The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has announced the creation of a 16,000-hectare national park in the Kimberley region.
The Warlibirri National Park is part of the Department’s Plan for Our Parks initiative.
The Department said the new national park covered areas of the Margaret River east of Fitzroy Crossing and on Gooniyandi country.
“It’s the first step in the establishment of a series of national parks in the Fitzroy Valley, which will start at the banks of the Danggu (Geikie Gorge) National Park and head east along the Margaret River, and also north winding along the Fitzroy River,” the statement said.
“Freshwater places on Gooniyandi country, including the Margaret River, are important places for Gooniyandi people. The totems of many families are connected to these freshwater places, as are the diverse range of flora and fauna found along the river.”
Minister for the Environment, Reece Whitby said that for the Gooniyandi people the river was a living, ancestral being and had important cultural, environmental and economic values.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Tony Buti said the new national park was a welcome addition to the spectacular Kimberley region, an area rich in cultural history.
“This is the first step in the process of creating the broader Fitzroy River National Park under the Plan for Our Parks initiative,” Dr Buti said.
Gooniyandi Aboriginal Corporation and the Department will jointly manage the national park.
