Anstey Hill Recreation Park 2006 Management Plan
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Department for Environment and Heritage Management Plan Anstey Hill Recreation Park 2006 www.environment.sa.gov.au This plan of management was adopted on 2 October 2006 and was prepared pursuant to section 38 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. Published by the Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide, Australia © Department for Environment and Heritage, 2006 ISBN: 1 921238 20 8 Cover photography courtesy of Carly Lovering: Looking towards the Adelaide Plains from the Wildflower Walk. This document may be cited as “Department for Environment and Heritage (2006) Anstey Hill Recreation Park Management Plan, Adelaide, South Australia” FOREWORD Anstey Hill Recreation Park conserves an area of 362 hectares of native vegetation and previously grazed land, located 18 kilometres north-east of Adelaide in the Hills Face Zone of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The majority of the park was proclaimed on 31 August 1989 to conserve the native vegetation and cultural heritage of the park, and to provide for public recreation and enjoyment. A further allotment was added to the park on 4 October 2001. The park conserves a large area of native vegetation, which provides an important refuge for native flora and fauna. It also provides a much-valued recreational resource to the residents of the north-eastern suburbs. Through organisations such as the Friends of Anstey Hill, the City of Tea Tree Gully and the National Trust, strong community connections have been forged with the park. The most immediate management concern within the park is the prevention of illegal mountain bike riding in areas of high conservation value. This management plan proposes strategies to provide for the development of purpose built trails for mountain bike riding in a designated area of the park, whilst closing and rehabilitating unauthorised trails developed throughout the rest of the park. Many people and community groups have contributed to the development of this management plan. Their input and interest is gratefully acknowledged. I now formally adopt the plan of management for Anstey Hill Recreation Park under the provisions of section 38 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. HON GAIL GAGO MLC MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION Anstey Hill Recreation Park Management Plan 2006 i TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD......................................................................................................................................................... i 1 PARK LOCATION AND FEATURES ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 History of Management ............................................................................................................... 4 2 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.......................................................................................... 5 2.2 Native Title Act 1993 ..................................................................................................................... 6 3 VISION ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 4 ZONING ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 MANAGING NATURAL HERITAGE............................................................................................................ 9 5.1 Geology, Soils and Landform ...................................................................................................... 9 5.2 Hydrology ..................................................................................................................................... 10 5.3 Native Vegetation ...................................................................................................................... 11 5.4 Native Fauna ............................................................................................................................... 12 5.5 Introduced Plants and Animals ................................................................................................. 13 6 MANAGING FIRE ..................................................................................................................................... 15 7 MANAGING CULTURAL HERITAGE ........................................................................................................ 16 7.1 Indigenous Heritage ................................................................................................................... 16 7.2 Non-Indigenous Heritage........................................................................................................... 17 8 MANAGING TOURISM AND RECREATION............................................................................................ 18 8.1 Visitor Use and Access................................................................................................................ 18 8.2 Cycling.......................................................................................................................................... 19 8.3 Commercial Tourism ................................................................................................................... 21 8.4 Information and Interpretation ................................................................................................. 21 9 MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE ......................................................................................................... 22 10 MANAGING RESOURCE USE.................................................................................................................. 23 10.1 Exploration and Mining .............................................................................................................. 23 10.2 Leases and Licences .................................................................................................................. 23 11 INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY ............................................................................................................... 24 12 MANAGING RESERVE TENURE ............................................................................................................... 25 12.1 Public Utilities................................................................................................................................ 25 SUMMARY OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES .................................................................................................. 27 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................................. 31 APPENDIX: CONSERVATION STATUS CODES................................................................................................ 32 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Location ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2: Features and Zoning ........................................................................................................................ 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The contributions of the Friends of Anstey Hill in the preparation of this plan are acknowledged. For the purposes of this plan of management, tracks are defined as access routes established for use by vehicles, pedestrians on foot and in some cases bicycles. Trails are defined as access routes, established (with or without DEH authorisation) for use by pedestrians on foot, and in some instances bicycles. Anstey Hill Recreation Park Management Plan 2006 iii 1 PARK LOCATION AND FEATURES Anstey Hill Recreation Park is located approximately 18 kilometres north-east of Adelaide in the Hills Face Zone of the Mount Lofty Ranges (Figure 1). The park occupies an area bounded by North East Road to the north, Lower North East Road to the south, Range Road South to the east and Perseverance Road to the west. A small section of the park lies south of Lower North East Road, and includes the geological formation known as the Gun Emplacement (Figure 2). Covering an area of 362 hectares, the majority of the park was proclaimed on 31 August 1989 (Allotments 1, 2 and 3 of Deposited Plan 26217, Hundred of Yatala) to conserve native vegetation, prevent the destruction and further degradation of the cultural heritage of the park, and to provide for public recreation and enjoyment. Allotment 200 of Deposited Plan 30929, Hundred of Yatala, was subsequently added to the park on 4 October 2001. Anstey Hill Recreation Park contains one of the last remnant plant communities on the Adelaide foothills. The park consists of steep, hilly country adjoining residential areas. The majority of the park is covered in native vegetation, which provides an important refuge for native flora and fauna. While a significant proportion of the park has undergone a variety of developments in the past, the native vegetation is extensive enough and sufficiently diverse to support many species of native birds and other wildlife. A complex track network, originally constructed for mining access, has been further developed for fire management and pedestrian access. The tracks offer a wide range of walking opportunities through high quality remnant vegetation as well as modified grassy woodland communities