Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory has been placed on the National Heritage List.

Watarrka is in the traditional lands of the Anangu ngurraritja people, who have cared for the Tjukurrpa (the Dreaming) for tens of thousands of years.

The site is considered a physical manifestation of the Tjukurrpa and is protected by the songs, ceremonies, and culture of Anangu ngurraritja.

It continues to be a place where traditions, customs and beliefs are handed down from generation to generation.

Watarrka, four hours west of Alice Springs, has also been recognised for its abundance and diversity of Australian plants and animals, with water often available when other areas are dry.

It is home to more than 690 known native plant species, including the Swamp Lily, the water penny beetle, and the aquatic Pennywort which is only known to occur here. 

These species, which have affinities to animals present 18,000 years ago in a much wetter era, show the importance of Watarrka’s local aquifers in sustaining permanent surface water.

Watarrka is also renowned for its dramatic landscape. This includes Kings Canyon, described as a living plant museum, and Mereenie Sandstone, with geometric patterns formed over 400 million years.

The park’s inclusion on the National Heritage List is intended to give greater recognition of its natural and cultural values and unique ecology.

Watarrka joins the Wurrwurrwuy stone arrangements, Wave Hill Walk Off Route, Hermannsburg Historic Precinct, Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Park on the National Heritage List in the Northern Territory.

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