| Savage River National Park Tasmania | |
|---|---|
IUCN category II (national park) | |
| Nearest town or city | Savage River |
| Coordinates | 41°21′14″S145°24′33″E / 41.35389°S 145.40917°E Coordinates: 41°21′14″S145°24′33″E / 41.35389°S 145.40917°E |
| Established | 1999 |
| Area | 179.8 km2 (69.4 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Savage River National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of Tasmania |
Savage River National Park is located in north-west Tasmania, Australia. Established in April 1999, [1] it is the largest undisturbed area of temperate rainforest in Australia. Unlike other national parks of Tasmania, Savage River National Park remains inaccessible to the public, there is no road access or facilities in the park. It is buffered by the Savage River Regional Reserve which has limited 4WD access. [2]
Tasmania is an island state of Australia. It is located 240 km (150 mi) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of around 526,700 as of March 2018. Just over forty percent of the population resides in the Greater Hobart precinct, which forms the metropolitan area of the state capital and largest city, Hobart.
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rainfall.
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The national park is dominated by cool temperate rainforest with extensive stands of myrtle beech dominated rainforest. A significant component of wet scrubland and buttongrass moorland dominate the Baretop Ridge. The park provides valuable habitat for many species of fauna including the Tasmanian devil, dusky antechinus, broad-toothed mouse, wedge-tailed eagle, swift parrot, grey goshawk and the giant freshwater crayfish. [2]
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland nowadays generally means uncultivated hill land, but includes low-lying wetlands. It is closely related to heath although experts disagree on precisely what distinguishes the types of vegetation. Generally, moor refers to highland, high rainfall zones, whereas heath refers to lowland zones which are more likely to be the result of human activity.
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was once native to mainland Australia and is now found in the wild only on the island state of Tasmania, including tiny east-coast Maria Island where there is a conservation project with disease-free animals.
