Tasman National Park

Tasman National Park Tasmania
IUCN category II (national park)
280px Sunrise at Fortescue Bay
Tasman National Park Location in Tasmania
Nearest town or city	Port Arthur
Coordinates
Established	30 April 1999
Area	107.5 km2 (41.5 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
Official site	Tasman National Park
See also	Protected areas of Tasmania

The Tasman National Park is a national park that is located in eastern Tasmania, Australia, approximately 56 kilometres (35 mi) east of Hobart. The 107.5-square-kilometre (41.5 sq mi) park is situated on part of both the Forestier and Tasman peninsulas and encompasses all of Tasman Island.

History

File:TASMAN ARCH, TASMAN PENINSULA, TASMANIA.jpg

Tasman Arch and littoral chasm, Tasman National Park.

View of Cape Raoul from a lookout.

The park was proclaimed under the Regional Forest Agreement on 30 April 1999. The Tasman Island Lighthouse (constructed in 1906) is located on Tasman Island, which is part of the park. This lighthouse and weather station has been unmanned since 1977.

Geography

At 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level, the columnar dolerite cliffs at Cape Pillar and Tasman Island are among the highest in the world. Dolerite is a rare rock type on mainland Australia. Land formations accessible by road include the Blowhole (a hole at the inland end of a sea cave), Devils Kitchen (a rock hole) and Waterfall Bay. Dolerite formations which are more easily viewed from the ocean include Cathedral Rock, Totem Pole, Candlestick, and Tasmans Arch. The park includes The Lanterns, three small islands.

Flora

Three species of Euphrasia (a semi-parasitic, herbaceous flowering plant commonly known as eyebright) are found only in Tasman National Park. The rare Cape Pillar Sheoak is a shrub or small tree found only in the Tasman National Park where it is restricted to the Cape Pillar area of the Tasman Peninsula and to Tasman Island.

Fauna

Australian fur seals use the coastline for breeding and resting, and little penguins (sometimes referred to as "blue penguins" or "fairy penguins") nest along the foreshore.

The park forms part of the South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of a range of woodland birds, especially the endangered swift parrot and forty-spotted pardalote.

Three Capes track

The Three Capes track is a proposed 68-kilometre (42 mi), 5 night/6 day, hut based, one way walk encompassing the three capes in the Tasman National Park: Cape Hauy, Cape Pillar and Cape Raoul. The proposal would require an additional 30 kilometres (19 mi) of additional walking track, and upgrades to existing track. The proposal suggests that the infrastructure would be required to cater for 60 walkers each day. The feasibility study proposed a fee of A$200. The track would start at White Beach and end at Fortesque Bay.

See also

• Protected areas of Tasmania