Marino Conservation Park

Marino Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide suburb of Marino overlooking both parts of the Adelaide metropolitan area and the coastline with Gulf St Vincent.Once part of the lands of the Aboriginal Kaurna people, the Marino Conservation Park and surrounding areas are part of the Tjilbruke dreamtime.Proclaimed in 1989 as a conservation park, it aims to protect flora such as the ground cover Desert Saw Sedge Gahnia lanigera and Twiggy Daisy Bush Olearia ramulosa. Native grass species such as Danthonia species and Stipa species as well as groundcovers dominate the central and eastern portions of the conservation park. The Elegant Wattle Acacia victoriae can also be seen in the conservation park.The steep west-facing hillside above the railway line contains a very significant remnant area of coastal heath vegetation, including rare plants such as lemon beauty heads Calocephalus citreus, shiny ground berry Acrotiche patula and native apricot Pittosporum phylliraecoides.Past land-use practices severely depleted the habitat available for native wildlife. Twenty-nine species of bird including owls, falcons, honeyeaters and rosellas frequent the conservation park. The Eastern brown snake and insects also find sanctuary in the remnant vegetation and open space area.