Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve is located in the Great Sandy Desert in the southern part of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve Western Australia | |
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Coordinates | 19°41′S 123°20′E / 19.683°S 123.333°E |
Established | 1979 |
Area | 17,733 hectares (43,820 acres)[1][2] |
Region | Great Sandy Desert, Kimberley, Western Australia |
Managing authorities | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions |
See also | List of protected areas of Western Australia |
It covers an area of around 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) and is 210 kilometres (130 mi) east of the Great Northern Highway.
Dragon Tree Soak is a swamp believed to be a relic of the riverine vegetation found along the Mandora Palaeoriver during its partial rejuvenation by the wetter climates of the early to mid Holocene Epoch.[3]
It is used by birds from the surrounding hummock grasslands but also has species generally associated with scrub or tree-lined watercourses elsewhere. Species not recorded elsewhere in the region but present in the Typha beds were the Clamorous Reed-Warbler and the Australian crake.[4]
It is a wetland of significance,[5] described as:
Dragon Tree Soak is a swamp with bullrush Typha domingensis and dragon tree Sesbania formosa. It includes a freshwater spring, a permanent freshwater marsh and peatland. It has an area of 5 ha (main water area: 1 ha). It forms an oasis supporting plants and animals that are absent or scarce elsewhere in the desert.[5]
Wild camel damage has been reported as extensive, and programmes to reduce their effect on the reserve have been conducted.[6]
Assessability
It is a reserve that contains old dry lake beds, and is well away from named tracks. It is accessible by driving east following the track at 19°41'54.6"S 121°14'19.9"E, near Eighty Mile Beach, until 20°03'52.9"S 123°18'37.0"E, then heading north by 37 km. Flying by helicopter from Broome or Port Hedland is also possible.