Gum Lagoon Conservation Park

Gum Lagoon Conservation Park, formerly known as Gum Lagoon National Park, is located approximately 40 km southwest of Keith in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.

Covering an area of 8765 hectares, the park is inland and about 20 km from the southern edge of Coorong. It is home to a block of mallee woodland that is isolated and protected, making it essential for the conservation of malleefowl.

Initially declared as Gum Lagoon National Park in August 1970, the park became a Conservation Park in 1972 following the establishment of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. Over time, the park expanded through opportunistic and ad hoc land purchases.

Situated in Laffer, Petherick, and Tilley Swamp's gazetted localities, Gum Lagoon Conservation Park is characterized by calcarenite dunes and interdunal flats. It contains slow-moving surface water drainage systems and blocks of remnant vegetation, including tea-tree scrub, wet heathland, and mallee woodland. The park's main feature is Duck Island Watercourse, which runs through an interdunal flat with ephemeral swamps and isolated sandhills. With an average annual rainfall of 500mm, the park is protected as a Category VI area by the IUCN and was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate in 1980.

The park boasts diverse vegetation, including shrublands, low shrublands, open woodland, and open mallee. Red gum woodland and aquatic herblands are found in the wetter areas. There are 11 floristic communities in the park, with 375 indigenous plant species, including four threatened, vulnerable, or