Mount-Kaputar-Nationalpark

The mount Kaputar National Park is a national park in the northeast of the Australian state of New South Wales, 570 kilometers north-west of Sydney and 50 kilometers east of Narrabri. In the center of the park of Mount Kaputar, a volcano that was active until 17-21 million years ago is. The millions of years of constant erosion turned the volcanic region since the Lavaterrassen, lava pillars and Dykes of Nandewar Range. The Mount Kaputar is 1510 meters high and gave the park its name. The 360 -degree view from its summit is about ten percent of the area of New South Wales, according to approximately 80,000 km ².

The park protects a number of biomes, such as semi- arid, bright woodland, sub-alpine heathland and eucalyptus forests, and provides habitat for a number of animals, such as bats, birds, wallabies, Quoll and the rare Red triangle slug ( Red Triangle Slug, Triboniophorus graeffei ), which usually comes to light after rainfall.

History

Prior to the reclassification into a national park, the area was mainly used as pasture. The living conditions in this area are very hard, but it survived several settler families there, and of whose life you can still find traces today. Sheep and cattle grazing on the plateau until well into the 1950s. The area was very remote and the stockmen, who took care of the cattle, often for months saw not a soul.

1925 were reported to the Mount Kaputar as a recreation area about 775 hectares. Two years later the Mount Kaputar Trust was founded, which managed the park. The park area was extended to 14,244 hectares and in 1959 finally declared a national park. Eight years later, in 1967, gave the Trust from its responsibilities to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the newly founded until today, the park is managed by a regional board.

Facilities and leisure activities

1965 they built two cabins in Dawson Spring, where tourists could stay and they were supplied with running water for showers and toilets and a picnic area. Today there are three cabins, including the Bark Hut.

The park is popular with rock climbers and there are eleven trails in the park and a campground. The most popular place in the park but is the Scutts hat above the Kurrawonga Falls. The cottage is the former home of the Scutt family, a settler family who lived near the present park. You reach a Feuerwehreinfahrtsweg from the campsite at the Bark Hut from. The cottage has been faithfully restored and has a dirt floor and an open fireplace. It stands on the banks of Horsearm Creek, which feeds the Kurrawonga Falls.