Mole Creek Karst National Park

About

Mole Creek Karst is a national park situated in the North of Tasmania, Australia, 168 km northwest of Hobart. It is located on the slopes of the Great Western Tiers to the east of the town of Mole Creek. It is the only national park in Tasmania created specifically to protect karst landforms. It is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. The national park comprises twelve separate blocks of land, some of which are completely surrounded by cleared, private land, and many of which whose karst features and cave entrances are located outside the bounds of the national park. The Mole Creek Karst National Park is characterised by its numerous and spectacular cave networks, which attract many tourists each year. Two of these particular caves; King Solomons cave, which features an extensive network of sediment and bone deposit, as well as shawls, and speleothems which make up stalactites and stalagmites., as well as the Marakoopa cave; which is popular for its fantastic glow worm display, and features two underground streams, large caverns, rim pools, reflections and shawl and flowstone features, have been developed as very successful show caves and are the main attraction of...

The Mole Creek Karst National Park features a wide range of flora and fauna, of varying conservation status. These species are contained both in the caves, and in the surrounding forests within the national park. Many of the species present, especially in the caves, are endemic to the area, and therefore are very important in regards to conservation and protection.

There are many animal species present in the Mole Creek Karst National Park that are both unique to the Karst system, and listed as protected cave species. The glow worms Arachnocampus tasmaniensis inhabit many of the caves present in the Mole Creek Karst National Park, and also provide one of the main tourist attractions to the area. The Marakoopa Cave houses one of the most spectacular glow-worm displays in the entire system, and is a major tourist attraction on the guided cave tours.

The karst system is also home to many other protected cave species, such as crickets Micropathus cavernicola, and Parvotettix geode ; beetles, Tasmanotrechus cockerilli ; harvestman, Hickmanoxyomma gibbergunyar ; and pseudoscorpions Pseudotyrannochthonius typhlus. Three species present in the system, listed on the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, are endemic to the area and confined to the cave systems. Tasmanotrechus cockerilli, a beetle present in the cave systems is a rare and highly cave modified beetle, having evolved to live in a dark cave environment, its eyes have become vestigial. T. cockerilli belongs to the Tribe Trechinae (Family Carabidae ) and is listed as vulnerable on the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

Pseudotyrannochthonius typhlus, is known as the Mole Creek Cave Pseudoscorpion, and is an incredibly rare animal that makes its home in caves within the Mole Creek karst system. It is known from only about a dozen specimens, and is very rarely sighted. It is listed as rare on the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

Finally, Hickmanoxyomma gibbergunyar also known as the Mole Creek Cave Harvestman is a troglobite species, present in many of the cave systems in the Mole Creek area, and is endemic to the Mole Creek Karst. This species is also listed as rare by the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

There is a variety of bacteria, algae and fungi associated with the caves which are believed to be involved in crystalline and amorphous speleothem germination and growth.

The following is a list of some of the species within the Mole Creek Karst National Park; both within the caves, and in the surrounding forests. The following species are considered endangered, vulnerable and rare by the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

- Accipiter novaehollandiae (grey goshawk): Endangered

- Parameles gunnii gunnii (wastern bBarred bandicoot): Vulnerable

- Aquila audax fleayi (wedge-tailed eagle): Endangered

- Pseudotyrannochthonius typhlus (cave pseudoscorpion (Mole Creek)): Rare

- Astacopsis gouldi (giant freshwater crayfish): Vulnerable

- Tasmanotrechus cockerilli (cave beetle (Mole Creek)): Rare

- Hickmanoxyomma gibbergunyar (cave harvestman): Rare The giant freshwater crayfish species Astacopsis gouldi is also considered vulnerable by the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

There is a diverse range of flora in the national park, suited to many different habitats due to the wide variance of different habitats and conditions present.

Forested areas are dominated by brown-top stringybark ( Eucalyptus obliqua ), white-top stringybark ( E. delegatensis ), swamp gum ( E. regnans ), black gum ( E. ovata ), white gum ( E. viminalis ), black peppermint ( E. amygdalina ) and silver wattle ( Acacia dealbata ), while the underbrush of the forests is mainly shrubby.

Some of the national park has been affected by its surrounding rural environment, as blocks of flora have been modified by fire regimes and grazing on private land. Due to this some of the more burnt areas are open and dominated by sedges and ferns.

There are many sinkholes present in areas of the national park, and many of these are associated with Sphagnum peatlands that are found scattered amongst eucalyptus forests.

The following list of flora species, located in the Mole Creek Karst National Park are considered by the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (Tas), to be vulnerable and rare respectively.