Plants, animals and landscape
Torrington State Conservation Area is an important island for wildlife in a sea of mostly-cleared farmland. It holds special leftover communities of plants and animals.
This is an important conservation area for New South Wales since it is an uncleared east-to-west wildlife corridor, linking the wet northern forests of the New England Tablelands with the drier woodlands of the North West Slopes. It contains habitat that suits 14 animals that are now very important to conserve, including the regent honeyeater, turquoise parrot, koala and spotted-tailed quoll.
Native plants
The area is unusually rich in plants, with over 750 species, including 34 that are nationally rare or endangered. In spring and summer many plants are in flower, including some spectacular boronias, grevilleas, bottlebrushes and mintbushes.
The geology and weather of the Mole Tableland have also let some unique plant communities develop. Torrington has heaths (communities of tough, low shrubs) around its swamps and rocky outcrops that are found nowhere else in the world. The woodlands along its creeklines are also special, with many rare and threatened plants.
Native animals
The climatic conditions of the area have encouraged a rich variety of habitats with an equal variety of animals, including 20 mammals, 135 birds, 29 reptiles and 13 frogs. Fourteen species are considered threatened, including regent honeyeaters, powerful owls, turquoise parrots and tiger quolls. You ll probably see grey kangaroos, the dark brown swamp wallabies, red-necked wallabies and various honeyeaters, kookaburras, currawongs and other birds. If you are watchful, you might also see special birds like the striking turquoise parrot and rare regent honeyeater.
The park landscape: geology and landforms
The mainly granite Mole Tableland is capped by a central sedimentary landmass known as the Torrington Pendant. Interaction between the granite base and the sedimentary rock has formed mineral and semi-precious gemstone deposits where the two meet, particularly beryl, emerald, topaz and quartz crystals. Rising to 1300 m above sea level, the conservation area is cut by deep gorges and streams that flow into the surrounding low hills and cleared farmland.
Pest plants and animals
There are many weeds in the conservation area due to the environmental disturbance of past farming and mining. Problem plants include blackberries, prickly pear, sweet briar and noogoora burr.
There are also foxes and rabbits, plus feral pigs, dogs, cats, horses and goats. These introduced animals are a threat to native animals because they either kill them or compete for their habitat. Control programs are in place for the most serious pests.
More about this park
Bioregion information
A bioregion is basically a group of landscapes that have a lot in common. Bioregions can cover millions of hectares, but looking across them, you'll find many similarities in climate, geology, soils, landforms, vegetation and other environmental factors.
This park is in the following bioregions, and you can use the links below to get bioregion overview information. You won't find detailed coverage of the park here, but you will get a general impression of the wider landscapes the park lies within.
