Barmah National Park Victoria |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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River Red Gums along the Murray River, adjacent to the national park
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Nearest town or city | Barmah |
Coordinates | 35°52′00″S 145°07′05″E / 35.86667°S 145.11806°ECoordinates: 35°52′00″S 145°07′05″E / 35.86667°S 145.11806°E |
Established | 2010 |
Area | 285.21 km2 (110.1 sq mi) |
Managing authorities | Parks Victoria |
Website | Barmah National Park |
See also | Protected areas of Victoria |
The Barmah National Park is a national park located in the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The 28,500-hectare (70,000-acre) park is located adjacent to the Murray River near the town of Barmah, approximately 220 kilometres (140 mi) north of Melbourne. The park consists of River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) forest and wetlands. The area is subject to sporadic flooding from natural and irrigation water flows.
Barmah National Park was originally utilised by Indigenous Australians to find food, shelter and materials. Following the settlement of Europeans into the area, the Barmah National Park became an important fishing and logging area, with surrounding land cleared for agriculture and grazing. Rabbits, foxes, sheep, cattle and horses were introduced into the area. To this day, the Barmah National Park is home to small herds of horses, known as Barmah horses, a type of brumby. However plans exist to remove the horses from the park. Hardwood timber was harvested from the Barmah region from around 1870 and logging was an important industry in the region.
The park was one of four established by the Victorian Government in 2010 to protect remnant River Red Gum forest. The other parks created were the Gunbower National Park, Lower Goulburn National Park and the Warby-Ovens National Park.
In July 2010, the Government of New South Wales declared the Millewa Forest, on the northern banks of the Murray River, as a national park. The 41,601-hectare (102,800-acre) forest was renamed as the Murray Valley National Park, making the combined reserves a 70,000-hectare (170,000-acre) cross–border national park, managed by both governments and the Traditional Owners. The combined parks are the largest continuous red gum forest in the world.