South Bruny National Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Bruny National Park Tasmania
IUCN Category II (National Park)
The Friars
Nearest town or city	Kingston
Established	1997
Area	50.59 km2 (19.5 sq mi)
Visitation	9,200 (in 1997)
Managing authorities	Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	South Bruny National Park
See also	Protected areas of Tasmania

The South Bruny National Park is a special protected area found on Bruny Island in Tasmania, Australia. It's about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Hobart. This park is home to the famous Cape Bruny Lighthouse and its highest point is Mount Bruny, which stands 504 meters (1,654 feet) tall.

History of South Bruny National Park

The park includes the Labillardiere Peninsula. This area is named after Jacques Labillardière, a French plant expert. He was part of an expedition that explored Australia a long time ago. The Nuenonne people lived in South Bruny for many years. You can still find some of their important cultural sites in the park today. These sites are protected, and some are open for people to learn about.

Part of the coastline has amazing cliffs made of a rock called dolerite. There are also long beaches from Fluted Cape all the way to the southern tip of the island. South Bruny became a National Park in 1997. It was protected mainly for its beautiful coast, its Aboriginal and historical sites, and to save rare plants and animals. The park is now a popular spot for visitors. They love its many birds and coastal plant areas. Some smaller islands, like Partridge Island, Green Island, and The Friars, were also made part of the park to protect their unique nature.

Plants of South Bruny National Park

The plants in the park are very important. Many rare species grow here that are not found in other protected areas in Tasmania. Most of the park has dry sclerophyll plants. These include eucalypt woodlands, heathlands, and coastal plants. There are also small areas of wet eucalypt forest and cool temperate rainforest.

Common coastal plants include she-oaks and casuarinas. These plants can handle a lot of salt spray and wind. The national park has several rare orchids. These include the endangered chestnut leek orchid and the pretty leek orchid. They are very important because they are so rare. These orchids usually grow in heathland areas, which are very diverse and need protecting. The pretty leek orchid is so rare that the biggest group known has only fifty plants. Other rare plants here include the juniper wattle, variable smoke bush, and the yellow onion orchid.

Eucalyptus forests in the park are important homes for many insects, birds, and mammals. Common trees are brown-top stringy bark, white gum, blue gum, and white peppermint. The eyebright is another special plant. South Bruny National Park is one of only a few places where it grows. It's the only place where it is protected in a park. The eyebright is a small flowering plant that grows in open woodlands. It is easily harmed by things like vehicles and grazing animals.

Animals of South Bruny National Park

Common mammals in the park include the Bennett's wallaby, the common brushtail possum, and the Tasmanian pademelon. Bennett's wallabies are common in Tasmania. However, the park protects a small group of unusual white Bennett's wallabies. These wallabies are also called red-necked wallabies. They eat grass around the Fluted Cape area and are active at night. The eastern quoll has also been seen here. Interestingly, spotted-tail quolls, Tasmanian devils, and common wombats have never lived on Bruny Island.

All twelve of Tasmania's unique bird species live in the park. The forty-spotted pardalote is especially important, as Bruny Island is its main home. Little penguins and hooded plovers also lay their eggs along the coast. Reptiles found here include the tiger snake, lowland copperhead, and white-lipped snake. A group of Australian fur seals lives on The Friars. These rocks are the southernmost part of the park. The park's many different habitats make it a great place for a wide variety of birds.

Bird Life in the Park

Several birds of prey live in South Bruny National Park. These include the white-bellied sea eagle, the wedge-tailed eagle, and the grey goshawk. The goshawk is endangered and very rare. It can be found on Partridge Island, which is part of the park. Partridge Island also has a breeding penguin colony. The island offers a safe and quiet home for these flightless birds.

Nearby Green Island is perfect for the kelp gull. It is an important breeding ground for them, and there are not many such places. The park also supports a rare ground parrot. This parrot lives in the open heathland. Ground parrots are very scarce, with only three ground-dwelling parrot species left in the world, all of which are endangered. Protecting their home is vital for their survival. The undisturbed heathland of South Bruny National Park provides this safe place.

Forty-spotted Pardalote: A Rare Bird

The forty-spotted pardalote is one of Australia's rarest birds. It is classified as endangered. Its numbers have dropped a lot over the last hundred years. It is thought to no longer live in many parts of Tasmania where it once was common. Now, only two groups are known on Bruny Island. These pardalotes need white gum trees to survive. They eat small insects and a sugary sap called manna from these trees.

The pardalote prefers old tree hollows and logs for nesting. Newer trees are not suitable for them. The number of forty-spotted pardalotes is still going down. This is due to several reasons. They don't spread out much, they have a special diet and habitat, and other birds compete with them. The biggest threat to them is habitat loss from land clearing. Clearing dry sclerophyll forests and white gum trees along the coast has caused their numbers to drop.

In recent years, habitat destruction has slowed down. This is especially true since South Bruny National Park and other areas on Bruny Island were protected. However, habitat fragmentation is still a problem. This means their homes are broken up into smaller pieces. Competition with other birds that live on the edges of forests is also an issue. A big challenge for the future is keeping their habitats connected. It's also important to make sure white gum trees, which are their main home, continue to grow. There have been two plans to help these birds recover. These plans aim to replant white gums, find more areas to protect, learn more about the birds by watching them, and teach the community and visitors about them.

Swift Parrot: A Migratory Bird

The swift parrot is another important bird protected by the park. It is a migratory bird, meaning it travels between mainland Australia and Tasmania. Adventure Bay and Cloudy Bay on South Bruny Island are key places for this species. The bird nests mainly in blue gum trees. It relies on the flowers of these trees for successful breeding. Black gum trees are also an important food source.

Swift parrots nest in tree hollows, usually on higher slopes and ridges. They prefer dry eucalypt forests within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the coast. The total population is thought to be about 1,000 pairs. The decline of this species is mainly due to habitat loss from clearing. This has led to their homes being broken up and changed. Another threat to the swift parrot is being hunted by sugar gliders on the mainland. This is why it's so important for the birds to find safety on offshore islands where they can breed without danger.

Some, but not all, of their breeding and nesting sites are inside South Bruny Island National Park. Some land is privately owned, and some is used for forestry, which is still active on Bruny Island. About 80% of swift parrot habitat is outside protected areas. This makes it harder to protect the bird because it moves around so much. Keeping their habitats connected is key. South Bruny National Park offers a vital safe place for the parrot by protecting one of its main breeding areas. Plans have been made to help the bird recover. These plans have helped us understand what habitat they need, improved how forests are managed, and helped create community and volunteer groups.

Environmental Challenges

More and more tourists are visiting Bruny Island because they want to experience nature. This has brought both good and bad effects to the island. Using boats and four-wheel drives is popular. However, the increased number of vehicles on beaches is causing problems. Many vehicles travel along the Cloudy Bay beaches. This raises worries for birds like the hooded plover that breed there.

Other problems from driving on beaches include losing plants above the high tide line. It also disturbs the soil and harms other ground-nesting birds. The sand and soil get compacted, which can affect the whole ecosystem. These sand dune areas are also shrinking because of foreign plant species and past human activities. Locals on the island say that Bruny Island is so attractive because of its untouched nature. More tourists put this at risk, adding pressure on the island and its resources.

The park is a narrow strip along the coast. In some places, it's only 50 meters (164 feet) wide. It connects three different areas. This means the park cannot be managed by itself. It needs to be managed with its surrounding environment. This creates a risk of losing connected habitats. Some important habitat areas are on private land next to the park. So, working with landowners on animal management is important. Teaching the community about these issues also helps.

Wild cats are thought to be the biggest predators on the island. Pet cats and dogs are also known to kill wildlife. Hooded plovers and terns that nest along Cloudy Bay's beaches are especially easy targets for cats. About 80% of the wild cats on Bruny Island carry toxoplasmosis. This is a parasite that can infect and kill many animals when bitten. Marsupials are especially vulnerable. Competition with other invasive species is also a concern. For example, the endangered masked owl has to compete with wild honeybees and starlings for nesting hollows.

Park Management and Protection

The park offers beautiful beaches, stunning scenery, and a chance for people to relax near wildlife. Visitors can enjoy nature and learn about the park's different environments. The goal is to support South Bruny's conservation values. To keep offering this, management goals and a plan have been created. Specific actions have been outlined. These include controlling erosion and repairing areas where vehicles access the beach at Cloudy Corner. They also aim to limit visitor numbers to what the environment can handle.

The Australian government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) is key to protecting Australia's threatened species and communities. The South Bruny National Park Management Plan, started in 2000, aims to protect, maintain, and watch over the natural plants and animals. This is especially true for threatened species. Only plants native to the park will be used in any repair work. Habitat areas for beach-breeding birds are to be left undisturbed during their breeding season.

The park's priorities for plant protection include areas with eyebright, old growth forests, and grassy forests. These provide homes for the swift parrot and forty-spotted pardalote. Plants like the eyebright and several flowering orchids need some disturbance to grow well. They thrive on regular controlled burns, which the park has had for thousands of years. Regular burns do happen in the park. Between 2000 and 2010, most of South Bruny had some form of controlled burn. A challenge for management is meeting the different needs of these individual species. The Weed Management Act (1999) sets out how Tasmania manages weeds. It aims to control and get rid of declared weeds. Reducing the risk of new weeds is also a priority. Improving awareness and knowledge about weed issues across Bruny Island is important. Declared weeds have legal action plans for their control. Ongoing research and monitoring of environmental issues in Bruny Island and the National Park will help guide future management.

Places to See in South Bruny National Park

Images for kids

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  The Friars