Peter Murrell Conservation Area
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Peter Murrell Conservation Area Tasmania |
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 Peter Murrell Conservation Area
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| Nearest town or city | Hobart |
| Coordinates | 43°00′22″S 147°17′20″E / 43.006°S 147.2888°ECoordinates: 43°00′22″S 147°17′20″E / 43.006°S 147.2888°E |
| Area | 1.35 km2 (0.5 sq mi) |
| Website | Peter Murrell Conservation Area |
| Footnotes | Coordinates |
The Peter Murrell Conservation Area is located in Huntingfield, Tasmania, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) south of the state's capital city, Hobart. The conservation area has an area of 135 ha (330 acres) and is one of three reserves within the Peter Murrell Reserves. Also within these reserves are the Peter Murrell State Reserve (133 ha (330 acres)) and a Public Reserve (9 ha (22 acres)). These reserves and the Conservation Area lie at the base of the Tinderbox Peninsula, between the suburbs of Kingston, Howden and Blackman's Bay. The Peter Murrell Conservation Area surrounds the northern, western and southern sides of the Peter Murrell State Reserve.
Lying within the Derwent Estuary – Bruny Catchment of Southern Tasmania, the Peter Murrell Conservation Area comprises a number of small creeks and streams. These drain land from South Arm up to Old Beach on the eastern side of the Derwent Estuary, and from Granton to Gordon and Bruny Island on the western side. Within the catchment area, the North West Bay River is the only major river, flowing from the southern side of Mt. Wellington into North West Bay, at the southwestern corner of the Peter Murrell Conservation Area.
This Conservation Area is part of the South East Tasmania Bioregion, with a protection level of between 15.01 and 30%, under the National Reserve System. Bioregions are areas of Australia classified into large distinct bioregions based on common climate, geology, landform, native vegetation and species information, and are the reporting unit for assessing the status of Australia's native ecosystems and the level of protection in the National Reserve System.
The dominant vegetation types in the Peter Murrell Conservation Area are dry heathlands and heath-shrub black peppermint woodland and forests. In the buttongrass along the east/west creek lines, small areas of peat exist. Within the Conservation Area, nine major vegetation units have been identified. These include the dominant black peppermint (Eucalyptus amygdalina) coastal forest and woodland, with a heath understorey. A small area of buttongrass also exists along Buttongrass Creek. Inhabiting the down-slope areas within the Conservation Area are damper vegetation types.
Within the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, 250 native flowering plants have been recorded, comprising approximately 15% of Tasmania's flowering plants. Of these 250 plants, 13 are endemic to Tasmania. The area also provides habitat for 113 introduced plant species, only a small number of which are troublesome weeds, however. During late winter and early spring, numerous shrubs of the wattle and pea families produce colourful displays.
Within this Conservation Area, 37 orchid species exist. The area is known for its orchid diversity, with one of the highest densities of orchid species anywhere in Tasmania. Of the vast number of orchid species inhabiting the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, five endemic orchid species exist, including the trim leek-orchid (Prasophyllum concinnum) and the dark-finger-orchid (Caladenia atrata). In recent years it appears that the orchid diversity and abundance has been declining. A potential explanation for these declines are infrequent burning events, absence of rain following prescribed burns, and firebreak slashing during key flowering periods, October to early December.
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