Judbarra / Gregory National Park

The Gregory National Park is nearly 13,000 km ² the second largest national park in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is located in the transition zone between tropical and semi-arid climate.

Location

The park is located about 200 km south-west of Katherine. From here one passes first through the Victoria Highway in the smaller part of the park, called the Victoria River section with access to the same river, the Victoria River. Further west, then there is the much larger part of the park, called Bullita section. The northern part is from the Victoria Highway and the Buchanan Highway accessible, the more southerly on the Buntine Highway. All tracks in the National Park can be visited only with four-wheel vehicles.

History

The park was named after Augustus Charles Gregory, the 1855/56 led the first expedition in the years in this area. Near its base camps on the Victoria River about 20 km west of Timber Creek he has the date July 2, 1856 carved into a boab tree, which you can admire as Gregory 's Tree today. In the park are sacred Aboriginal sites, especially groups Wardaman, Ngariman and Ngaliwurri that colonize the area for millennia. From the modern era come traces of the first settlers, who settled here in 1880 to run livestock, including the old Bullita Outstation. In 1990, the National Park was established.

Wildlife

In the park different rare and endangered animal and plant species occur. These are the Emu birds, Wammentrappe, Rotbrillentaube that Neuhollandeule, the purple head Season tail and the Gouldian Finch and reptile species Mertens Wasserwaran and Arguswaran. In the waters of fish species Leichhardt's sawfish and Scortum neili occur. Particularly threatened is endemic in Australia snail Mesodontrachia fitzroyana.