Leeuwin

Leeuwin

The most south-westerly point on the Australian mainland is Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia. The Cape is considered to be the point in Australia where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean, but most other nations and bodies consider the Southern Ocean to exist only south of 60°S latitude. Cape Leeuwin is considered one of the three "great capes" of the world, along with Africa's Cape of Good Hope, and South America's Cape Horn. Cape Leeuwin is often referred to in conjunction with Cape Naturaliste, the next Cape to the north, to identify the geographic and ecological characteristics of the region. An example is the name Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Another is the use of the terms Cape to Cape or the Capes in tourism promotional material. The park stretches over 100 miles, from Cape Naturaliste in the north to Cape Leeuwin in the south. The park is made up of 28 separate reserves, covering a total area of around 15 600 hectares. Despite the park's large size, in many places it consists of only a narrow coastal strip. The park has a wide range of geological features and soil types. The diversity of the landscape and soils supports a wide range of plant communities. For example, coastal herblands, grasslands, sedgelands, and heath near the coast. The interior of the mainland is covered with scrub, woodland and forests, including peppermint tree, banksia shrubland and woodland, as well as significant stands of tall karri and jarrah forests. The park is home to many species of birds, including several sea birds, Red-Eared Firefinches, White-Breasted Robins, Rock Parrots and Emus. The park is home to native mammals such as the Southern Brown Bandicoot, Western Grey Kangaroo, Western Ringtail Possum and Western Bush Wallaby.