Seven Westeran Australia National Parks Grouped Into the Walpole Wilderness

It is great see that the beautiful forests of southwest Australia getting the protection and recognition they deserve:

Climb to the pinnacle of one of Western Australia’s newest national parks, and you can soak up a 360-degree view over large parts of the proposed Walpole Wilderness, a 3630 sq. km haven of national parks, nature reserves and forest conservation areas in the state’s south-west. Abundant in towering trees, threatened ecological communities, ancient plants and animals – many endemic to the region – wild rivers and calm coastal inlets, the Walpole Wilderness forms a large chunk of Australia’s only internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot.

Although logging features prominently in the area’s history, an increasing number of visitors are coming to recognise the breathtaking natural environment here. Walpole-Nornalup National Park alone has seen visitor numbers more than double during the past 10 years to about 194,000 per year. This has been partly a result of the construction of the excellent Tree Top Walk, where you can wander in the canopy of giant tingle trees, some 40 m off the ground, on one of the world’s longest canopy walkways.

Located about 450 km south of Perth, the area has a handful of excellent hiking trails, plenty of scope for river and inlet paddling, and some unique interactive forest sites. [AG Outdoor]

You can read more about these amazing forests at the link or view pictures of the area from my trip there here, here, and here.