a reference to the shape of the lagoon system. The name is also thought to be from the Aboriginal word Coorang, "sand dune", a reference to the sand dunes that form the Younghusband Peninsula.
Description
The western end of the Coorong lagoon is at the Murray Mouth near Hindmarsh Island and the Sir Richard Peninsula, and it extends about 130 kilometres (81 mi) southeast. The park area includes the Coorong itself, and Younghusband Peninsula which separates the Coorong from Encounter Bay in the Southern Ocean. The Coorong has been cut off from Lake Alexandrina by the construction of the Goolwa Barrages (weirs) from Goolwa to Pelican Point during the late 1930s.
The park was formed in 1966 as a sanctuary for many species of birds, animals and fish. It attracts many migratory species. It provides refuge for these animals during some of Australia's regular droughts. The 467 square kilometres (180 sq mi) also supports coastal dune systems, lagoons and coastal vegetation.
One of the unique aspects of the Coorong is the interaction of water along its length, with sea water and Murray River water meeting rainfall and groundwater. The freshwater supports the fauna (animal) of the area while the sea water is the habitat for much of the birdlife.
The waters of the Coorong are a popular venue for recreational and commercial fishers. The popular 'Coorong Mullet' and 'school mulloway' are the main species. The region was the setting of the popular 1977 film Storm Boy.
Birds
The Coorong National Park has been recognised by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. It has supported the chestnut teal, Australian shelduck, sharp-tailed sandpiper, red-necked stint, banded stilt, red-necked avocet, pied oystercatcher and red-capped plover. Australasian bitterns have been recorded. It has also supported significant numbers of orange-bellied parrots, fairy terns and hooded plovers, although their usage of the site has declined from reduced freshwater inflows.
Notable events
In 1840, the brigantine Maria was shipwrecked near Cape Jaffa after leaving Port Adelaide. All 25 people aboard were massacred by Aborigines along the Coorong.
In February 2013, a lifeboat from MS Oliva, that foundered in the south Atlantic, washed up on a beach in the Coorong. Images of Oliva with the lifeboat rails empty can be seen at the Tristan da Cunha website of the grounding and recovery.
Gallery
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Sunset over the northern part of The Coorong, approaching the town of Meningie, South Australia.
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The punitive expedition to the Coorong after the massacre of survivors of the wreck of the Maria, August 1840.
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Flock of banded stilts on sand flats at the Coorong.
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View of the Coorong and Younghusband Peninsula.
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Entrance to The Coorong (mid-distance) looking from Hindmarsh Island
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional Coorong para niños
