Jane

Jane National Park is a 3,940-hectare protected area in the karri forest region of the Warren bioregion, southwestern Western Australia, located near Northcliffe. The park protects outstanding karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) forest and the Jane Brook catchment in one of the highest-rainfall zones of the Australian continent. The karri forest here reaches exceptional stature, with trees exceeding 70 metres. The park is named after the Jane River. It is managed by DBCA and forms part of the internationally recognised Southwest Australian Floristic Region.

Jane National Park harbours the critically endangered western ringtail possum, which depends on karri, marri, and peppermint trees for food. Forest red-tailed black-cockatoos — whose entire global range is the extreme southwest of WA — feed on karri and marri seed capsules and nest in large hollow-bearing trees. Short-beaked echidnas, brush wallabies, and quendas are resident. Powerful owls hunt through the forest at night. Freshwater invertebrates and marron inhabit the Jane Brook catchment.

Karri (E. diversicolor) dominates the park, reaching exceptional heights on deep, moist lateritic soils. Marri (Corymbia calophylla) and jarrah (E. marginata) transition communities occupy drier positions. The understorey is diverse: karri oak (Allocasuarina decussata), native wisteria (Hardenbergia comptoniana), various ferns (Blechnum, Pteridium), running postman (Kennedia prostrata), and terrestrial orchids. Riparian zones support swamp paperbark and sedges. The karri forest floor is often carpeted in oxalis and baby's tears in moist conditions.

Jane National Park overlies the southern Darling Plateau — Archaean granites and gneisses weathered to produce the deep, clay-rich soils that sustain karri forest. The Jane Brook has incised a valley through deeply weathered profiles. Laterite caps plateau surfaces. Seepage zones on slopes maintain permanent moisture, enabling extraordinary forest growth.

Warm temperate Mediterranean climate with the highest rainfall in WA (1,100–1,400 mm annually), falling predominantly May–September. The high rainfall and cool, foggy winters create ideal conditions for karri. Fog drip — condensation from cloud and mist onto leaf surfaces — supplements rainfall input significantly. Summer temperatures are moderated by ocean proximity and forest canopy.

Jane National Park lies within Bibbulmun Noongar country. Noongar people have traditional connections to the karri forest for thousands of years. The Northcliffe area was opened for closer settlement from 1921, with agricultural group settlement schemes attempting (mostly unsuccessfully) to convert karri country to farmland. Timber-cutting from the 1880s onward extracted large volumes of karri for construction and export.

Jane National Park was proclaimed to protect a significant karri forest catchment and augment the Warren and D'Entrecasteaux National Park system. The park is part of a network of reserves protecting karri forest across a narrow geographic range. DBCA manages the park with prescribed burning to maintain forest structure and reduce wildfire risk.

Bushwalking through towering karri forest. The Jane Brook provides scenic creek environments. Spring orchid walks reward attentive observers. The Northcliffe area provides access to Windy Harbour on the Southern Ocean coast, offering dramatic coastal scenery.

Located near Northcliffe, accessible from the South Western Highway. Minimal visitor facilities within the park. The nearby town of Northcliffe provides basic supplies. Pemberton (approximately 30 km) offers accommodation and services.

Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback threatens proteaceous understorey species and weakens jarrah trees. The western ringtail possum requires intact, hollow-bearing forest — hollow formation takes 100–150 years in karri. Climate change is reducing winter rainfall in the southwest, already causing canopy dieback in some karri stands. Prescribed burning must balance fire risk management with preservation of old-growth forest structure.