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Park area 53,000 ha.
Located in the heart of karri country, Shannon National Park lies east of Northcliffe and south east of
Pemberton / Manjimup.
The names comes from the Royal Navy ship HMS Shannon that was involved in a battle with the American frigate Chesapeake off the New England coast in
1813. The British ship was victorious and the captain's name, Broke, as well as the two ship's names are now associated with this locality.
A timber mill and small town were built here in the 1940s. The mill became the largest in the state and was in operation until 1968 but timer harvesting
continued until 1983.
The buildings were sold off and carted away and in 1988 the national park was gazetted. The site of the old town is now a campground.
A walk trail leads from the campsite to Shannon Dam that was constructed for the town's water supply.
By far the most popular time to visit is during wildflower season. Over 1500 different species of flowering plants are known to exist in the karri forest.
One of the more unusual inhabitants of the area is the mud minnow. This fish can trace its ancestors back to a time when Australia and Antarctica were
joined to the super-continent of Gondwana. The minnow overcomes a shortage of water in summer by burrowing down into the mud creating a water filled
chamber. There it remains under a sealed lid until the next rains fall.
The area is one of the wettest in the state with an average of 1400mm that falls mostly between April and October.
The Bibbulmun Track runs through the park and there is the popular 48 kilometre Great Forest Trees Drive that includes 6 picnic stops along the way.
A series of radio transmitters along the drive provide information via your car radio.
The Munda Biddi trail (for cyclists) also runs through the park south of the campground.
The campsite at Shannon was being redeveloped last time we were in the area so we are looking forward to our next visit so that we can bring you some more
up-to-date photos.
At the time of writing this page the old section of the campsite is open again but the new section is still being developed.
NPW Website for more information
Best time to visit:
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Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jul
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Aug
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Sep
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Oct
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Nov
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Dec
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