Watarrka National Park joins Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu on National Heritage List

The Territory’s outstanding parks have again been nationally recognised, with another added to the National Heritage List. Find out which one it is and what it means.

Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park. Picture: Ray Reyes / Tourism NT

The Territory has again been recognised for its first-class nature, with another national park in the Red Centre added to the National Heritage List.

Watarrka National Park – home to the breathtaking Kings Canyon and more – joins Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Kakadu, Hermannsburg Historic Precinct, and the Wave Hill Walk Off Route on Australia’s National Heritage List.

Announced last Wednesday, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said the listing “ensures the Anangu ngurraritja (traditional owners) people can continue to protect their heritage”.

Watarrka National Park. Picture: File

“Preserving First Nations cultural heritage is vital to keeping the story of our nation alive,” she said.

The park is located on the traditional lands of the Anangu people, and is about 300km west of Alice Springs.

It’s home to Kings Canyon and the Mereenie Sandstone, a geometric pattern formed more than 400 million years ago.

The listing comes amid a tourism boom for the Lasseter region, which saw a 2.9 per cent increase in visitors over the last financial year, according to figures released from Tourism NT.

Lingiari MHR Marion Scrymgour said the listing was “an important step towards maintaining this special place in consultation with traditional owners, who have managed these lands for thousands of years”.

To achieve a listing, heritage places must satisfy a series of stringent criteria.

Once listed, places come under the purview of the commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which requires that approval be obtained before any action takes place that could have a significant impact on the national heritage values of a listed place.

Originally published as Watarrka National Park joins Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu on National Heritage List