The Willandra Lakes Region is a World Heritage Site in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Willandra Lakes Region is the traditional meeting place of the Muthi Muthi, Ngiyampaa and Paakantyi Aboriginal peoples. The area was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 5th Session of the World Heritage Committee in 1981. A small section of the region is protected by the Mungo National Park.
The World Heritage status of the region was created and negotiated in 1981. under the . The region is also listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register.
History
Willandra Lakes has formed over the last 2 million years. The ancient shorelines are stratified into three major layers of sediments that were deposited at different stages in the lakes' history. The area is capable of yielding information relating to the evolution of climates and environments in south-eastern Australia. It has importance in understanding the reversal of the Earth's magnetic field.
The Willandra Lakes Region comprising 240,000 acres was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981 for both outstanding cultural and natural universal values: as an outstanding example representing the major stages in the Earth's evolutionary history; as an outstanding example representing significant ongoing geological processes; and for bearing an exceptional testimony to a past civilization.