We’re blessed to have some of the most spectacular and biodiverse nature reserves and national parks in the NACC NRM region, and they’re worth looking after.
But don’t just take my word for it. Three of the “Top 10” National Parks in Western Australia recently named by the WA Tourism Commission were from our region: Kalbarri National Park, Lesueur National Park, and The Pinnacles Desert in the Nambung National Park. That’s something we should all be proud of.
I’ve had the pleasure of walking through all three, but to my mind, they are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of other amazing parks and attractions dotted all over our beautiful countryside – big and small, National Parks and Nature Reserves, local parks and other (sometimes tiny) scenic attractions.
We could probably compile a list of hundreds of local parks, reserves and attractions, which would include such “jewels in the crown” as the Moore River National Park, Badgingarra National Park, Lake Indoon, Depot Hill Reserve, and Beekeepers Reserve.
I’m on a mission to visit as many of our parks and reserves as I can, and have been blown away by something at every place that I’ve visited – such as during the incredible wildflower displays in the Coalseam Conservation Park that I’ve seen over the past two springs.
If you’ve got a favourite park, we like to hear about it, and what special about it in your eyes.
This week is World Parks Week, and we’re encouraging everyone to visit a park, especially a local park for which you have a special “sense of place”. We also encourage you to help look after it, to protect it, and encourage others to do the same.
Those of you who regularly keep in touch with NACC via NACC Notes will have noticed that we’ve been featuring a “Parks for People” column – highlighting some of our region’s attractions.
Thus far we’ve “visited” the Mia Moon Reserve (in the Shire of Dalwallinu), Chapman River Regional Park (Geraldton), Badgingarra National Park (Dandaragan), Greenough River Nature Walk Trail (Cape Burney), Buntine Rocks (Dalwallinu), Ellendale Pool (Greenough), Moore River mouth (Guilderton), Vern Westbrook Walk Trail (Badgingarra), Watheroo National Park (Watheroo), John Forrest Lookout (Perenjori), Koolanooka Springs (Morawa), Stockyard Gully National Park (Eneabba/Leeman), Depot Hill Reserve (Mingenew), Lake Indoon Reserve (Carnamah), Nambung National Park (Dandaragan), Kalbarri National Park (Kalbarri), Coalseam Conservation Park (Mingenew), and the Jurien Bay Marine Park (Dandaragan/Jurien Bay).
See this week’s column, featuring Lake Indoon then I encourage you to #FindYourPark and visit it … and help protect it for future generations.
Richard McLellan
CEO, NACC
Ambassador, WA Parks Foundation
