- Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
Infobox_protected_area_of_Australia | name = Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
iucn_category = II
caption =
locator_x = 140
locator_y = 150
nearest_town_or_city = Strathgordon
coordinates = coord|42|24|34|S|146|01|55|E|type:landmark_region:AU
area = 4463.42 km²
established = 1908
visitation_num = ?
visitation_year = ?
managing_authorities = Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
official_site = [http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/wild/ Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park]Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in
Tasmania (Australia ), 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - theFranklin River and theGordon River .Location
The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park lies between the Central Highlands and
West Coast Range of Tasmania in the heart of theTasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area - theLyell Highway .History
The genesis of the Wild Rivers National Park was in the earlier Frenchmans Cap National Park which had the Franklin River as its boundary on the northern and western borders.
Frenchmans Cap is a dominant feature in the region, and can be seen on the skyline from the west and north of the park.The Gordon and Franklin Rivers were the subject of one of
Australia 's largest conservation battles - the battle to save the Gordon River from being dammed for a hydro-electric scheme.The
Franklin Dam was part of a proposed hydro-electric power scheme that had been in the plans of The Hydro for some time. But it was the enthusiastic endorsement by Robin Gray's Liberal Government which would have seen the river flooded. It became a national issue for theTasmanian Wilderness Society , led by its director at the time,Bob Brown .Access Points
The
Lyell Highway winds for 56 kilometres through the heart of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.ee also
*
Protected areas of Tasmania (Australia) External links
* [http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/wha/wherein/detail.html Position in World Heritage Area]
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