Furner Conservation Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Furner Conservation ParkSouth Australia |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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 Furner Conservation Park
Location in South Australia
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| Nearest town or city | Millicent |
| Established | 22 November 1973 |
| Area | 289 hectares (710 acres) |
| Managing authorities | Department for Environment and Water |
| See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Furner Conservation Park is a special protected area in South Australia. It's located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) south-east of the state capital, Adelaide. You can also find it about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north-west of the town of Millicent. This park helps protect important natural habitats.
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Discover Furner Conservation Park
Furner Conservation Park was officially created on November 22, 1973. It was set up under a law called the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. This law helps protect special places in South Australia. As of 2016, the park covered an area of about 289 hectares (714 acres). That's like more than 700 football fields!
Why Furner Park is Special
In 1980, Furner Conservation Park was recognized as very important. It was listed on something called the Register of the National Estate. This meant it was a "relatively undisturbed" area. It had a mix of open forest and woodland. These areas represented the types of plants found on both sandy dunes and flat areas between them.
The park also has a beautiful variety of plants growing underneath the main trees. This diverse plant life provides a much-needed home for many animals. These animals are typical of the forests in south-east South Australia.
Plants and Trees You'll Find
In 1990, experts described the park's landscape. It has gently rolling sandy hills with light-colored sand. There are also parallel stony ridges with exposed limestone. Some areas have red, sandy soils. There are also low-lying sandy flats.
The park is home to three main types of plant groups:
- Open Woodland: On the sandy hills, you'll find an open woodland of messmate stringybark trees. Similar, but denser, groups of these trees grow on most of the sandy flats.
- River Red Gum and Manna Gum: Another type of woodland includes river red gum and rough-barked manna gum trees. You might also see some swamp gum trees. These are mainly found on the flats, especially near Reedy Creek in the eastern part of the park.
- Pink Gum Woodland: On the stony ridges, there's an open woodland of pink gum trees. You can also spot isolated drooping sheoak trees here.
Why Is It Important?
Furner Conservation Park is mainly used by people who study nature. It's a great place for field naturalists to explore. The park also has the potential to be a valuable learning resource. For example, the Kangaroo Inn Area School, which is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away, could use it for educational trips.
The park is classified as an IUCN Category III protected area. This means it's recognized internationally as a "Natural Monument or Feature." It's a place that protects specific natural features or areas of natural importance.
