Nearest town or city Strathgordon Phone +61 3 6472 6020 | Area 4,463 km² Established 1908 | |
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Managing authorities Website Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park See also Protected areas of Tasmania Address Lyell Hwy, Franklin- Gordon TAS 7001, Australia Management Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Similar Frenchmans Cap, Tasmanian Wilderness World He, Nelson Falls, Cradle Mountain, West Coast Wilderness Railway | ||
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Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River.
Contents
Location
The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park lies between the Central Highlands and West Coast Range of Tasmania in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area - the Lyell Highway.
History
The genesis of the Wild Rivers National Park was in the earlier Frenchmans Cap National Park which had the Franklin River as its boundary on the northern and western borders. Frenchmans Cap is a dominant feature in the region, and can be seen on the skyline from the west and north of the park.
The Gordon and Franklin Rivers were the subject of one of Australia's largest conservation efforts. The Franklin Dam was part of a proposed hydro-electric power scheme that had been in the plans of The Hydro for some time. The enthusiastic endorsement by Robin Gray's Liberal Government would have seen the river flooded. It became a national issue for the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, led by its director at the time, Bob Brown.
Despite being given heritage status, the catchments and rivers remain at risk.
Access points
The Lyell Highway winds for 56 kilometres through the heart of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.