| Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park | |
|---|---|
 Cave diving at Piccaninnie Ponds | |
  Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park | |
| Location | South Australia,Wye |
| Nearest city | Donovans |
| Coordinates | 38°03′03″S140°56′11″E / 38.05083°S 140.93639°E /-38.05083; 140.93639 |
| Area | 8.64 km2 (3.34 sq mi)[2] |
| Established | 16 October 1969[3] |
| Governing body | Department for Environment and Water |
| Website | Official website |
| Official name | Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands |
| Designated | 21 December 2012 |
| Reference no. | 2136[4] |
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park, formerly the Piccaninnie Ponds National Park, is aprotected area of 862 hectares (2,130 acres) located in southeasternSouth Australia nearMount Gambier.
The Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park is located in the south-east of South Australia in the gazetted locality ofWye on the continental coastline overlookingDiscovery Bay about 490 kilometres (300 mi) southeast of the state capital ofAdelaide and 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-east of the city ofMount Gambier.[5][6]
The conservation park conserves awetland fed byfreshwatersprings in akarst landscape.[7]
It is close to the border withVictoria and is part of theDiscovery Bay to Piccaninnie Ponds Important Bird Area, identified byBirdLife International as being of global significance for several bird species.[8] It is a listedRamsar site.[9] The park contains a walking track through coastal woodland to a viewing platform overlooking the wetlands.[10]
Piccaninnie Ponds is a popular site for bothsnorkelling andcave diving. In 1964–1965, prior to its proclamation as a national park in 1969, underwater explorerValerie Taylor described the ponds as "one of the most beautiful sights in Australia"[11] and said that the crystal clear water gave her a feeling of unhindered flight.[12] It contains three main features of interest to cave divers. The ‘First Pond’ is an open depression about 10 metres (33 ft) deep with a silt floor and vegetated fringe supporting much aquatic life. The ‘Chasm’ is asinkhole with a depth of over 100 metres (330 ft), and the ‘Cathedral’ is an enclosed area withlimestone formations and a depth of about 35 metres (115 ft).[7] Underwater visibility is excellent and may exceed 40 metres (130 ft). Snorkelling and cave diving at Piccaninnie Ponds is by permit only.[13][14]
Several divers have died while exploring the caves beneath Piccaninnie Ponds, in 1972,[15] 1974[16] and 1984.[17]
Piccaninnie Ponds contains a number of rare and endangered species of native plants and animals including fish, crustaceans and tortoises.[18][14]
