Addition to Valley of Giants to SW national park

The Valley of the Giants, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the South-West, will be added to the Walpole-Nornalup National Park.

The addition is included in a ten-year management plan for the park released today by Environment Minister Bob Pearce.

"The Valley of the Giants is a breathtaking cathedral of red tingle and karri trees, which covers 3,110 hectares of State forest on the south coast of Western Australia," Mr Pearce said.

The area is a major tourist attraction - its extensive coastline attracts anglers, surfers and bushwalkers. The rivers provide boating, canoeing and kayaking opportunities. The estuaries are popular for boating and fishing. The forests attract campers, walkers and day visitors.

The plan was prepared by the Department of Conservation and Land Management on behalf of the National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority.

It involved lengthy public consultation and the most comprehensive biological study ever undertaken in a Western Australian national park.

Mr Pearce said under the plan, CALM would identify and protect dieback-free areas within the park and protect 698 plant and 150 animal species, several of which were rare.

During CALM's three-year biological study, 19 species of mammal - one gazetted as threatened - and 109 bird species, including four threatened, were identified. 

"The park is also one of Australia's richest reserves for orchids, and contains four species of eucalypts endemic to the Walpole area, including the red tingle tree, and the red flowering gum," Mr Pearce said.

Walpole-Nornalup National Park surrounds the towns of Walpole, Nornalup and Peaceful Bay, and is one of the few places in WA where forest meets coast.

The park provides a range of activities for visitors, which will be expanded when the Valley of the Giants is added to it.

The park is increasingly attracting people seeking wilderness experiences as well as adventure-based tours.