Mitchell River National Park, Nature reserve in Kimberley region, Australia.
Mitchell River National Park is a nature reserve in Western Australia's Kimberley region featuring waterfalls, river pools, and rocky plateaus. The park contains diverse vegetation zones ranging from tropical woodlands to spinifex grasslands across its varied terrain.
The area was reached by European exploration parties in the 1920s and received its name from that era. Indigenous ownership recognition came much later in the early 2000s through formal agreements.
The park lies in the traditional lands of the Wunambal, who call the Mitchell Plateau Ngauwudu and follow Wandjina (Gulingi) and Wunggurr lore. Native title was determined for the Wunambal Gaambera people in May 2011, and the park is managed jointly by the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation.
Getting to the park requires a capable four-wheel drive vehicle as roads are rough and can become impassable during rainy seasons. An airstrip on the plateau provides an option for those who prefer to fly in.
The Mitchell Plateau is the only part of mainland Australia where no native mammal species has gone extinct, according to Pew Outback. The monjon, a small rock wallaby, lives among the sandstone of the plateau, and the near-threatened black grasswren nests in sandstone crevices.
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