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Croajingolong National Park Victoria
IUCN category II (national park)
A beach in the Croajingolong National Park; looking north towards Rame Head.
Croajingolong National Park
Nearest town or city	Mallacoota
Coordinates	37°42′43″S 149°30′30″E / 37.71194°S 149.50833°E / -37.71194; 149.50833
Established	26 April 1979 (1979-04-26)
Area	883.55 km (341.1 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Parks Victoria
Website	Croajingolong National Park
See also	Protected areas of Victoria

The Croajingolong National Park is a coastal national park located in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. The 88,355-hectare (218,330-acre) national park is situated approximately 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Melbourne and 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of Sydney.

The name Croajingolong derives from the Australian Aboriginal Krauatungalung words galung, meaning "belonging to" and kraua, meaning "east".

Location and features

The park is linear in shape and bordered on the southern side by the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, the western side by Bemm River and the eastern side by the township of Mallacoota. Its northern boundary consists of dense bushland and low hills. The dimensions of the park are approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) by 20 kilometres (12 mi), with an area of 875 square kilometres (338 sq mi). The 100 kilometres (62 mi) Wilderness Coast Walk stretches the entire length of the park along beaches, through heathland and round rocky headlands.

Croajingolong National Park, with the adjoining Nadgee Nature Reserve in New South Wales, forms one of only twelve World Biosphere areas in Australia. It contains ecosystems, habitats and gene pools that are managed sustainably. The park encloses the Sandpatch Wilderness Area and is contiguous with the Cape Howe Wilderness Area, the Nadgee Nature Reserve and the Cape Howe Marine National Park.

Important Bird Area

The eastern section of the park lies within the Nadgee to Mallacoota Inlet Important Bird Area, so identified by BirdLife International because it supports populations of eastern bristlebirds and pilotbirds as well as other significant fauna.

Visitor attractions

Croajingolong's landscapes are so spectacular and environmentally significant that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) nominated it a World Biosphere Reserve in 1977. The park houses impressive biodiversity, including almost 1,000 native plant species and 315 animal species.

The diverse coastal landscapes feature rocky outcrops, large stretches of sandy beaches, coastal dunes and freshwater rivers, making the park a popular destination for hiking and walking, swimming, diving, snorkelling and sea kayaking.

A popular way to explore the remote wilderness and diverse flora and fauna of the national park is on the Wilderness Coast Walk, which extends 45 kilometres from Thurra River camping area to Shipwreck Creek.

Popular destinations within the park include:

• Point Hicks and its lighthouse
• Tamboon Inlet resort town
• Spectacular sand dunes at Thurra River
• Lake Elusive near Wingan Inlet
• Mount Everard
• Rame Head

Camping spots exist at Wingan Inlet, Shipwreck Creek and Peachtree Creek and are all accessible by car. The camp sites at Mueller Inlet and Thurra River are privately managed. Most campgrounds are equipped with picnic facilities and fireplaces.

Nearby towns are Mallacoota, Genoa, Cann River, Bemm River and Orbost.

See also

• Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)
• List of biosphere reserves in Australia

References

1. Department of Natural Resources and Environment (June 1996). Croajingolong National Park Management Plan (PDF) (PDF). Government of Victoria. ISBN 0-7306-6137-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
2. "Croajingolong National Park: Visitor Guide" (PDF). Parks Victoria (PDF). Government of Victoria. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
3. "Croajingolong (county): Historical information: 30383". Vicnames. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
4. "Australia's Biosphere Reserves". Department of Sustainability. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
5. "IBA: Nadgee to Mallacoota Inlet". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
6. "UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
7. "Parks Victoria - Camping at Croajingolong". parkweb.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 August 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.

External links

• Croajingolong National Park page, at Parks Victoria
• Wilderness Coast Walk
• Hand made artist's book of etchings inspired by a bushwalk in Croajingolong National Park. Book created by Sandi Rigby and copy no.5 held by the Australian Library of Art, State Library of Queensland
• Croajingolong featured in the song Croa-jingo-long by Harold Williams (as Geoffrey Spencer) in 1923.

v t e Protected areas of Victoria, Australia
Marine national parks Bunurong Cape Howe Churchill Island Corner Inlet Discovery Bay French Island Ninety Mile Beach Point Addis Point Hicks Port Phillip Heads Twelve Apostles Wilsons Promontory Yaringa
National parks Alfred Alpine Barmah Baw Baw Brisbane Ranges Budj Bim Burrowa-Pine Mountain Chiltern-Mt Pilot Churchill Cobboboonee Coopracambra Croajingolong Dandenong Ranges Errinundra French Island Grampians Great Otway Greater Bendigo Gunbower Hattah-Kulkyne Heathcote-Graytown Kara Kara Kinglake Lake Eildon Lind Little Desert Lower Glenelg Lower Goulburn Mitchell River Mornington Peninsula Morwell Mount Buffalo Mount Richmond Murray-Sunset Organ Pipes Point Nepean Port Campbell Snowy River Tarra-Bulga Terrick Terrick The Lakes Warby-Ovens Wilsons Promontory Wyperfeld Yarra Ranges Former Bogong Bulga Captain James Cook Chiltern Box–Ironbark Cobberas–Tingaringy Dandenong Ferntree Gully Fraser Glenaladale Hattah Lakes Mallacoota Inlet Mount Eccles Otway Point Nepean (1988-1995) St Arnaud Range Tarra Valley Tingaringy Wingan Inlet Wonnangatta–Moroka
State parks Arthurs Seat Black Range Broken-Boosey Bunyip Cape Nelson Cathedral Range Dergholm Enfield Holey Plains Kooyoora Lake Tyers Langi Ghiran Leaghur Lerderderg Moondarra Mount Arapiles-Tooan Mount Buangor Mount Granya Mount Lawson Mount Napier Mount Samaria Mount Worth Paddys Ranges Reef Hills Warrandyte Werribee Gorge Former Angahook–Lorne Barmah Carlisle Chiltern Coopracambra Eildon French Island Kamarooka Kara Kara Melba Gully (Great Otway NP) Nepean Pink Lakes Terrick Terrick Wabonga Plateau Warby Range (Warby-Ovens NP) Whipstick
Marine and coastal parks Bay of Islands Bunurong Cape Conran Cape Liptrap Corner Inlet Discovery Bay Gippsland Lakes Nooramunga Shallow Inlet Wilsons Promontory Former Cape Schanck Point Cook
Marine sanctuaries Barwon Bluff Beware Reef Eagle Rock Jawbone Marengo Reefs Merri Mushroom Reef Point Cooke Point Danger Ricketts Point The Arches
Other parks Wilderness parks Avon Big Desert Wilderness Park Wabba Wilderness Park Heritage / Historic parks Beechworth Historic Park Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park Point Gellibrand Heritage Park Steiglitz Historic Park Wimmera River Heritage Area Park Woodlands Historic Park

• IUCN Category II
• Parks of Gippsland (region)
• National parks of Victoria (state)
• Croajingolong National Park
• Biosphere reserves of Australia
• Protected areas established in 1979
• 1979 establishments in Australia
• Important Bird Areas of Victoria (state)
• Southeast Australia temperate forests