Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area Cape Borda& Flinders Chase, South Australia
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area Location in South Australia
Nearest town or city	Kingscote
Established	15 October 1993
Area	413.63 km2 (159.7 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Department for Environment and Water
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

The Ravine Des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area is a special protected area found on the western side of Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is about 80 km (50 mi) west of a town called Kingscote. This important area was created in 1993. Before that, it was part of the Flinders Chase National Park.

What is the Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area?

This area is a place where nature is kept safe and wild. It helps protect the unique plants and animals that live there.

Where is This Special Place Located?

The Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area is on the northwest tip of Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It's about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Kingscote. You can find it within the areas known as Cape Borda and Flinders Chase.

How Big is This Area?

This protected wilderness covers a large piece of land. To the south, it's bordered by West Bay Road and the West Melrose Track. The West End Highway is on its east side. Part of its northern edge is the Playford Highway. The rest of its northern and western borders are the coastline. This coastline stretches from a small bay called Harvey's Return in the northeast down to West Bay in the west. However, the old lighthouse area at Cape Borda is not part of this wilderness. That part belongs to the Flinders Chase National Park.

Why is it Protected?

The Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area is classified as an IUCN Category Ib protected area. This means it's a "Wilderness Area." These areas are kept as natural as possible. They are protected to keep their wild character and natural processes safe.

A Look Back in Time

This wilderness area was officially declared on October 15, 1993. It was set aside to "protect and preserve the outstandingly high wilderness qualities of the area." It got its name from the Ravine des Casoars. This is a valley and river system located in the northern part of the wilderness.

Before 1993, this land had been part of the Flinders Chase National Park since 1919. Even before it became a protected area, the land was never cleared for farming or other uses by European settlers. It seems that Aboriginal people lived here a very long time ago. This is known from old tools and other items found by archaeologists. In 1999, scientists used radiocarbon dating on items found near Cape du Couedic and Rocky River. These places are just outside the wilderness area. The results showed that Aboriginal people were present there from about 7,500 years ago until about 350–400 years ago.

What Makes it Special?

The government group that manages this wilderness area has noted some amazing things about it:

• The large areas of woodlands and natural forests are almost untouched.
• The area has several complete natural river systems. These systems flow from the highest points all the way to the sea.
• Most of the area has very high wilderness quality. This means it feels very wild and natural. Only a narrow strip, where Shackle Road is, has slightly less wilderness quality.
• The plants are all natural and healthy. Many plants found here grow nowhere else in the world.

Exploring the Wilderness

You can visit this wilderness protected area by walking on special walking and trekking trails. These trails connect places both inside the wilderness area and in the Flinders Chase National Park.

The ‘Return Road Hike’ is a walking trail that is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) long. It starts at Harvey's Return and ends at the Cape Borda Lightstation.

The ‘Flinders Chase Coastal Trek’ is a longer trekking trail. It goes between Cape du Couedic and the Ravine Des Casoars car park. This car park is on the north side of the ravine, at the end of Ravine Road. This trekking trail has three parts:

• Cape Du Couedic to Snake Lagoon (16 kilometres (9.9 miles) long)
• Snake Lagoon to West Bay (20 kilometres (12 miles) long)
• West Bay to Ravine Des Casoars car park (18 kilometres (11 miles) long)