Mount Boothby Conservation Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Boothby Conservation Park Field, South Australia
IUCN Category Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
Mount Boothby Conservation Park Location in South Australia
Nearest town or city	Culburra
Established	30 November 1967 (1967-11-30)
Area	40.93 km2 (15.8 sq mi)
Visitation	“few visitors” (in 1999)
Managing authorities	Department for Environment and Water
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

Mount Boothby Conservation Park is a special protected area in South Australia. It's a place where nature is kept safe. This park is about 147 kilometers (91 miles) southeast of Adelaide. It's also about 14 kilometers (9 miles) west of the town of Culburra. You can find it near the Dukes Highway.

History of Mount Boothby Conservation Park

Mount Boothby Conservation Park has been a protected area for a long time. It first became a national park on November 30, 1967. This happened under a law called the National Parks Act 1966.

Later, on April 27, 1972, its name changed. It became the Mount Boothby Conservation Park. This change happened under a new law, the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. The park is named after Mount Boothby, a hill inside its borders. This hill is about 129 meters (423 feet) tall. In 2019, the park covered an area of about 40.93 square kilometers (15.8 square miles).

What Makes the Park Special?

Mount Boothby Conservation Park has a unique landscape. It has rolling hills made of a rock called calcarenite. There's also a flat, sandy area in the northeast. You can find some small granite rocks too.

Plants of Mount Boothby

The park is home to many interesting plants. The main trees on the hills are different kinds of eucalyptus. These include Eucalyptus diversifolia, E. incrassata, and E. foecunda. Underneath these trees, there are smaller shrubs.

The sandy areas have open heath plants. Around the granite rocks, you'll see small Eucalyptus leucoxylon trees. In the southeast, there's a small area with Eucalyptus fasciculosa trees.

Rare and Endangered Plants

Some plants in the park are very special. Melaleuca wilsonii and Hakea muellerana are quite common here. However, they are rare in other parts of South Australia. The park also protects Caladenia tensa, known as the rigid spider orchid. This orchid is considered "endangered" across Australia.

If you visit in September or early October, you might see many different kinds of orchids. They are a beautiful feature of the park.

Animals of Mount Boothby

The park is also home to many animals. You can often spot large Emus and Western grey kangaroos. These animals are easy to see as they move around the park.

Special and Seldom Seen Animals

Some animals in the park are harder to spot. The Leipoa ocellata, or mallee fowl, is a bird that is threatened in South Australia. The park is an important place for them. Another shy resident is the Pseudomys apodemoides, also called the ash-grey mouse. These small creatures are not often seen.

Protecting the Park

Mount Boothby Conservation Park is a protected area. This means it's managed to keep its natural environment safe. It is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area. This is the strictest type of protected area. It means the park is mainly for scientific research and protecting wilderness. Human visits are very limited to keep the area as natural as possible.

In 1980, the park was listed on the now-closed Register of the National Estate. This list recognized places important to Australia's natural and cultural heritage.