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After
rain Willandra National Park's clay pans turn into temporary wetlands
perfect for bird watching. Photo: Jeff Wong |
Over the past three decades the Foundation has acquired more than 350,000 hectares of land.
Places of natural beauty, cultural significance or habitat for threatened species became protected and created 17 new National Parks and Nature Reserves. Discover one Foundation Park in each PAWS issue. (See our last issue for a report on World Heritage listed Mungo NP in Western NSW
The Foundation purchased more than 6,200 hectares, almost a third of the entire Willandra National Park, to ensure the conservation of its cultural heritage.
Willandra National Park
It seems like time stands still at Willandra National Park, preserving the 1930's glory of what was then one of the greatest merino stations in Western NSW.
The moment you pull into the driveway by the shearers' quarters and the red dust settles behind your car, you submerge yourself in the pastoral history of the Outback.
The cultural landscape surrounding the historical buildings is itself a monument of the long gone era that formed Australian identity - wide horizons, glary light, red dust, endless plains of sand and shrubs and straight dirt roads that seem to go on forever.
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| The
Ram Shed was once home to Willandra Station's famous rams, each
with its own enclosure and gate to the outside. A separate sheering
shed is set further away from the homestead is occasionally still
used for sheering today. Photo: Jeff Wong |
Inside the homestead the rooms look as though their inhabitants have just left for the day. Furniture, books, letters and photographs are still in place as if no time has passed since.
No locks stop the
visitor from exploring the homestead, shearers' quarters, ram shed and
wool shed, and there is a certain magic about the solitude of this lonely
Outback post which is visited more by wildlife than humans. Don’t
be surprised if you find you have the entire station to yourselves.
Landscapes formed by a harsh climate
The best way to explore Willandra’s natural environment is a 20-kilometre drive along the Merton motor trail.
The grasslands and coolibah-lined Willandra Creek beds to the west of the homestead are home to kangaroos, emus and ground-nesting birds.
On the way through the park the colour of the soil changes after every bend of the dirt road from white to red to grey. Plant communities range from low shrubland and grassland on the plains to low eucalypt and acacia woodlands along the creek.
More than 100 years of grazing and pasture improvement have modified the grassland considerably. The plant and animal communities of the park therefore don't represent the environments that were there before the introduction of cloven-hoofed animals.
After rain Halls Lake offers great birdwatching, and in the current drought aboriginal artefacts such as cutting stones can be found on the clay pans.
Nostalgic escapes
Willandra is the perfect stop-over for travellers to and from Mungo National Park, but it truly is a destination in its own right and worth a visit for its historical treasures and charm.
There are three styles of accommodation for visitors to enjoy Outback solitude at Willandra. The nostalgic homestead’s bedrooms with French doors which open onto the wide veranda offer a romantic hideaway for couples. The adjoining cottage is typical of rural residences of the 1940s and is ideal for groups as are the old Men's Quarters. Those who prefer to get closer to nature can enjoy a woodfire under the stars in the hidden camping ground by a billabong of Willandra Creek.
Bookings are required at least one day in advance through the Griffith office 02 6966 8100. Payment can be made by self registration in the park. Make sure you have some cash.
Willandra is 64 km north-west of Hillstone. Hillstone (64 km, 60 minutes) Griffith (174 km, 120 minutes)
In future issues read about:
Bouddi National
Park
Cathedral Rocks National Park
Crowdy Bay National Park
Maroota Historic Site (Devil's Rock)
Mallee Cliffs National Park
Mutawintji National Park
Morton National Park
Myall Lakes National Park
Sturt National Park
Warrabah National Park
Yuraygir National Park
Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve
Coturaundee Nature Reserve
Little Llangothlin Nature Reserve
Yathong Nature Reserve
