Black Hill Conservation Park
Athelstone and Montacute, South Australia
Access track in Black Hill Conservation Park
Black Hill Conservation Park is located in South Australia
Black Hill Conservation Park
Black Hill Conservation Park
Nearest town or cityAdelaide
Coordinates34°52′34″S 138°43′23″E / 34.876°S 138.723°E / -34.876; 138.723[1]
Established27 January 1972[2]
Area7.58 km2 (2.9 sq mi)[3]
Managing authoritiesDepartment for Environment and Water
WebsiteBlack Hill Conservation Park
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Black Hill Conservation Park, formerly the Black Hill National Park, is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of the state capital of Adelaide. The conservation park is in a rugged bush environment, with a prominent peak, bounded by steep ridges on the southern slopes.

Geography and climate

Black Hill Conservation Park covers around 7.58 square kilometres (2.93 sq mi)[3] within the Mount Lofty Ranges, which run north-south to the east of Adelaide's coastal plain.

It is located in the suburbs of Athelstone and Montacute and is bounded to the north by Gorge Road and to the south by Montacute Road.[4] The conservation park lies mostly on the northern side of Fifth Creek.

The conservation park adjoins Morialta Conservation Park, home to many activities, including bushwalking, bird watching and rock climbing.

The main access to the conservation park is via the vehicle entrance off Maryvale Road, and there is walking access at various points along Marble Hill Road.

Morialta shares Adelaide's Mediterranean climate, with average temperatures of 17 °C (63 °F) in winter, to 28 °C (82 °F) during summer. The conservation park receives average annual rainfall of 800 millimetres (31 in) mostly between May and September. During the summer months (December to February) temperatures can rise above 40 °C (104 °F).

The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category III protected area.[1]

History

The land first received protected area status as the Black Hill National Park proclaimed on 27 January 1972 under the National Parks Act 1966 in respect to land in sections 669, 670 and 671 of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Adelaide and section 526 of the Hundred of Onkaparinga.[2] On 27 April 1972, the national park was reconstituted as the Black Hill Conservation Park under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.[5] As of 2019, it covered an area of 7.58 square kilometres (2.93 sq mi).[3]

In 1982, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.[6]

Prior use of the land

The land used by the Morialta Conservation Park was traditionally occupied by the Kaurna people. Most of the Kaurna elders died before much of their culture could be recorded, and so little is known of the pre-colonial history of the area. It is known that they used fire both as an aid to hunting, and to regenerate the vegetation.

Private landholdings were given over to a wildflower garden on the north edge of the conservation park which has now officially been handed over to the conservation park. The Friends of the Black Hill and Morialta Conservation Parks have a building on site where meetings are held and activities are based/conducted for help with the wildflower garden and the two conservation parks.

Activities

The conservation park caters for a variety of activities, including bushwalking, picnics and bird watching. There are many walking paths within the conservation park, including the Yurrebilla and Heysen Trails.

Being only 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the centre of Adelaide, Black Hill is an accessible but often overlooked conservation park area. There are picnic grounds near the conservation park's Administration buildings and this area links in with the Athelstone oval and Wadmore Park, a Campbelltown City Council reserve.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 Shard, A.J. (27 January 1972). "NATIONAL PARKS ACT, 1966: DECLARATION OF NATIONAL PARK" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 246. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 15 March 2019)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  4. ↑ "Search results for 'Black Hill Conservation Park' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'NPW and Conservation Properties', 'Hundreds' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. South Australian Government. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  5. ↑ "No. 56 of 1972 (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972)". The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia: 660 & 702. 27 April 1972. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "Black Hill Conservation Park, Montacute Rd, Montacute, SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 6493)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 28 September 1982. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
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