The "Little Desert" A Wyperfeld National Park, Australia story
Forests
By the late 1800s, some Australians were trying to preserve natural lands, including the nationally symbolic “bush.” The Forest Act of 1907 established forest reserves, some on abandoned homesteads, including part of Wyperfeld in 1909. After the Second World War, the increasingly mobile and urban population desired more parks. In the 1960s, the government proposed a partial development of the “Little Desert” (visible south of the “Big Desert”); in the backlash of public outcry the plan was canceled, the Little Desert National Park was greatly expanded, and a national conservation agency was created.
Location
June 14, 1975, Landsat 2 (path/row 101/85) — Little Desert National Park, Australia
June 11, 1985, Landsat 5 (path/row 95/85) — Little Desert National Park, Australia
June 13, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 95/85) — Little Desert National Park, Australia
Apr. 3, 2003, Landsat 7 (path/row 95/85) — Little Desert National Park, Australi
Aug. 23, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 95/85) — Little Desert National Park, Australia
Wyperfeld National Park, Australia Additional Imagery & Stories
Fires in the Park
Southeast Australia has a history of severe fire problems, with some historic deadly fires such as the Ash Wednesday fire of 1983, and lesser fires al...
Plant and Wildlife
Wyperfeld National Park now covers 360,000 hectares, with its western half an official wilderness. The park is habitat for black-faced mallee kangaroo...