Chadinga Conservation Park

Chadinga Conservation Park
South Australia
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1]
Chadinga Conservation Park is located in South Australia
Chadinga Conservation Park
Chadinga Conservation Park
Nearest town or cityPenong, South Australia
Coordinates31°58′36.22″S 132°51′20.15″E / 31.9767278°S 132.8555972°E / -31.9767278; 132.8555972[1]
Established11 November 1993[2]
Area118.54 km2 (45.8 sq mi)[2]
Managing authoritiesDepartment for Environment and Water
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

Chadinga Conservation Park, formerly the Chadinga Conservation Reserve, is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Chadinga Dunes on the western side of Lake MacDonnell, in the locality of Penong.[3] The park is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.[1]

The conservation park covers 118.54 square kilometres (45.77 sq mi) of coastal dunes, containing a lake and areas of Mallee scrub.[2] It is commonly called "Tuckamore" by local people. The dunes extend up to 3 km inland and form a habitat for the spinifex hopping mouse.[4] The conservation park has no visitor facilities, although bush camping is permitted.[5]

The Dinosaur Ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops), noted as a "living fossil", is found within the conservation park.[6] The lake is the largest of several salt lakes in the area - others include Red Lake (a small section of Lake MacDonnell cut off by the Penong to Point Sinclair/Cactus Beach road) and Blue Lake, a smaller lake to the south of Lake MacDonnell.

  1. ^ a b c "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 17 Feb 2014)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Search result(s) for Chadinga Conservation Park (Record No. SA0021117) with the following layers being selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Chadinga Conservation Park". Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 11 March 2008. [dead link]
  5. ^ "Australian National Parks, Chadinga Conservation Reserve". Australiannationalparks.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  6. ^ "Dinosaur Ant, Fossil Ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops)". Department for the Environment, Water Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 11 March 2007.