General Description
Paruna Sanctuary
Paruna sanctuary is located in the Darling Range on the western margin of the ‘Yilgarn Block’, one of the oldest landforms on earth, which was formed over 220 million years ago. The western margin uplifted along a north-south fault line, forming a prominent escarpment rising 300 m above the Perth Basin, a deep sedimentary sunkland to the west. The westward-facing scarp is deeply dissected by rivers and streams flowing off the plateau and across the coastal plain of the Swan Basin to the sea, thus forming the hills and valleys that comprise the contemporary Darling Range. The Avon Valley is one of the largest of these scours through the edge of the escarpment. The extremely steep slopes, numerous streams and creeklines, and exposed granites characterise Paruna sanctuary.
The vegetation of Paruna sanctuary is a complex mosaic of woodland, shrubland and heathland. Jarrah forest is present on the lateritic plateaus, however the majority of the sanctuary is dominated by woodlands of Wandoo and Powderbark. Extensive areas of botanically diverse heathlands surround the exposed granites of the slopes. An inventory of the flora of Paruna sanctuary is underway and it is expected that over 400 species occur on the property.