Torndirrup National Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Torndirrup National Park Western Australia
IUCN Category II (National Park)
The Gap
Torndirrup National Park Location in Western Australia
Established	1918
Area	39.36 km2 (15.2 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Department of Parks and Wildlife
Website	Torndirrup National Park
See also	List of protected areas of Western Australia

Torndirrup National Park is a cool place to visit in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It's about 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Perth. You can find it about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Albany by taking Frenchman Bay Road.

This park is famous for its amazing rock formations along the coast. You can see places like the Gap, Natural Bridge, and the Blowholes. These incredible shapes were carved out of strong granite rock over many years. The park sits along the coast on the west side of King George Sound. It has lots of cliffs, deep gullies, blowholes, beaches, and rocky points.

Park History and Old Rocks

The Natural Bridge is a huge rock formation.

The rocks in Torndirrup National Park are very old! Some of them, like the gneiss rock you see at the Gap, formed between 1300 and 1600 million years ago. That's a really long time! Later, about 1160 million years ago, the Australian Plate crashed into the Antarctic Plate. This caused hot, melted rock to rise up and form the granite rocks you can see at Stony Hill.

The park was officially created in 1918, making it one of the first national parks in Western Australia. It got its name, Torndirrup, in 1969. This name comes from the Indigenous Australian clan who lived in this area for a very long time. The first park ranger started working here in 1973.

Torndirrup National Park is super popular! About 250,000 people visit it every year, making it the most visited park in Western Australia. Sometimes, large bushfires happen in the area. For example, a fire in 2015 burned a lot of bushland.

Amazing Plants and Animals

You can find beautiful Banksia grandis flowers here.

This park is home to many different kinds of plants. You can see the soft woolly-bush, tall peppermint trees, and swamp yate. There are also many types of banksia plants and even karri forests. Along the coast, you'll find special plants like native rosemary. The park also protects some very rare plants, like the Albany woolly-bush and the super endangered blue tinsel lily.

Many animals live here too! You might spot kangaroos, bush rats, tiny pygmy possums, and short-nosed bandicoots. There are also several types of reptiles, including tiger snakes and dugites. In 1876, a very rare animal called the dibbler was found in the park.

If you love birds, you'll see honeyeaters, wattlebirds, and western rosellas. Many different seabirds also live along the coast. If you visit at the right time of year, you might even see huge whales and seals swimming near the cliffs!

A special and very old spider, called the Main's assassin spider, lives in the park. It's a threatened species, which means it needs protection.

Park Facilities and Fun Walks

There is a small fee to enter Torndirrup National Park. You can get to the park easily by taking Frenchman Bay Road, which is paved and has clear signs. Most of the main attractions are also reached by paved roads. While there aren't many shops or restaurants inside the park, you can find barbecues, tables, and toilets nearby at Frenchman Bay. Remember, you need to pay an entry fee to visit the famous Gap and Natural Bridge.

The park has many walking trails, most of which are shorter than 1500 meters (about 1 mile). Some popular walks include the Jimmy Newhills walk and the Stony Hill Heritage Trail. The longest trail is the 10-kilometer (6-mile) Bald Head Walk. This path takes you along the Flinders peninsula and ends at Bald Head, which is at the eastern edge of the park.

In 2016, the park upgraded its facilities at the Gap and Natural Bridge. They spent about 6.1 million Australian dollars to make things even better! Now there are new lookout platforms that everyone can use, connecting paths, a picnic area, and new signs that explain things about the park. There's also a new car park. At the Gap, there's a cool cantilevered platform that sticks out almost 40 meters (130 feet) above the Southern Ocean! It extends 10 meters (33 feet) out from the cliff, with 4 meters (13 feet) of it directly over the ocean. It's a thrilling view!

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional Torndirrup para niños