Kanawinka Geopark
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Kanawinka Geopark Australia |
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 Kanawinka Geopark
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| Coordinates | 37°59′31.04″S 142°0′51″E / 37.9919556°S 142.01417°ECoordinates: 37°59′31.04″S 142°0′51″E / 37.9919556°S 142.01417°E |
| Established | June 2008 |
| Area | 26,910 km2 (10,390.0 sq mi) |
| Website | Kanawinka Geopark |
The former Kanawinka Geopark[1] is situated along a structurally controlling geological fault of the same name that extends from the Naracoorte Caves in South Australia into Western Victoria, before disappearing offshore at Portland.
Kanawinka was declared Australia's First National Geopark in June 2008. It occupies a significant portion of a geological feature known as the Otway Basin (Douglas et al. 1988). Kanawinka Geopark has an area of about 26,910 square kilometres (10,390 sq mi) across two States and nine local government areas, with some 374 volcanic sites and many other significant geological sites and formations. It was deregistered from Geopark status in 2012.
The term kanawinka is taken from the language of the Buandik aboriginal peoples, the traditional owners of the land and means "Land of Tomorrow". Buandik lands stretched along the coast in the far south of modern day South Australia and across to the Victorian border regions. The geological fault line which runs from the Naracoorte area down and across into Victoria is known as the Kanawinka Fault Line and the name was also given to a parish in the Casterton/Coleraine area. As it is important in the UNESCO assessment of granting Goepark status to link geology to culture and society the name Kanawnka was chosen to represent the connection of ancient culture, European settlement and the desire to educate through the Geopark status.
The Otway basin that hosts Kanawinka occupies the southern margin of South Australia and Victoria, and also has a significant portion located offshore. This basin formed when Australia rifted away from Gondwana (the southern supercontinent), which occurred about 95 million years ago (Drexel et al. 1993) . The sequence of sediments in the basin was deposited from Jurassic through to recent times.
The South Australian portion of the Geopark lies in the Limestone Coast of the state, and adjoins the World Heritage area of Naracoorte Caves. The Victorian part lies in the Western Districts region of that state. Both areas are famous for their cheese, wine, forestry and rural industries.
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