| Franklin Harbor Conservation Park | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the east coast of Eyre Peninsula near Cowell - the peninsula on the right side is within the conservation park. | |
  Franklin Harbor Conservation Park | |
| Location | South Australia |
| Nearest city | Cowell. [2] |
| Coordinates | 33°44′39″S136°56′17″E / 33.74417°S 136.93806°E |
| Area | 13.56 km2 (5.24 sq mi) [3] |
| Established | 22 January 1976 [4] |
| Governing body | Department for Environment and Water |
Franklin Harbor Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in the gazetted locality of Cowell about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) south of the town centre in Cowell. [2] [5]
Contents
The conservation park consists of land on a peninsula that encloses the south east side of Franklin Harbor and on four islands within Franklin Harbor including Entrance Island. [6] The conservation park occupies land in Sections 258, 259, 260 and 261 of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Playford. [4]
The conservation park was proclaimed on 22 January 1976 under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 . [4] [7] As of July 2016, the conservation park covered an area of 13.56 square kilometres (5.24 sq mi). [3] Since 2012, the conservation park has been overlapped by the protected area known as the Franklin Harbor Marine Park. [8]
As of 1982, the conservation park was considered to have "significance" for the following reasons: [5]
...(it) preserves an area of mangrove and samphire flats, an association that is markedly depleted in South Australia. The entrance islands ... contain a population of death adders. The islands also provide a safe roosting and feeding site for sea birds.
As of 1982, the flora of the conservation park was described as follows: [5]
Two of the islands and the protected side of the peninsula feature a low woodland of Avicennia marina and a samphire shrubland. The seaward side of the peninsula features a sandy beach backed by minor areas of open scrubland dominated by boxthorn, with scattered Callitris , Santalum , Leucopogon and Nitraria .
The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area. [1] In 1982, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate. [5]