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39-576: The Barrington Tops National Park is a protected national park in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales , Australia. Gazetted in 1969, the 76,512-hectare (189,070-acre) park is situated between Scone , Singleton , Dungog , Gloucester and East Gresford . The park is part of the Barrington Tops group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to

78-516: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of

117-572: A few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska, the largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about

156-443: A fire at 11pm on 24 September 2006 due to an electrical fault. The fire was not regarded as suspicious. It was undergoing modernisation under new ownership at the time of the fire. There are plans to rebuild, but no significant process has been made, and only part of the old chimney remains on the site. The guest house has undergone many different owners in its history; Mattara Investments that traded as Barrington Guest House and bought

195-503: A granite top. Erosion has weathered the granite and rounded granite boulders can be seen in some areas of the park. Estimates put the age of the rock at 300 to 400 million years, well before Australia separated from Gondwana . The climate varies from temperate on the lower altitudes to subalpine at highest elevations. A record low of −17  °C (1  °F ) has been registered at 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above mean sea level . Rainfalls fluctuate between 750 millimetres (30 in) in

234-525: A half years, delaying planned mammal reintroductions until the fox's presumed death in 2022. The main form of control is baits , typically containing 1080 poison . Fox hunting is legal in all states and they are typically shot with the aid of spotlighting at night or attracted using fox whistles during the day. The eyeshine signature (from the tapetum lucidum in the eye) of foxes, and body shape and silhouette are used to identify them. The reintroduction of competitive species has also been suggested as

273-474: A height of 1,586 metres (5,203 ft). A number of aircraft have crashed in and around the Barrington Tops, Aeroplane Hill being named after one of the crashes. The altitude, frequent fog & cloud, storms and cold weather (causing icing) make this area potentially hazardous to aircraft. One article refers to the "Devil's Triangle". The Barrington Guest House was built from 1925 on the upper Williams River near Barrington Tops by Norman T. McLeod, licensee of

312-653: A large part of the park has allowed some of the more sensitive animals to remain largely undisturbed. A large number of fauna have been catalogued in the park. Some of the more common animals include: barking and sooty owls , eastern grey kangaroos , frogs , pademelons , cockatoos , rosellas , kookaburras , bats and echidnas . It supports a globally important population of rufous scrub-birds , as well as flame robins , pale-yellow robins , paradise riflebirds , green catbirds , regent bowerbirds and Australian logrunners . Animals such as quolls , native rodents and platypus are reclusive, but may be seen. Not all of

351-516: A method of control. Research by the CSIRO concluded that the presence of dingos not only decreases the presence of foxes but increases native fauna. Chris Johnson of James Cook University and Euan Ritchie of Deakin University have advocated the reintroduction of Tasmanian devils to the mainland to perform a similar role, as evidenced by the past eradication of foxes from Tasmania, as well as to ensure

390-457: A permanent fox population was not established on the island of Tasmania , and it is widely held that they were outcompeted by the Tasmanian devil ( Dasyuridae ). Since 2010, however, red foxes have been accounted-for on Tasmania. On the mainland, the species was successful as an apex predator , with the absence of numerous large, mammalian carnivores (excepting dingoes , which occasionally hunt

429-683: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use

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468-593: A significant threat to native wildlife, including the eastern bettong , and an eradication program conducted by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water was established. An independent member of the Tasmanian state Parliament, Ivan Dean , has claimed that the fox introductions are a hoax, a claim the Minister for Primary Industry, David Llewellyn described as a "load of rubbish". Targeted baiting

507-445: Is a popular weekend destination from Sydney and Newcastle. Numerous walking trails and camping grounds are scattered throughout the park. The park also contains well marked and well-maintained gravel roads as well as specific 4WD tracks into less travelled areas. General sightseeing can be accomplished in a non-offroad vehicle. As well as camping facilities, the nearby towns of Gloucester and Dungog have many places to stay. The park

546-516: Is maintained by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and rangers patrol the park daily. State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under

585-406: Is more prevalent; however, it has, primarily through its burrowing behaviour, achieved niche differentiation with both the feral dog and the feral cat . The West Australian conservation department, CALM , estimates introduced predators are responsible for the extinction of ten native species in that state. Red foxes have been directly implicated in the extinction and decline of populations of

624-678: The Australian National Heritage List in 2007. It is also part of the Barrington Tops and Gloucester Tops Important Bird Area . Barrington Tops is part of the Mount Royal Range , a spur of the Great Dividing Range . Barrington Tops is a plateau between two of the large peaks in the range. The park is believed to be an extinct volcano and the mountain ranges are made up of a mixture of sedimentary rocks with

663-666: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . Red foxes in Australia European red foxes were introduced to the British colonies of Van Diemen's Land as early as 1833, and to the Port Phillip District and Sydney Regions of New South Wales as early as 1845; introductions were, originally, intended to uphold the traditional English sport of fox hunting . Curiously, prior to 2010,

702-618: The Kimberley and the Top End of the Northern Territory ). Since 2010, confirmed evidence of foxes in Tasmania has been reported by the state's Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. Foxes are also found in ever-higher concentrations in densely-populated suburban areas, as well as in large cities such as Melbourne . It is (generally) less common in areas where the dingo

741-582: The Royal Hotel in Dungog, using timber cut and milled from the property. It stood on land consisting of 10.5 hectares (26 acres) of forest surrounded by National and State Parks and was officially opened in 1930 by Leader of the Country Party Earle Page . During the opening there was some 200 guests that attended. The guest house was a popular venue for people to stay in the park, until it burned down in

780-878: The administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium, is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with

819-553: The animals in the park are desirable; introduced species such as feral horses , deer , feral pigs , feral goats , foxes , and feral cats are planned to be removed. The traditional owners of the area are Aboriginal Australian peoples , including the Gringai people (southern valleys), the Wonnarua people (western country), and the Worimi and Birpai people (the eastern side). In 1969

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858-583: The area between Mount Barrington , Mount Royal and the Gloucester Tops was declared the Barrington Tops National Park. In 1986 it was listed as a World Heritage Area and subsequently a Wilderness Area . Some of the rivers flowing through the Barrington range have been classed as wild rivers meaning they are exceptionally pure and unpolluted. The highest peak is Brumlow Top which rises to

897-731: The country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in the United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with

936-404: The data the program was based on was in fact fake. In addition, four fox carcasses found in Tasmania were determined to have been hoaxes imported from Victoria and that study of the 60 possible fox faeces collected, 26 were determined to have been faked, possibly by an employee of the task force, and 11 were not from foxes at all. Independent MP Ivan Dean filed a police complaint of fraud in light of

975-543: The denning behaviour and nocturnal hunting, so the focus is on management with the introduction of state bounties. Within smaller fenced reserves, eradicating feral cats and Red foxes can allow the reintroduction of extirpated mammal species. However, eradication can be very time-consuming and labour-intensive. At the Australian Wildlife Conservancy 's Pilliga reserve, a red fox nicknamed Rambo evaded all attempts to trap, poison, or shoot him for four and

1014-474: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are

1053-766: The family Potoroidae , including the extinction of the desert rat-kangaroo . The spread of the red fox population corresponds directly with the declining populations of several endemic terrestrial marsupials , including the brush-tailed , burrowing and rufous bettong , the Greater bilby , numbat , bridled nailtail wallaby and the quokka . Most of these species now only live in limited areas (such as islands) where red foxes are absent or rare. In 2016, researchers documented that some red foxes in Australia had learned to climb trees to look for birds , baby koalas (and other unsuspecting creatures, such as sugar gliders ), dispelling

1092-437: The foxes). The spread of the red fox across the southern regions of Victoria , South and Western Australia coincided with the spread of rabbits on the continent , another invasive species introduced in the 19th century with the intention of being hunted for sport. Established populations of red fox are found in all states, and are widespread throughout the country (with the exception of tropical areas of northern Queensland,

1131-484: The local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to

1170-418: The long-held belief that arboreal creatures were safe from them. Alternatively, some researchers argue that there could be benefits with the presence of red foxes, primarily in suppressing the number of rodents , rabbits , and even feral cats in Australia , and eradication of foxes may harm native ecosystems inadvertently. Local eradication programs exist, although eradication has proven difficult due to

1209-426: The northwest to more than 2,000 mm (79 in) in the southeast. The ecology of the national park varies from subtropical rainforests in the gullies to subalpine and alpine regions on the mountain peaks. Snow usually falls on the mountain peaks every year and occasionally snows enough to close roads. Rainfall can exceed 1,500 mm (59 in) per annum. A large variety of plants and animals reside in

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1248-479: The ongoing survival of that native species. Western Australian state government authorities conduct aerial and hand baiting on almost 35,000 square kilometres (14,000 sq mi) to control foxes (and feral cats ) as part of the Western Shield pest management program. According to the Tasmanian government, red foxes were introduced to the previously fox-free island of Tasmania in 1999 or 2000, posing

1287-437: The park and the steepness of the terrain ensures that they are not disturbed by humans. Plant life includes a large variety of eucalypt trees including Snow Gums , subtropical and temperate rainforest trees like Antarctic beech , tree ferns , a large variety of mosses and ferns and a wide range of edible plants such as the native raspberry, the native cherry and the lilli pilli . The remoteness and inaccessibility of

1326-599: The premises in 1976. Due to business troubles however, it was then placed into voluntary administration in 2000, after which the business was than taken over by David and Susan Eissa in February 2002. Only one more owner has been known since (according to the now defunct website); Purchased in January 2004 by Natalie Day and Tony Horley. In April 2024, the site was purchased by a group of previous guests and owners who are making it safe to enable future visitation (2025). Barrington Tops

1365-475: The report's data. No charges were laid but the Tasmanian Integrity Commission subsequently investigated the claims, concluding that there was not sufficient evidence that hoaxes had been perpetrated by the task force on a large scale but that samples had been mishandled, some evidence had been embellished, that a taskforce officer had probably organised with another person to fake a report so that

1404-469: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by

1443-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park

1482-554: Was conducted by the fox task force throughout the 2000s, ending in 2013 at a cost of over $ 50 million dollars, after no evidence of foxes had been detected since 2011. In 2015, a study indicated that if foxes had ever been in Tasmania, they were extinct by that time. In 2016, an internal Department of Primary Industries report was leaked to the ABC that indicated zoologists employed by the Tasmanian Fox Taskforce had questioned if

1521-468: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like

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