QLD

Auburn River National Park
About 410km north-west of Brisbane, or 255km west of Maryborough. Auburn River flows through the park’s steep-sided gorge and past a western hardwood forest now uncommon in the area. The 405ha park protects an area of open eucalypt forest and dry rainforest. Silver-leaved ironbark and forest red gum dominate the grassy open forests. Bottle trees thrive in the dry rainforest on the northern bank of the river near the camping area. The Auburn River, with its rock pools and cascades, winds through the park, providing habitats for numerous birds, reptiles and mammals. Its banks are lined with bottlebrushes, flowering leptospermum shrubs and stunted figs.

 

Barron Gorge National Park
18km north-west of Cairns (lower section) or 27km north-west from Cairns (upper section). Rugged mountains, ravines, tumbling waterfalls, magnificent rainforest, rich and varied wildlife, easy access and a fascinating history make this one of Queensland’s most popular national parks. Barron Gorge National Park extends from the coastal lowlands to the elevated regions of the Atherton Tableland and features rugged mountain scenery, tropical rainforests, diverse wildlife and a fascinating history. The park lies within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Barron River dominates the park. Rising from the rainforests of Mount Hypipamee National Park, the river winds 60km across the Atherton Tableland through one of Australian's highest rainforest belts, before entering the deeply-incised Barron Gorge, which forms a rugged, twisting trough between the Macalister and Lamb ranges. The river then falls 250m onto the narrow coastal lowlands and flows out the Coral Sea, just north of the Cairns Airport. During the wet season, floodwaters regularly create a spectacular sight at Barron Falls. The park is part of the traditional lands of the Djabugandgi Bama (local Aboriginal people) who maintain a close spiritual connection with this country. Before Europeans arrived, Bama traversed this country, developing trails linking the coast to the uplands. These historic trails now form sections of a walking track network.

 

Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) National Park
25km south of Cooktown or 4km north of Helenvale. An imposing mountain range of massive granite boulders is the highlight of this park, which is home to some unique wildlife, and is rich in Aboriginal cultural significance. At the northern end of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Black Mountain National Park contains an imposing mountain range of massive granite boulders. These formidable boulders, some the size of houses, stack precariously on one another — appearing to defy both gravity and logic. The wet tropics and drier savanna/woodland regions meet in this park, making it a refuge for wildlife, many of which are rare or threatened. The extraordinary combination of flora and geomorphology provides a habitat for an unusual range of wildlife, including species that are endemic to (entirely confined to) this boulder-jumbled mountain. Known as “Kalkajaka” (place of spear), Black Mountain was an important meeting place for the Kuku Bididji and Kuku Nyugkul clans of the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people and is the source of many Dreaming stories. The mountain is also a feature of local non-Aboriginal folklore.

 

Blackbraes National Park
170km north of Hughenden, 280km west of Townsville. Undulating ranges surround basalt outcrops, black soil plains and seasonal swamps, and ironbark woodlands provide habitat for grey kangaroos, abundant birdlife and many other native animals. Adjacent to Blackbraes National Park are three resources reserves: Blackbraes, Moonstone Hill and Kennedy Road Gravel resources reserves. The park and the three reserves together cover about 52,000ha, and straddle two bioregions: the Einasleigh Uplands and the Gulf Plains. Undulating hills and ranges surround basalt outcrops, black soil plains and seasonal swamps. The elevation of the park is 900m, providing a wetter and generally cooler climate compared with the surrounding country. In basalt country, ironbark woodlands with native grasses dominate the landscape, providing food and shelter for many native animals. Grey kangaroos are common and birdlife is abundant. Moonstone Hill Resources Reserve, a volcanic crater, is popular for fossicking gem-quality feldspar called “moonstone”. Moonstone emits a silvery-white to blue colour when turned in certain directions. Fossicking in the reserve requires a licence from the Queensland Department of Mines and Energy.

 

Blackdown Tableland National Park
Blackdown Tableland is about 2·5 hours’ drive west of Rockhampton via the Capricorn Highway. Rising abruptly above the surrounding dry plains, Blackdown Tableland protects spectacular sandstone scenery with gorges and waterfalls at the north-eastern edge of the central Queensland sandstone belt. Woodlands, tall open forests and heath cover the tableland, providing a home for a variety of plants and animals, several found nowhere else, such as the Blackdown stringybark, a macrozamia, red bottlebrush, the Blackdown “monster” (a type of underground cricket), and a Christmas beetle. Ferns grow around creeks and gorges. The sheer-drop waterfall at Stony Creek Gorge is dry most of the year. This is the traditional home of the Ghungalu people who have visited this place for thousands of years and left behind rock art, vivid reminders of their special culture. The park also contains interesting relics of the park’s grazing past. Forest reserve surrounds the park.

 

Blackwood National Park
180km south of Charters Towers and 15km north of Belyando Crossing. In Queensland’s Brigalow Belt natural region, Blackwood National Park has a landscape of undulating hills, stony ridges and alluvial flats. The park conserves several plant communities. Blackwood National Park is named after an acacia known as blackwood or black gidyea (Acacia argyrodendron). These beautiful trees can grow up to 10m high, and have a solid single trunk and dark furrowed bark. Narrow, slightly curved grey-green leaves form a distinctive crowned canopy. The park features undulating hills intercepted by stony ridges and alluvial flats. Acacia woodlands, consisting of blackwood and lancewood trees, occur on the stony ridges along with clumps of spinifex and pockets of dry rainforest. Box eucalypts and scattered coolibah trees grow along the alluvial flats. The park was gazetted in 1991 and was once part of Mt Hope Station. To date, 11 vegetation communities containing 137 plant species have been identified.

 

Bladensburg National Park
17km south-west of Winton. Sample a century of pastoral life amongst Bladensburg’s flat-topped mesas, plateaus, residual sandstone ranges, vast grassland plains and river flats. Explore Bladensburg’s Indigenous and pastoral heritage among river red gums and rocky scarp. The Koa People consider Bladensburg to be part of their traditional country. The park is also important to the Maiawali and Karuwali People. It conserves 84,900ha of Mitchell grass downs and channel country. Flat-topped mesas, plateaus and residual sandstone ranges are a scenic backdrop to Bladensburg National Park’s vast grassland plains and river flats. Pastoralists established a large station at Bladensburg and most buildings still stand. Sample a century of pastoral life during your visit. Skull Hole is believed to be the site of a massacre of Aboriginal people in the late 1800s. Other sites in the park are reminders of the park’s early pastoral history.

 

Blue Lake National Park
On North Stradbroke Island, Blue Lake National Park protects coastal wallum and a freshwater lake of special significance to the local Quandamooka people. Blue Lake or “Karboora” is a window lake formed within a hollow in the island’s water table. Tortoise Lagoon, a small seasonal swamp, is a perched lake, located above the water table. Fringed with paperbarks, eucalypts, reeds and banksias, these lakes provide a quiet haven for native animals and visiting bushwalkers. Blue Lake’s crystal clear, blue waters are home to the soft-spined sunfish. Reed-filled Tortoise Lagoon is sometimes dry. Water taxis and vehicle ferries from Cleveland provide regular access to North Stradbroke Island. The water taxi takes about 20 minutes and the ferry takes about 90 minutes.

 

Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park
340km north-west of Mt Isa and 220km south-west of Burketown. The emerald waters and lush vegetation of Lawn Hill Gorge form a beautiful oasis in the outback, attracting abundant wildlife and offering exceptional views, walks, canoeing and cultural sites. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park is one of Queensland's most scenic national parks. Situated within the remote north-west highlands of Queensland, the park features spectacular gorge country, sandstone ranges and World Heritage fossils. Lawn Hill Gorge is formed by Lawn Hill Creek, which is fed by numerous freshwater springs from the limestone plateau to the west. The magnitude of the sandstone cliffs lining the gorge, its emerald waters and lush vegetation make it a visual splendor. Serving as an oasis, the spring water and surrounding vegetation attract an abundance of wildlife. The Waanyi Aboriginal people have strong cultural ties with the park while pastoralists of European descent have more recent historical connections. Boodjamulla National Park lies on ancient sandstone of the Constance Range, between the Barkly Tablelands to the south-west and the black soils of the Gulf Savanna Plains to the east. Lawn Hill Creek and the Gregory and O'Shanassy Rivers flow all year round, providing a stark contrast to the dry, parched landscape during the dry season.

 

Bowling Green Bay National Park 
Turn off the Bruce Highway 28km south of Townsville or 59km north of Ayr. Rugged granite mountains rise abruptly above the coastal plain in Bowling Green Bay National Park, the largest park between Bowen and Townsville. Coastal wetlands, saltpans and mangroves cover much of this coastal park. Alligator Creek flows through the park in a series of cascades, deep pools and waterfalls. Tropical rainforest grows towards the summit of Mt Elliot, the highest peak in the park. Open forests and woodlands, riverine vegetation, mangroves and coastal vegetation also grow in the park. Aboriginal people of the Wulgurukaba language group once lived in this area and have left behind rock paintings. Explorer Philip Parker King landed at Cape Cleveland in 1819 and the first white settlers lived here from 1846.

 

Brampton Islands National Park 
Brampton and Carlisle Islands are 32km north of Mackay. Access is by private boat or commercial operators. Rocky headlands dotted with hoop pines, open grasslands, woodlands, sheltered bays, and coral rubble and long sandy beaches make these islands some of the most scenic off the Queensland coast. This park consists of Brampton and Carlisle Islands. Brampton Island rises from sea level to 214m at Peak Lookout. The island has a variety of vegetation types; open eucalypt forest on ridges and sheltered slopes, dense vine forest in gullies and valleys, dry rainforest with towering hoop pines on headlands, grasstrees scattered through native grasslands, coastal scrub and mangroves. Carlisle is densely clothed in eucalypt forest with rainforest in sheltered gullies. Turtles feed in the surrounding marine park waters and the islands are important turtle rookeries. This is the sea country of the Ngaro people who also visited the Whitsunday islands further north. Cook named the group after the Duke of Cumberland. The islands and surrounding waters are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and are protected.

 

Bunya Mountains National Park
About 200km or three hours' drive north-west of Brisbane, via steep and winding roads on the final ascent up the mountains. Discover cool mountains with ancient rainforests, unique range-top grasslands, panoramic views, colourful birdlife and enthralling stories of times long ago. Rising abruptly from the surrounding plains, the cool peaks of the Bunya Mountains reach more than 1100m and offer spectacular mountain scenery and views. The mountains support the largest remaining area of bunya pines Araucaria bidwillii in the world. The bunya pines tower over tall, moist rainforest along the range crest, while hoop pines dominate dry rainforest on lower slopes. Subtropical rainforest, once the most widespread rainforest community in Queensland, grows along the range crest and upper parts of the eastern side of the mountains. Semi-evergreen vine thickets and at least seven other types of dry rainforest grow on the lower or western slopes. The park's forests shelter rare and threatened plants including orchids and small herbs. Natural grassland "balds" containing rare grass species are scattered across the mountains. The national park also protects open eucalypt forests, woodlands, brigalow scrubs and the largest protected areas of vine thickets dominated by bottle trees in Australia. The park is home to about 120 species of birds and many species of mammals, frogs and reptiles. Several rare and threatened animals live here including sooty owls, powerful owls, the black-breasted button quail, a skink species and a number of mammals. Birdlife is abundant, with brightly coloured parrots popular visitors to picnic areas. The Bunya Mountains are of special significant to Aboriginal people. Up until the late 1800s, local and neighbouring groups met every three years for feasts and celebrations coinciding with mass crops of bunya pine seeds.

 

Burleigh Head National Park
At Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, 90km south of Brisbane. A wild, natural headland in the heart of the Gold Coast offers walks along the rocky foreshore and through rainforest, and the chance to see whales in spring and sea-eagles soaring along the coast. Burleigh headland is a prominent Gold Coast landmark. Within the headland's 27ha national park you will discover rainforest, eucalypt forest, pandanus groves, tussock grassland, coastal heath, mangroves, creeks, rocky foreshore and beaches. Visitors may glimpse humpback whales breaching in coastal waters during winter and spring, see white-bellied sea-eagles riding the ridge updrafts, or watch birdwing butterflies feeding on rainforest nectars in mid-summer.

 

Burrum Coast National Park
Between 25km and 95km south-east of Bundaberg. Flowering heaths, quiet beaches and abundant wildlife make this park a place to retreat and relax. Several walking tracks provide excellent opportunities to explore diverse coastal habitats. Covering 23,100 hectares, Burrum Coast National Park protects diverse plant and animal communities, including mangrove-lined riverbanks, wallum heath with spectacular wildflowers and tea tree-dominated swamps where Livistona palms reach above the canopy. Areas of deeper soil support eucalypt forests, including the vulnerable Goodwood gum Eucalyptus hallii. Burrum Coast National Park is the perfect place to appreciate the splendour and peace of the natural environment.

 

Byfield National Park
Byfield National Park is approximately one hour from North Rockhampton and 30 minutes from Yeppoon. Massive parabolic sand dunes, the oldest reaching 5– 6km inland, occupy most of the southern part of the park. In the north, the rugged granite pinnacles of The Peaks and Mt Atherton dominate the landscape. The park boasts outstanding coastal scenery.

 

Cania Gorge National Park
About 225km west of Bundaberg. Towering cliffs, ancient caves and sheltered gorges are highlights of this park, which preserves a valuable remnant of the Brigalow Belt, Aboriginal freehand art and varied habitats for wildlife. Cania Gorge preserves a valuable remnant of the Brigalow Belt natural region. More than 150 different types of plant community are found in this region, including brigalow forest, eucalypt woodland, cypress pine woodland, dry rainforest and grassland. More than 90 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Brush-tailed rock wallabies and common bent-wing bats are also seen. Aboriginal people have lived in Cania Gorge for at least 19,000 years. Freehand art on the sandstone walls is a reminder of their special way of life.

 

Cape Hillsborough National Park
Cape Hillsborough is off the Bruce Highway north of Mackay. Rock-strewn, sandy beaches, hoop pine-dotted hillsides plunging towards the sea, subtropical rainforest and mangrove-fringed wetlands make Cape Hillsborough one of the most scenic parks along the central Queensland coast. Open eucalypt forest with a grassy understory covers the hills and headlands while sheltered valleys and creeks support lush rainforest. Patches of low heath grow on exposed slopes. West of the picnic area, mangrove forests provide an important breeding and feeding ground for marine wildlife. The surrounding waters are part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Rhyolite boulders scattered over the headlands and foreshore are a reminder of volcanic activity millions of years ago. The Yuibera people lived in this area for thousands of years and have left behind reminders of their special connection to the Cape. Cook named the Cape in June 1770 after the Earl of Hillsborough.

 

Cape Melville National Park
On Cape York Peninsula, about 10 hours drive (475km) north of Cairns. Beautiful, rugged landscapes are formed by the rocky headlands of Cape Melville, the impressive granite boulders of the Melville Range, sandstone escarpments and inland dunelands in this remote park. This remote park is characterised by the massive, tumbled granite boulders of the Melville Range, the sandstone escarpments of the Altanmoui Range and inland dunefields. The park features a diversity of plant communities including rainforest, mangroves, heathlands, woodlands and grasslands. The isolation of Cape Melville National Park has given rise to a high proportion of rare and endemic plants and animals, which are found nowhere else in Australia. Most notable of these is the foxtail palm, now a popular garden plant. Features of the park's landscape are woven into a rich tapestry of Aboriginal traditional stories and significant sites, creating a living cultural landscape. The long Aboriginal occupation of this area, which is known as Othawa, is evidenced by shell middens, burials and rock art sites, and has contributed to the significant diversity of vegetation in the area.  

 

Cape Palmerston National Park
Cape Palmerston is 115km south-east of Mackay. Windswept rocky headlands, mangroves, swamps, rainforest and sand dunes are part of Cape Palmerston National Park’s rugged beauty. Open eucalypt woodland with ironbark and poplar gum grows on the ridges while paperbarks grow in the gullies. The distinctive 344m Mt Funnel towers over the park. Midden heaps are a reminder of the special connection Aboriginal people have with this place. Named by Cook in 1770, Cape Palmerston is one of the few remaining areas of natural coastline in the Mackay area. The false water-rat lives in the park’s mangroves while beach stone-curlews frequent the beaches. Both are considered vulnerable to extinction. Pied imperial-pigeons which visit late winter and spring are close to the southern limit of their range. The adjacent waters and the Cape Creek system are part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

 

Capricorn Coast National Park
Capricorn Coast is south of Yeppoon. You can see all the park’s sections in a short half-hour drive from Yeppoon to Emu Park. Rocky outcrops along the Capricorn Coast were formed by volcanic eruptions about 130 million years ago. Five reserves south of Yeppoon are protected in this small park — Double Head, Rosslyn Head, Bluff Point and Pinnacle Point, south of Yeppoon, and Vallis Park to the north. Vallis Park has no public access. The park protects a variety of vegetation types from windswept low heath with scattered pandanus and she-oaks to eucalypt/wattle open forest, dry rainforest, tussock grassland and mangroves.

 

Capricornia Cays National Park
60-100km north-east of Gladstone. The cays’ stunning white beaches and coral reefs will leave a lasting impression. Their exceptional beauty and biological diversity make them internationally significant. Capricornia Cays National Park’s eight islands are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Their biological diversity, exceptional beauty and endangered plants and animals are internationally significant. The stunning white beaches and outstanding coral reefs of these small, relatively untouched cays make them popular destinations. This national park offers a variety of recreation opportunities ranging from commercial resort relaxation to nature-based camping and day visit enjoyment. Unlike rocky continental islands, the Capricornia Cays were completely built by corals. Rich forests of Pisonia grandis, which are typically only found on coral cays, dominate the island vegetation. A fringe of tough, small trees and shrubs such as coastal she-oak, octopus bush, native grasses and pandanus surround the cays’ pisonia forests. On North West Island, strangling figs and native elms are scattered through the forest, and native mulberries, sandpaper figs and lantern bushes grow in small clearings.  

 

Carnarvon National Park
About 720km by road north-west of Brisbane. Carnarvon Gorge is between Roma and Emerald. Hidden in the rugged ranges of Queensland’s central highlands, Carnarvon Gorge features towering sandstone cliffs, vibrantly coloured side gorges, diverse flora and fauna and Aboriginal rock art. The rugged 16,000ha Carnarvon Gorge section of Carnarvon National Park is the most popular destination in Queensland’s central highlands. Remnant rainforest flourishes in the sheltered side-gorges while endemic cabbage tree palms Livistona nitida, ancient cycads, ferns, flowering shrubs and gum trees line the meandering main gorge. Grassy open forest grows on the cliff tops. The park’s creeks attract a wide variety of animals including more than 173 species of birds. Aboriginal rock art on sandstone overhangs is a fragile reminder of Aboriginal people’s long and continuing connection with the gorge. Some of the finest Aboriginal rock art in Australia, including ochre stencils, rock engravings and freehand paintings, can be seen at Baloon Cave, the Art Gallery and Cathedral Cave.

 

Castle Tower National Park
Castle Tower is 40km south of Gladstone or 20km north of Bororen. Towering granite cliffs flank two large granite outcrops, Mounts Castle Tower and Stanley in rugged Castle Tower National Park. Open eucalypt woodland with a shrubby heath understorey covers most of the mountain. The heath contains plants found locally, such as the Byfield spider grevillea Grevillea venusta, which is threatened with extinction. Dry rainforest scrub grows along gullies and creeks. The park is the southern limit of white gum Eucalyptus platyphylla.

 

Cedar Bay (Mangkal-Mangkalba) National Park
Cedar Bay is 40km south of Cooktown. The park lies between Cape Tribulation and Cooktown and is accessible only by boat or walking. Dense tropical rainforest grows in Cedar Bay National Park, a remote coastal park south of Cooktown in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Sandy beaches and fringing reefs are backed by rainforest. Tulip oaks, Daintree pendas, tall rainforest cycads, fan palms and milky pines grow in the rainforest. Much has never been logged or disturbed. Windswept vegetation covers exposed hillsides. Cedar Bay is home to a wonderful variety of wildlife including the vulnerable southern cassowary and rare Bennett's tree-kangaroo. The adjacent waters are protected in marine parks. This is the traditional land of the Kuku Yalanji people whose country extends along the coast to Mossman. Cedar Bay National Park was a major turtle hunting area and contains important story sites. The Kuku Yalanji people have kept their culture alive and ask visitors to respect this special place. The Cedar Bay area was developed for tin mining from the 1870s. The remains of old tin workings can be seen between Black Snake Rocks and the park boundary

 

Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
About 215km, or three hours’ drive, west of Cairns in far north Queensland. Featuring spectacular limestone caves, small galleries of Aboriginal rock art, jagged limestone outcrops and historically significant mining sites, this park is rich in natural and cultural heritage. Limestone has been weathered, dissolved and reformed by water to create spectacular caverns and passages, decorated by stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones. The landscape around Chillagoe began to form about 400 million years ago, when limestone was deposited as calcareous mud and coral reefs surrounding volcanic islands. Subsequent tilting, folding and erosion exposed and weathered the limestone which today towers over the surrounding plains. Fluctuating groundwater levels slowly dissolved some of the limestone, creating caverns and passages, some of which have since been decorated by calcite stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones, deposited by surface waters penetrating through the rock. Few animals can survive inside the dark caves. Several bat species roost and breed here and Chillagoe is one of five known nesting sites for the white-rumped swiftlet. The caves are also home to spotted pythons and a variety of insects and spiders. Fossilized bones of many animals including those of the extinct giant kangaroo have been found in the caves. Aboriginal paintings are protected in the park. The Chillagoe Smelter site preserves relics of the State's mining and industrial heritage dating back to the 1890s.

 

Clump Mountain National Park
215km north of Townsville or 134km south of Cairns. This park features iconic Bicton Hill, where visitors can experience tropical lowland rainforest, spectacular coastal views over Bingil Bay and the Family Islands, and birdwatching opportunities. Clump Mountain National Park contains some of the few remaining patches of undisturbed tropical lowland rainforest in north Queensland. This forest type once grew extensively throughout these coastal lowlands but, due to clearing for farming, little now remains. These remnants are important habitat for the endangered southern cassowary, a large flightless bird found only in the tropical rainforests of Queensland and New Guinea. Bicton Hill is the main feature of Clump Mountain National Park. A circuit walking track up this moderately steep hill offers visitors spectacular mainland and island views, and a chance to see rare rainforest plants and the elusive endangered southern cassowary. Clump Mountain National Park has historical significance for both Indigenous and European people. It is part of the traditional country of the Djiru Aboriginal people. Nearby Bingil Bay was a favourite camping spot and rainforest plants were used by the Djiru to make fish nets, shelters, tools, weapons and medicines. The summit of Bicton Hill was used as a lookout by the Djiru Aboriginal people and later as a ship lookout by the Cutten brothers, the area’s first permanent European residents. They named their property “Bicton” after the town in Devon, England.

 

Conondale National Park
About 130km north of Brisbane, inland from the Sunshine Coast. At the heart of the Upper Mary Valley forests and parks, this park protects magnificent forests, deep gorges and creek catchments, and is an important refuge for many rare and threatened animals.  Rainforests, tall eucalypt forest, mosaics of plantation forests, waterfalls, boulder-strewn creeks and spectacular scenery make this area well worth a visit. The diverse forests provide homes for a wonderful variety of wildlife including more than 120 species of birds and many mammals. The threatened but seldom-seen yellow-bellied glider lives in the open forest. At the junction of Peters and Booloumba Creeks, scenic Booloumba Gorge features cascades, falls and rock pools.

 

Conway National Park
Approximately 30km east of Proserpine. Get away from it all in a visit to this peaceful park with its rainforest-clad hills, secluded beaches and panoramic outlooks over the scenic Whitsunday Passage. This 22,500ha park includes the rainforest-clad Conway Peninsula and protects the largest area of lowland tropical rainforest in Queensland outside Tropical North Queensland. Hoop pines grow on coastal ridges and in damp gullies, emerging above the rainforest canopy. Rugged, steep, rocky cliffs provide a spectacular 35km-long backdrop to the Whitsunday Passage and islands. Dry vine thicket, mangroves, open forests with a grasstree understorey, paperbark and pandanus woodlands, and patches of lowland rainforest with twisted vines grow in the park. It is home to two of Australia's mound-building birds, the Australian brush-turkey and the orange-footed scrubfowl. The park’s vegetation is very similar to that on the Whitsunday Islands because thousands of years ago the sea level rose, drowning coastal valleys and creating the islands. For thousands of years, the Ngaro and Gia people roamed these forests, harvesting the riches of the forests and the adjoining sea country. Today the adjacent waters are protected in marine parks.

 

Crater Lakes National Park
Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine are volcanic crater lakes formed by a single giant explosion. Surrounded by lush rainforests, the lakes are in an area of outstanding natural beauty and are now protected as part of the Crater Lakes National Park. Lake Eacham is ideal for swimming, canoeing, bushwalking, and bird watching. A large grassy area is perfect for picnics and sunbathing. Barbeque facilities are also available. Surrounding the lake is a 4-km water track, which begins and ends at the car park. Lake Barrine is the place to go for a Devonshire tea or a light meal at the historic teahouse. Formed by the same volcanic processes as Lake Eacham, Lake Barrine is surrounded by rainforest right down to the waters edge, where much of it is reflected in the secluded bays. Many of Far North Queensland's timbers can be seen around Lake Barrine, including the giant Kauri Pines. The wildlife likely to be spotted includes Eastern Water Dragons, and Amethyst Pythons sunning themselves on logs.

 

Crows Nest National Park
Crows Nest National Park is just outside the town of Crows Nest near Toowoomba. Take the New England Highway north from Toowoomba and drive 50km to Crows Nest. Turn off the highway and drive 6km east to the park. Spectacular creek scenery, granite outcrops, a scenic waterfall and eucalypt forest remnants in the headwaters of Crows Nest Creek are protected in Crows Nest National Park on the Great Dividing Range west of Brisbane. Few places have such a wonderful variety of eucalypt trees from gums to stringybarks, bloodwoods and ironbarks, delighting the amateur naturalist. The park is a haven for wildlife including platypus, swamp wallabies, echidnas, bandicoots, lace monitors, birds, and the brush-tailed rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata, which is vulnerable to extinction in Queensland.

 

Currawinya National Park
On the Queensland-NSW border near Hungerford, 170km south-west of Cunnamulla. Large freshwater and saltwater lakes provide important inland habitats for waterbirds. Currawinya also protects mulga lands habitats, threatened wildlife and cultural heritage sites. Currawinya's lakes, rivers and wetlands contrast strikingly with the sandy plains and rocky ranges of semi-arid south-western Queensland. These wetlands are among the most important inland waterbird habitats in Australia. Two large lakes, separated by only a few kilometres of sand dunes, are the centrepiece of a fascinating mosaic of habitats across the park. Lake Numalla is freshwater. The slightly larger Lake Wyara is saline. Evidence of thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation and more recent relics of pastoral activities dating from the 1860s are scattered across the park. Community donations have paid for a 25 square kilometre predator-proof fence. Captive-bred bilbies will be reintroduced to this fenced area of the park as part of a national strategy to protect this endangered species. The greater bilby has disappeared from much of its home range in inland Australia, but was once found at Currawinya.

 

Curtain Fig National Park
Just over one hour’s drive up the Gillies Range from Cairns. This park protects endangered mabi forest and a large fig tree. The formation of this fig tree is unique; its extensive aerial roots drop 15m to the forest floor and form a "curtain". This park protects a small area of an endangered type of forest, called mabi forest (also called complex notophyll vine forest or type 5b forest). "Mabi" comes from the Ngadjon word for the Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo. This type of forest has several unique features, most notably the semi-deciduous canopy trees, which allow more than the usual amount of light to penetrate to the forest floor. This in turn supports a well-developed shrub layer. It is endangered because most of this type of forest has been cleared for farming. The large fig tree found in this park is unique because the extensive aerial roots, that drop 15m to the forest floor, have formed a "curtain". Starting from a seed dropped high in the canopy, this strangler fig grew vertical roots, which gradually became thicker and interwoven. Over hundreds of years these roots have strangled the host causing it to fall into a neighbouring tree — a stage unique to the development of this fig. Vertical fig roots then formed a curtain-like appearance and the host trees rotted away, leaving the freestanding fig tree. The tree is thought to be nearly 50m tall, with a trunk circumference of 39m, and is estimated to be over 500 years old. An elevated boardwalk protects the tree while allowing visitors uninterrupted views of the fig from all angles.

 

Curtis Island National Park and Conservation Park
The park is accessible only by boat from Gladstone or The Narrows. Off the central Queensland coast between Rockhampton and Gladstone lies Curtis Island. The north-eastern end of this large island is Curtis Island National Park. A variety of vegetation types grows in the park from heath, grassland, stunted paperbark woodland and open eucalypt forest to extensive patches of dry rainforest. An historic lighthouse is located at Cape Capricorn.

 

D'Aguilar  Range National Park
D'Aguilar Range National Park is part of scenic Brisbane Forest Park in the D’Aguilar Range behind Brisbane. Rainforest and open forest, panoramic views and special activity programs. Things to do: Picnicking , Bushwalking, Birdwatching, Visiting historic sites, Nature study, Scenic driving, Educational programs

 

Daintree National Park
Located 111 km north of Cairns and 56 km from Port Douglas. Daintree National Park encompasses Cape Tribulation, where a tropical rainforest and coral reef meet in this scenic coastal section. Sandy beaches, mangroves, swamps and wildlife are the main drawcards. A stop at Alexandra Range lookout provides a view of the lush green coastline sweeping down to the ocean's inviting blue water. Explore tropical lowland rainforest, swamps, mangroves and beaches on walks ranging from 400 metres to 1.2 kilometres. Learn about life in this spectacular environment from interpretive signs. Cape Tribulation is a magnificent area to see the rainforest meet the reef. A dramatic clash of green and turquoise blue separated by a sandy white beach lined with coconut palms.

 

Dalrymple National Park
42km north of Charters Towers. Ancient lava flows, fossilised limestone and the Burdekin River are highlights here, along with the site of the former Dalrymple township, one of the first inland settlements in northern Australia. Dalrymple National Park features some of the more unique and contrasting features of the Charters Towers region including ancient lava flows and the Burdekin River, the largest river in Queensland. In the dry season, its sandy edges provide a lovely setting for camping. The summit of Mt Keelbottom can be viewed from a distance rising 130m above the surrounding plain. Part of the old Dalrymple township site can be found within the park. It was one of the first inland settlements in northern Australia. 

 

Danbulla National Park and State Forest
About 60km or just over one hour’s drive up the Gillies Range from Cairns. Crater lakes, huge strangler figs, rainforest walks, lakeside camping areas and places of important local history are some of the interesting features along the 28km Danbulla forest drive. The Danbulla forest drive - At least half a day should be set aside to explore the Danbulla area. Each site is unique, catering for the needs of a wide range of visitors. Choose a secluded camping site at School Point or let the kids kick a football around the grassed area at The Chimneys. Enjoy a short walk through the upland rainforest to Mobo Creek Crater or take time to marvel at the enormity of the Cathedral fig tree. Danbulla forest - The Danbulla forest is a spectacular part of the Atherton Tablelands, covering 12,000ha between the Tinaroo and Lamb ranges, and bordering Lake Tinaroo. It includes eucalypt and acacia forests, pine plantations and Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest. Lake Tinaroo - Created by damming the Barron River, Lake Tinaroo was completed in 1958. It was the first large dam built primarily for irrigation in Queensland. Its construction opened up new areas to farming and allowed different crops to be trialed. It is now a multi-purpose storage dam providing a water supply for tableland towns, power generation, crop irrigation, stock watering and recreation. 

 

Davies Creek National Park
About 53km from Cairns via the Kuranda Range. Granite outcrops, open forest, boulder-strewn Davies Creek and Aboriginal rock art are the striking features of these parks. Dinden National Park straddles the Lamb Range. Rainforest cloaks the wetter eastern side of the range, where Lake Morris, the main water reservoir for Cairns, is situated. Eucalypt woodland occupies the drier rain-shadowed areas on the western slopes. Between these two contrasting vegetation types runs a strip of a rare forest type known as wet sclerophyll. Davies Creek Falls is a magnificent waterfall that cascades over huge granite boulders and is a feature of Davies Creek National Park. A number of birds, such as the eastern yellow robin, the white-cheeked honeyeater and white-naped honeyeater are particularly fond of the wet sclerophyll forest of these two national parks. Endangered northern bettongs are also found in Davies Creek National Park and parts of Dinden National Park. These rat-kangaroos, smaller than a rabbit, are found only in very limited areas of north Queensland and nowhere else in the world. Researchers also recently discovered southern brown bandicoots residing in Davies Creek National Park - a long way from the nearest known population on the Cape York Peninsula. The Djabugay Aboriginal people traditionally used this area for ceremonies, painting, and tool making. Examples of their artwork in red and yellow ochre are showcased in Bare Hill Conservation Park. 

 

Deepwater National Park
About 103km north-west of Bundaberg. This park protects sandy beaches, diverse coastal lowland vegetation and the catchment of near-pristine Deepwater Creek, one of the Queensland’s few remaining undisturbed coastal freshwater streams. The park’s diverse vegetation of coastal scrubs, eucalypt woodlands, wet heaths and sedgelands surround Deepwater Creek and its tributaries. Tannins and other substances leached from surrounding heath plants stain the creek water brown. The creek is fringed by tall forests of swamp mahogany, paperbark and cabbage palms, and is broken in places by shallow sections of reed bed and paperbark forest. In these areas water only flows during the wet season. Deepwater supports a diversity of bird life such as emus, red-tailed black cockatoos, honeyeaters, brahminy kites and water birds. From January to April, turtle hatchlings emerge from the nests, usually at night. 

 

Diamantina National Park
300km south-west of Winton. From abundant waterholes, wetlands and river channels to sand dunes, grass plains, dunefields and weathered sandstone ranges, this impressive park is a haven for waterbirds in an arid landscape. Diamantina National Park was formerly a pastoral holding and became a national park in 1992. It sweeps across highly weathered sandstone ranges in the east, down to the floodplains of the Diamantina River and its tributaries, then across Mitchell grass plains to dunefields reminiscent of deserts further west. In the past, Maiawali and Karuwali people lived among Diamantina’s abundant waterholes and wetlands, river channels, sand dunes, ranges and diverse plains. Today they are re-establishing their links with this place they know as Kurrawoolkani. This 507,000ha park is home to many rare and threatened species. Lake Constance and Hunters Gorge are important wetlands and support breeding populations of many resident and migratory birds.

 

Dinden National Park
High in the Lamb Range, the park protects rainforest and eucalypt woodland. The clear waters of Davies Creek flow over smooth granite boulders and make a refreshing place to relax. Picnic or bush camp beside Davies Creek. Spend a day climbing to Kahlpahlim Rock (Lamb Range’s highest point) for views over Cairns and the Atherton Tableland. Learn about the rainforest on the Clohesy fig tree boardwalk. Drive through picturesque rainforest on the Cairns–Copperlode Dam road. A number of birds, such as the eastern yellow robin, the white-cheeked honeyeater and white-naped honeyeater are particularly fond of the wet sclerophyll forest of these two national parks. Endangered northern bettongs are also found in parts of Dinden National Park. These rat-kangaroos, smaller than a rabbit, are found only in very limited areas of north Queensland and nowhere else in the world. 

 

Dryander National Park
Overlooking the scenic Whitsunday Islands, Dryander National Park is a large coastal park north of Proserpine. Fringing reefs just offshore are protected in marine parks. Access is by boat from Airlie Beach or Dingo Beach.

 

Edmund Kennedy National Park
200km south of Cairns, 170km north of Townsville and 5km north of Cardwell. Wetlands, mangroves and fine views of Hinchinbrook and nearby islands feature in this coastal park, where you can watch birds, picnic by the sea and walk through forest and mangroves to the beach. This section of coastline has changed little since explorer Edmund Kennedy passed this way during his ill-fated expedition to Cape York in 1848. Edmund Kennedy National Park has a wonderful variety of vegetation including lowland rainforest, open eucalypt forest, paperbark woodland, sedge swamps and extensive mangrove forests which include most of the mangrove species found in Australia. This diverse wetland park is in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The park provides valuable habitat for the vulnerable estuarine crocodile as well as the endangered mahogany glider and the rare arenga palm. 

 

Eubenangee Swamp National Park
Take the Bruce Highway south from Cairns to Miriwinni. Drive east along the Bramston Beach Road then turn south onto Cartwright Road and follow this road to the park entrance. One of the wettest areas in Queensland is the coastal lowlands east of the Bellenden Ker Range. Eubenangee Swamp National Park protects seasonal coastal wetlands here around the Alice River, an important habitat for waterbirds. Eubenangee Swamp is one of the most important wetlands between Ingham and Cairns. Lowland rainforest fringes Canal Creek’s levee banks. This is the last remnant of this type of rainforest. Melaleucas and sedges grow around the edges of the swamp and rare plants grow in the park.

 

Eungella National Park
About 80km west of Mackay. High above the surrounding plains, this mist-shrouded and forest-clad mountain refuge is one of Queensland’s most ecologically diverse parks with 860 plant species and a wonderful variety of wildlife. 

 

Eurimbula National Park
About 112km north-west of Bundaberg.  On this picturesque coastline, Cook made his first landing in Queensland and botanist Joseph Banks collected plants. Botanically rich, the parks protect both tropical rainforests and coastal mangroves.  A 4WD vehicle is recommended after heavy rain as the road may become boggy and includes several creek crossings. Access is unsuitable for caravans.

 

Family Islands National Park (Dunk Island)
About 130km south-east of Cairns, within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. A chain of stunningly scenic continental islands, close to the Wet Tropics coast near Mission Beach, clad in lush rainforest and woodlands and surrounded by coral reefs, tidal flats and sandy beaches. The lush, green, gently-rising hills of the Family Islands contrast greatly with the jagged and lofty profile of Hinchinbrook Island which dominates the southern horizon. Dunk Island, like the other Family Islands, is cloaked in a mosaic of dense rainforest in protected gullies and wet slopes, and eucalypt forest with an understorey of palms and looping lianas on drier more exposed ridges. The Family Islands lie within the traditional sea country of the Bandjin and Djiru Aboriginal peoples, who for tens of thousands of years have collected, gathered and hunted the bountiful marine and island resources for food and materials. Today they retain a strong connection to these islands. Lt James Cook named Dunk Island in 1770 but it is best known from the writings of the "Beachcomber", E.J. Banfield, who lived on Dunk Island from 1897 until 1923, and wrote four books about the island's natural and cultural history. The islands support many species of birds, insects, reptiles and mammals. Over time, the brilliant blue Ulysses butterfly has become a symbol for Dunk Island. The fringing reefs surrounding each of the islands are home to a diversity of reef life. Extensive seagrass beds lie between the islands and are important feeding grounds for sea turtles and dugong. 

 

Fitzroy Island National Park
Twenty-nine kilometres south-east from Cairns. Fitzroy Island National Park is rugged and diverse with granite outcrops, open woodlands, rainforest, mangroves and coral beaches. Close to the north Queensland mainland, Fitzroy Island National Park is rugged and diverse with granite outcrops, open woodlands, rainforest, mangroves and coral beaches. This high continental island was connected to the mainland before sea levels rose. For thousands of years, the Gungandji people hunted, gathered foods and held special ceremonies on the island they call Kobaburra. Cook gave the island its current name in 1770. The island became a quarantine station for Chinese people heading to the Palmer River goldfields in 1876 and later part of an Aboriginal mission growing fruit and vegetables. Several lighthouses have been established over the past 80 years, from a carbide gaslight on Little Fitzroy Island in 1923 to a wartime light built on the ridge above the old lightkeeper's residence in 1943. The lighthouse, which is currently used as an information display, was built in 1970. This was the last staffed lighthouse purpose-built in Australia and probably the world. Today's automated lighthouse is again located on Little Fitzroy Island.

 

Fort Lytton National Park
At Lytton, in Brisbane, on the southern bank of the Brisbane River. Fort Lytton is an important historic site. Built in 1881 and used for the defence of Brisbane until the end of the Second World War, it is a pentagonal fortress concealed behind grassy embankments. Fort Lytton is one of several coastal fortifications built along Australia's coast in the 19th century to safeguard shipping lanes and ports from possible enemy raids. From 1881 until the 1930s, Fort Lytton was Brisbane's front line of defence and is regarded as the birthplace of Queensland's military history. Regular training camps in military warfare were a highlight of Queensland's political and social calendar. This classic example of a coastal fortress was surrounded by a water-filled moat, and its heavy armaments were concealed behind grassy ramparts connected by underground passages. After World War II, the fort had outlived its usefulness and fell into disrepair until petroleum refining company Ampol took over the site in 1963. The fort became a national park in 1988 which today protects this important link with our military past.

 

Girraween National Park
On the Queensland-NSW border, 260km south-west of Brisbane, halfway between Stanthorpe and Tenterfield. Massive granite boulders that tower above forests and heaths, spectacular wildflower displays in spring and an exceptionally wide variety of wildlife can be found in Girraween National Park. Girraween National Park is a park of massive granite outcrops, balancing boulders and clear tumbling cascades. Golden wattles, yellow, red and purple pea flowers, dainty orchids and flannel flowers grow amid forests of red-gum, stringybark and blackbutt. Frogs, lizards and snakes rustle among the leaf litter. Brilliant turquoise parrots, yellow-tufted honeyeaters and superb blue wrens splash the granite-strewn countryside with colour, while red-necked wallabies, brush-tailed possums and spiny echidnas weave their way through the wonders of the woodland.

 

Girringun National Park
Mt Fox is 75km south-west of Ingham. Take the Trebonne Road from Ingham to the Wallaman Falls/Mt Fox turnoff at Trebonne. About 20km from the park in the Mount Fox Forest Reserve, a lookout provides views across the valley. Mt Fox is a dormant volcano which erupted violently 100,000 years ago, spewing thick molten magma over the surrounding landscape. Today, rocks known as fusiform bombs can be seen in this section of Girringun National Park. These bombs, some more than 1m across, are smooth on the side exposed to the air while being ejected and have deep grooves on the other side. Plant communities in and around Mount Fox are restricted by the windy conditions and a landscape riddled with boulders. Despite this, small patches of vine-thicket rainforest persist. Lining small gullies around the outside of the crater, the vine-thicket rainforest provides essential habitat for the endangered Sharman's rock-wallaby. The tussock grasses shelter many animals including rufous bettongs, skinks and ground-dwelling birds like the little button-quail

 

Glass House Mountains National Park
About 70km or one hour's drive north of Brisbane. Craggy volcanic peaks tower above pine plantations, eucalypt forests and open fields. Walking tracks ranging from easy to very challenging – lead to peaks and lookouts offering panoramic views. Craggy volcanic peaks tower over a scenic patchwork of pine plantations, bushland and cultivated fields. Many of the peaks are protected in Glass House Mountains National Park, while the pine plantations and a range of native vegetation types are managed in several State forests and forest reserves near the park. Named by Cook during his epic voyage along Australia's east coast, the Glass Houses are rhyolite plugs formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. Remnants of the open eucalypt woodland and heath vegetation, which once covered the coastal plains, provide a home for an interesting variety of animals and plants, including 26 rare and threatened plant species. The Glass House Mountains area was a special meeting place where many Aboriginal people gathered for ceremonies and trading. This place is considered spiritually significant with many ceremonial sites still present and protected today

 

Good Night Scrub National Park
Goodnight Scrub is in the Burnett Valley between Gin Gin and Gayndah. In hilly country in the Burnett Valley, Good Night Scrub National Park protects an intact remnant of once extensive hoop pine rainforest. Most of this 6670ha park is dry rainforest with tall hoop pines emerging above the forest. Distinctive bottle trees and crows ash are also common. The rest of the park is dry open forest of spotted gum, forest red gum and narrow-leaved red ironbark. According to local folklore, the scrub was so thick, people could not walk or ride through it. If cattle escaped into the scrub, you could “kiss your cattle goodnight”. Kalliwa Hut, a timber-getter’s hut at the park’s southern end, is a reminder of the park’s former forest logging days. This slab hut was moved here in the 1920s and later had its shingle roof replaced. Good night Scrub is the last known sighting of the presumed extinct paradise parrot. Part of the park will be flooded by the proposed Paradise Dam on the Burnett River. 

 

Great Sandy National Park (Fraser Island)
Fraser Island is about 300km north of Brisbane and 15km off the coast of Hervey Bay and Maryborough. Vehicle access (4WD only) is via barge.  A vehicle access permit must be purchased and displayed on your vehicle windscreen before driving on Fraser Island. Buy all permits before you go. The world's largest sand island, Fraser Island is an area of remarkable natural beauty. It was listed as a World Heritage Area in 1992. The listing recognizes the island's internationally significant natural features: evolving dune, lake, soil and forest systems, the extent and age of which are outstanding examples of ongoing geological and biological processes, unique landscapes, which are examples of superlative natural occurrences. Growing on seemingly infertile sands is a great variety of plant communities ranging from coastal heath, mangrove forests and swamps to subtropical rainforest. The many archaeological remains on Fraser Island record thousands of years of culture and tradition, providing important links for the Butchulla people of today to their past. The island is 123km long and covers an area of 166,038ha, so you will need to allow plenty of time to explore and appreciate it. 

 

Green Island National Park
27km offshore from Cairns. This small rainforest-clad coral cay is surrounded by coral reefs. It is one of the most accessible and popular islands on the Great Barrier Reef. Green Island is the most popular destination on the Great Barrier Reef. This 12ha island is a true coral cay formed over thousands of years by the build-up of sand and coral rubble deposited on the calm side of a platform reef. The island is covered in tropical vine forest which supports a diversity of birds and insects. The surrounding coral reef is home to many kinds of corals, clams, fish, stingrays and other reef life. Green and hawksbill turtles are seen offshore. The island and reef are part of the traditional sea country of the Gungandji Aboriginal people. They know the island as "Wunyami". The Gungandji people maintain a close connection with the island, formerly an initiation ground for young men. Green Island has been a popular tourist resort for more than a century. The island became a national park in 1937, a marine park in 1974 and part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area in 1981. Today the island, reef and beaches are managed together as a recreation area.

 

Halifax Bay Wetlands National Park
20km south of Ingham. This national park protects 772 hectares of saltmarsh and mangrove ecosystem. It is not accessible to the public. The national park is recognised by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as an area "of concern". The coastal lowland area supports salt meadow/herbfield vegetation with highly-saline alluvial soils. The wetlands provide a habitat for wildlife, including migratory birds, and are nursery grounds for fish, mud crabs and prawns. There is no public access to Halifax Bay Wetlands National Park. The park boundaries are surrounded by freehold or leasehold properties, through which access is not permitted. There are no roads, walking tracks, campgrounds or facilities. 

 

Hasties Swamp National Park
Four kilometres south of Atherton off the Atherton-Herberton Road. A birdwatcher’s delight, this swamp is a valuable refuge for resident and migratory birds. Enjoy the birds and views from the two-storey bird hide. Hasties Swamp is a large seasonal wetland renowned for its diverse range of resident and migratory birds. Over 220 species have been identified and a large bird hide, with informative identification signs, offers excellent waterbird viewing opportunities. Aquatic environments of open water, reeds, muddy edges and sedge land vary with the cycle of wet and dry seasons. The open eucalypt forest surrounding the swamp is a striking contrast to the lush rainforests found elsewhere on the tableland. 

 

Hinchinbrook Island National Park
Hinchinbrook Island lies off the north Queensland coast just 8km east of Cardwell. Commercial water taxis from Cardwell and Dungeness (Lucinda) transfer campers and walkers to the island. With its lush rainforests, rugged, misty and heath-covered mountains, sweeping sandy beaches, rocky headlands, paperbark and palm wetlands, mangrove-fringed shores and extensive open forests and woodlands, Hinchinbrook Island National Park is one of the world’s most outstanding island parks. The island’s mangrove forests are some of the richest and most varied in Australia and an important breeding ground for many marine animals. For thousands of years, the Bandyin Aboriginal people lived on Hinchinbrook Island. Middens and fish traps are reminders of their special culture. The island’s world-famous Thorsborne Trail was named after local naturalists Margaret and Arthur Thorsborne. Hinchinbrook Island is surrounded by marine park waters where fringing reefs and seagrass beds are home to a variety of marine life including dugong and green turtles.

 

Isla Gorge National Park
About 515km by road north-west of Brisbane. A maze of gorges, sandstone outcrops and striking rock formations, this park protects many rare and threatened plant species. Gorge Creek, a tributary of the Dawson River, flows through the park. At the southern end of the Dawson Range, Isla Gorge National Park protects spectacular sandstone country in the central highlands. Isla Gorge is fairly broad and contains Gorge Creek, a tributary of the Dawson River. Open eucalypt forests, brigalow and softwood scrubs, and patches of dry rainforest with distinctive bottle trees are the main vegetation types in the park. The park is home to many rare and threatened plants including Eucalyptus beaniana, an ironbark found west of the lookout and Eucalyptus curtisii, a mallee. The plateau has brilliant wildflower displays in spring. Rock engravings and ochre stencils are a reminder that Aboriginal people have a close connection with this place. The remains of an old hand-paved road, constructed in 1864 to transport wool from the Roma district to the coastal port of Rockhampton, can still be seen in the western end of the park. 

 

Jardine River National Park
About 900km north of Cairns, on the tip of Cape York Peninsula. This vast, remote wilderness, encompassing much of the catchment of the Jardine River, is rich in Aboriginal and European cultural heritage. This vast, remote wilderness is an ancient sandstone landscape. Sediments laid down when the area was a shallow sea have been shaped over millions of years of weathering to form today's gently undulating landscape. Clear fresh water is abundant, not only in the mighty west-flowing Jardine River, which dominates the landscape, but also in swamps, boggy gullies and numerous smaller streams. This, along with the absence of food for horses and cattle, prompted early European explorers to call this place the "wet desert". The area features a diversity of plant communities. Heathland, grassland, rainforest and woodland grow on low broad sandstone ridges separated by swamps, while shrublands and vine thickets cover massive coastal sand dunes. Animals are an interesting mix of species - relicts of ancient Gondwanan rainforests, endemic species that evolved from Gondwanan ancestors during long periods of isolation and climate change, and more recent invaders from New Guinea, which arrived via ice-age land bridges. The area has a rich Aboriginal and European heritage. For thousands of years the area has been occupied by Aboriginal peoples known as "sandbeach people", who gathered food and resources from the seas and surrounding "sandbeach country". The area has links to early European travellers to the Cape: Edmund Kennedy was speared on the Escape River, at the northern end of the park, in 1848; the Jardine brothers were involved in skirmishes with Aboriginal people during their overland expedition in 1865 and later during their settlement at Somerset; geologist Robert Logan Jack encountered local Aboriginal people on the east coast in 1880, at a place known today as Captain Billy Landing; and a telegraph line was completed in 1887 to provide communications with remote Cape York. Today this line forms the western boundary of the park and reserve. 

 

Keppel Bay Islands National Park
15km east off the Yeppoon coast. Secluded beaches, crystal-clear waters, plunging cliffs and diverse plant communities are some of the attractions of Keppel Bay Islands National Park. Keppel Bay is studded with islands. The two largest islands, Great Keppel (1454ha) and North Keppel (627ha), are surrounded by 16 smaller islands and several prominent rocky outcrops. Keppel Bay Islands National Park includes 15 islands, although it does not include Great Keppel Island. Steep hills and cliffs, which plunge into the sea, are features of the islands but there are also sheltered bays and quiet sandy beaches. Vegetation ranges from open grassland and heathland to tall, shady forests and dense, low rainforests. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park surrounds the Keppel Bay islands. Together they form part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, the world's largest reef and island system. It is of exceptional beauty and biological diversity, protecting many endangered animals and plants.

 

Kondalilla National Park
About 100km north of Brisbane, near Montville, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Named after the spectacular Kondalilla Falls, where Skene Creek drops 90m into a rainforest valley, this park is a cool mountain retreat and an important refuge for many native animals and plants. Just behind the Sunshine Coast, in the scenic Blackall Range, Kondalilla National Park is a cool mountain retreat . The park is named after the spectacular Kondalilla Falls, where Skene Creek drops 90m into a rainforest valley. Kondalilla Falls got its name from an Aboriginal word meaning “rushing waters”, a good description of this waterfall during the summer wet season. Above the falls, tall open eucalypt forest mingles with rainforest species in wetter areas. A drier forest grows on the western escarpment, featuring casuarinas with a grass tree understorey. Subtropical rainforest grows below the escarpment, where soil and aspect is suitable, and riparian rainforest lines the creek. Surrounded by farms and towns, this park is an important refuge for many animals and plants including the rare pouched frog, Assa darlingtoni and the bopple nut, Macadamia ternifolia, which is vulnerable to extinction. More than 107 species of birds have been seen in the park, and 70 species of reptiles and 32 species of frogs have been recorded from the Blackall Range and nearby Conondale Range. 

 

Kroombit Tops National Park
Kroombit Tops is 2·5 hours’ drive south-west of Rockhampton via the Bruce Highway, Calliope and the unsealed Tableland Road. Rugged mountain scenery, sandstone cliffs and gorges, creeks, waterfalls and a variety of vegetation types are protected in two adjacent reserves on the 800–900m high Kroombit Tops Plateau. This large protected area is the headwaters for many creeks and a refuge for wildlife including tropical and subtropical rainforest species and animals close to the limit of their usual range. The Kroombit tinkerfrog Taudactylus pleione, which is vulnerable to extinction, lives in the rainforest. Most of the plateau is covered in dry woodland with a heath understorey. Open forests of white mahogany are common. Subtropical rainforest with piccabeen palms grows in sheltered pockets on the wetter eastern side of the plateau. Kroombit Tops is the northern limit of cool temperate white beech rainforest. Dry rainforest with towering hoop pines and tall wet sclerophyll forests with Sydney blue gums grow in the central part of the plateau. Dry bottle tree scrubs grow on the drier western side of the plateau.
Kroombit Tops is the site of a large erosion caldera up to 40m across, formed by past volcanic activity.

 

Lake Bindegolly National Park
Lake Bindegolly is half an hour or 40km east of Thargomindah on the Bulloo Developmental Road. A string of salt and freshwater wetlands at Lake Bindegolly National Park form an important wildlife refuge in the arid zone. The park is home to more than 195 species of birds, 80 other kinds of animals and 300 species of plants. Saline Lakes Bindegolly and Toomaroo and freshwater Lake Hutchinson attract more than 60 species of waterbirds including pelicans, swans and the rare freckled duck. The lakes are dry about once a decade. This diverse 14,000ha park has samphire flats, claypans, sand dunes, hard and soft red mulga country, gidgee woodlands, and Eremophila shrublands. The park was established in 1991 to protect the Acacia ammophila tree which grows along the sand dunes fringing the eastern side of the lakes. This is one of only two known populations of this gnarled tree which is threatened with extinction. Mulga-studded gibber plains rise to a ridge on the western side of the lake known locally as Mt Bindegolly.

 

Lakefield National Park
340km north-west of Cairns, on Cape York Peninsula. A rich, diverse landscape, this park has coastal estuaries, mangroves and mudflats; wetlands; vast grasslands and woodlands covering the floodplains; and sandstone hills and escarpments in the south. Lakefield National Park is renowned for its vast river systems and spectacular wetlands. In the wet season the Normanby, Morehead and North Kennedy rivers and their tributaries join to flood vast areas, eventually draining north into Princess Charlotte Bay. During the dry season, rivers and creeks shrink, leaving large permanent waterholes, lakes and lagoons which attract a diversity of animals, particularly waterbirds. To the north, the park features impenetrable mangroves along the estuaries and coastline of Princess Charlotte Bay. Behind the coast are extensive salt flats and the marine plains that give way to inland tracts of eucalypt and paperbark woodlands. Fringing many of the river banks and streams are magnificent, tall paperbark trees and patches of gallery forest, a type of rainforest. The landscape of Lakefield National Park is of major Aboriginal cultural significance. Sites associated with occupation, ceremonies and stories of ancestral spirits occur throughout. The area is also rich in European cultural heritage, with associations with early explorers, geologists and surveyors, and tangible links to the establishment of the Palmer River Goldfields and early cattle industry. 

 

Lamington National Park
About 110km or two hours’ drive south of Brisbane. Lush rainforests, ancient trees, spectacular views, extensive walking tracks, exceptional ecological importance and natural beauty make this World Heritage-listed park an outstanding place to visit.  Declared in 1915, Lamington National Park covers 20,590ha and boasts extensive walking tracks along the McPherson Range, which allow visitors to explore the area’s forests, creeks and waterfalls. Dramatic lookouts afford views over the Gold Coast, south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. Lamington is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, which includes the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world, most of the world’s warm temperate rainforest and nearly all of the Antarctic beech (Nothofagus moorei) cool temperate rainforest. 

 

Lindeman Islands National Park
Access is by commercial or private boats or aircraft. Beyond the Whitsunday Passage lies the Lindeman group of islands. Like other islands in the Whitsundays, this group formed when a mountain range was drowned by rising sea levels. Lindeman was formed from the remains of molten rubble spewed from large volcanoes. Smaller islands have a resistant volcanic core while larger islands in the group are made up of granite. Lindeman Island has a variety of vegetation types including rainforest in sheltered pockets, open forest in drier areas, grasslands and wetlands. The Aboriginal people who visited these islands knew Lindeman as “Yara-Kimba”, the place of snapper and bream. Frequent burning maintained the grasslands on Lindeman Island. The islands and surrounding waters are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and are protected.

 

Lizard Island National Park
About 93km north-east of Cooktown, in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The six islands of the Lizard Island National Park lie in a cluster 27km from the coast, 93km north-east of Cooktown. Regular flights operate to Lizard Island from Cairns. Charter flights are also available from Cairns and Cooktown. Private aircraft may land with permission from the resort. Commercial charter vessels depart Cairns, Port Douglas and Cooktown for Lizard Island. These six islands are surrounded by luxuriant coral reefs and warm, sparkling blue waters, fringed by mangroves and sandy beaches and cloaked in grasslands, woodlands and wind-sheared heaths. Lizard Island National Park is the only continental island group close to the outer barrier reef. The stark, rugged beauty of Lizard Island contrasts sharply with the sparkling blue waters and luxuriant fringing reefs which surround the island group. More than half of Lizard Island is covered in grasslands. Eucalypt and acacia woodlands, heaths, paperbark swamps and mangroves are also found on the island. More than 40 species of birds have been seen on Lizard Island, while nearby Osprey, Seabird, South, Eagle and Palfrey islands are important bird nesting sites. The island's best-known animal is a lizard — Gould's sand monitor — after which the island was named by Lt James Cook during his exploration of the east coast of Australia in 1770. The island group is rich in cultural meaning for the Dingaal Aboriginal people. The islands contain sacred sites including initiation, ceremonial and story sites as well as middens. Lizard Island is also rich in European heritage associated with the earliest European exploration of the coast and subsequent settlement. Today the islands are a popular tourism destination and the base for world-renowned tropical marine research.

 

Lochern National Park
About 150km south-west of Longreach. Flooding rains and devastating drought are the norm here in the heart of “boom and bust” country. Rain nourishes the plains and transforms parched channels into wetlands teeming with life. Lochern has 20km of Thomson River frontage. The park protects 24,300ha of important habitat, with many lagoons and waterholes providing refuge for birds and other wildlife. Lochern’s people also adapted to the cycles of wet and dry. Aboriginal people would have taken advantage of a seasonal bounty. Pastoralists built dams with long wings and stone-pitched ends to catch extra rainwater, and set the hen-house and motor room high and dry.

 

Magnetic Island National Park
About 8km north-east from Townsville, within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Rocky granite headlands and towering hoop pines stand sentinel over tranquil sandy bays on this rugged, mountainous island covered with open eucalypt woodlands and surrounded by coral reefs. The park features spectacular natural landscapes and seascapes including boulder-strewn headlands, hoop pines, high quality sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs. A continental island composed mostly of granite, it was once part of the mainland before the sea level rose about 7500 years ago. Just over half of this large continental island (2533ha) is protected as Magnetic Island National Park. The island is mostly covered with open eucalypt woodland of bloodwoods, stringybarks and grey ironbarks. Hoop pines and native kapok are found on the headlands, and rainforest is found in sheltered gullies. The island is surrounded by sandy beaches (including some turtle nesting areas), fringing reefs, mangrove communities that are important as fish nursery areas and seagrass beds which support a significant dugong population. On the island, the allied rock-wallaby is found on steep slopes while koalas can be found in most areas. A variety of seabirds, waterbirds and forest birds can also be seen here. The bush stone-curlew is still common on Magnetic Island. The Wulgurukaba people, the "canoe people", lived on the island and nearby mainland for thousands of years. Shell middens, stone tools and art sites are physical reminders of their strong connection with the island. The island was named by Lt. Cook during his 1770 voyage when he believed the island's landmass was affecting his compass. The island's interesting past has included hoop pine logging, a quarantine station for the port of Townsville, early tourism in the 19th century, pineapple farming and coastal defences during World War II. Magnetic Island's WWII forts are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register and are among the best examples of such fortifications on Queensland's east coast.

 

Main Range National Park
About 110km south-west of Brisbane. Impressive mountain peaks, escarpments and ridges offer breathtaking views in this World Heritage listed park, a home for rare and endangered wildlife and a popular bushwalking destination. Rugged mountain ranges, spectacular lookouts and rare wildlife feature in this prestigious World Heritage-listed park. Main Range National Park covers 29,730ha. A mosaic of vegetation types occurs in the park. Rainforests grow in moist or sheltered locations, with open eucalypt forest occurring on the drier ridges and valleys. Montane heath vegetation grows on the cliffs and rocky outcrops. These diverse habitats shelter much wildlife including the seldom seen Albert's lyrebird, the eastern bristlebird and the black-breasted button-quail. Populations of these birds and other wildlife have been threatened by land clearing and fire. A restricted plant species, the giant spear lily Doryanthes palmeri,also occurs in the park. Careful management is essential for the continued survival of the park's habitats and the wildlife that lives in them.

 

Mapleton Falls National Park
About 105km north of Brisbane, near Mapleton, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Excellent views of Mapleton Falls and the Obi Obi Valley are highlights for visitors to this small but significant remnant of the forests that once covered the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Riparian rainforest and open eucalypt forest communities are protected here. Pencil Creek forms Mapleton Falls, plunging 120m into the valley below. During warmer months listen for frogs in the pool beside the causeway. Take a close look at rocks around the pool and you'll see distinctive hexagonal shapes formed by volcanic activity 25 million years ago.

 

Millstream Falls National Park
The two park entrances are within 4.5km of Ravenshoe, which is 147km from Cairns via the Gillies Highway. In the rain shadow of the eastern dividing range, dry open woodlands surround Big Millstream Falls, reputedly the widest single-drop falls in Australia. The park is rich in World War II history. Plunging over the edge of a columnar basalt lava flow, Big Millstream Falls is reputedly the widest single-drop waterfall in Australia. A walking track leads to a viewing area over the falls. Here, in the rainshadow of the eastern dividing ranges, the dry, open woodland vegetation is dominated by eucalypts. A separate entrance to the park takes you to Little Millstream Falls. View these beautiful falls from just near the carpark or take the steep and narrow track to their base. Millstream Falls National Park lies within the traditional country of the Jirrbal Aboriginal people. The Jirrbal lived in the rainforest in semi-permanent villages, and used the rainforest’s rich resources for food medicine and materials.

 

Molle Islands National Park
The Molle group is just east of Shute Harbour. Access is by private boat or commercial boat. Windswept hillsides, rocky headlands with majestic hoop pines, sandy beaches, secluded coves, natural grasslands, open forest and rainforest make the inshore Molle Islands a wildlife refuge and a scenic retreat for nature lovers. Open eucalypt forests clothe the hillsides, rainforest grows in sheltered gullies and grasslands cover the more exposed slopes. A seasonal colony of black flying-foxes lives on South Molle Island. The Ngaro people lived on and visited these islands for thousands of years. They used fire to flush out game and maintain the natural grasslands. A stone quarry for making tools and weapons remains on South Molle Island. The Molle Islands were first named in 1815 when Jeffreys was charting the Great Barrier Reef islands. Initially used for grazing, South Molle Island later became a national park and a resort was established in 1937. The islands and surrounding waters are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and are protected.

 

Moogerah Peaks National Park
About 100km south-west of Brisbane. These volcanic peaks are significant refuges for rare and vulnerable wildlife. Close to Brisbane yet rugged and relatively undeveloped, they are popular with experienced bushwalkers and climbers. The ancient, volcanic peaks of Mounts French, Greville, Moon and Edwards are recognised not only for their unique shapes and as favourite bushwalking destinations, but also as remnant habitats of key conservation value within southeast Queensland. The peaks are mostly covered in open eucalypt forest with montane heath on the exposed rock faces and rainforest in some sheltered areas. Before land clearing, much of the Fassifern Valley was covered by brigalow and vine forest, known as the Fassifern scrub. Now only a very small remnant of this vegetation type remains, and is protected within the Mount French section of the park. These peaks are special places to Aboriginal people, bushwalkers and naturalists alike. If you come to Moogerah Peaks National Park be well prepared and to treat the bush with care and respect. Together we can keep it a wild and beautiful place.

 

Mooloolah River National Park
The park straddles the Sunshine Motorway near Mooloolaba and is accessible from Claymore Road, Sippy Downs past Sunshine Coast University. The Mooloolah River forms the south-eastern boundary of the park. No vehicle access is allowed. Most of the coastal lowlands in southern Queensland have been cleared for development. Mooloolah River National Park protects valuable remnants of wallum heath, open eucalypt woodlands and tea-tree swamps and woodlands near the Mooloolah River.

 

Moreton Island National Park
40km by ferry from Brisbane. Tall sand dunes, miles of sandy beaches, crystal clear creeks and lagoons, coastal heath, rocky headlands and abundant wildflowers make Moreton Island a jewel in Moreton Bay. Moreton Island features crystal clear creeks and lagoons, coastal heath, rocky headlands, abundant wildflowers, tall sand dunes, an historic lighthouse, ruins of coastal forts and miles of sandy beaches. Most of Moreton Island is both national park and recreation area, which covers the national park and beaches to low water mark. Tidal wetlands and waters around the island are protected as part of Moreton Bay Marine Park. The sheltered bay waters are home to various marine animals. Dugong feed on its seagrass communities while migratory and resident shorebirds feed and roost on the island's beaches. Humpback whales can be seen from Cape Moreton during their migration from June to November. Indigenous cultural heritage includes shell middens that are evidence of thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation. Ruins of coastal defence bases from World War II are a reminder of Australia's involvement in world conflict.

 

Mount Archer National Park
Approximately 9kms north-east of Rockhampton’s city centre. Spectacular views of Rockhampton city, deeply incised valleys, dry rainforests, fleeting glimpses of forest inhabitants and feasting cockatoos feature strongly in a visit to Mount Archer National Park. Mount Archer National Park protects bushland remnants in the Berserker Ranges, a scenic backdrop to Rockhampton. At 604m above sea level, Mount Archer is the highest peak and provides spectacular views of the city and the surrounding ranges. The park covers 4250ha of open forest and woodland communities dominated by eucalypts, with a large pocket of dry rainforest in the deeply incised Moores Creek valley. The dry rainforest communities are areas of high conservation value and include several plant species with restricted distributions.

 

Mount Barney National Park
About 120km south-west of Brisbane via the Mt Lindesay Highway. Rugged mountain peaks rise above the surrounding landscape in this wild, beautiful, World Heritage-listed park, popular with bushwalkers and home to many rare animals, plant species and communities. The distinctive peaks of Mount Barney, Mt Maroon, Mt May, Mt Lindesay, Mt Ernest, Mt Ballow and Mt Clunie make up Mount Barney National Park. These rugged peaks are the remains of the ancient Focal Peak Shield Volcano which erupted 24 million years ago. Mount Barney is the second highest peak in south-east Queensland. The park has extremely varied vegetation with open forests around the foothills of the peaks, subtropical rainforest above 600m, montane heath shrublands towards the summit of the peaks, cool temperate rainforest on the summit of Mt Ballow, and mallee eucalypt shrublands on Mt Maroon. Many rare and unusual plant species grow in the park including the endangered Maroon wattle Acacia saxicola Eucalyptus codonocarpa, Mount Barney bush pea Pultanaea whiteana and Eucalyptus michaeliana., the rare mallee ash. Most of Mount Barney National Park is in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

 

Mount Colosseum National Park
Turn off the Bruce Highway at Miriam Vale and drive 6km east on the Town of 1770 Road before turning right at the T-junction signposted “Mount Colosseum 5km”. Follow this road for 5km to a Y-junction. Continue right and across the railway line. The gravel road takes you to the signposted park boundary. From the highway near Miriam Vale, Mount Colosseum is a prominent feature on the skyline. This volcanic dome is dotted with hoop pines towering over the dry rainforest below. Open forests with bloodwoods and ironbarks also grow in the park.

 

Mount Cook National Park
You can see Mount Cook as you approach Cooktown by road or sea. Access to the walking track is from Ida Street and is signposted. Rising to 431m, rugged Mount Cook provides a scenic backdrop to the township of Cooktown in Mount Cook National Park. Rainforest and tropical woodland with a heath understorey cover the mountain’s upper slopes and sheltered gullies while grasslands grow on the southern slopes. The park is home to the large amethystine python and northern quoll. Pied imperial-pigeons and buff-breasted paradise-kingfishers visit in the summer months.

 

Mount Coolum National Park
Mount Coolum National Park is about 90 minutes’ drive north of Brisbane via the Bruce Highway and the Sunshine Motorway. The park straddles the Sunshine Motorway and extends to the David Low Way near the township of Coolum. Turn off the David Low Way 6km south of Coolum or 3km north of Marcoola. Dome-shaped Mount Coolum rises 208m above the sugar cane fields and coastal resorts to dominate the skyline in the Sunshine Coast lowlands. Mount Coolum National Park contains most of the mountain with its craggy cliffs. After rain, waterfalls cascade over the sides. Open eucalypt forest skirts Mount Coolum’s lower slopes while grasslands and montane heath grow towards the summit. This is one of only two coastal places where montane heath grows. The park extends south and west of Mount Coolum protecting coastal wallum, paperbark wetlands and rainforest remnants which have largely disappeared from this part of the Sunshine Coast lowlands. The park contains threatened plant species such as the endangered Allocasuarina thalassoscopica and the rare Bertya sharpeana. About 40 percent of known fern families grow in the park. Peregrine falcons nest along the cliff faces. Mount Coolum is significant to the Gubbi Gubbi people and features in stories about the way the landscape was formed.

 

Mount Etna Caves National Park
Approximately 26kms north of Rockhampton. Limestone outcrops, decorated caves, rare bats and dry rainforest patches are now protected in a national park that once was the site of Australia’s longest running conservation battle. Limestone outcrops and dense, decorated caves are protected in Mount Etna Caves National Park. Mount Etna is the roosting site for more than 80 percent of Australia's breeding population of little bent-wing bats. It is also one of the few places in Australia supporting a colony of the endangered ghost bat. The Archer Brothers, who settled in the Rockhampton area in the 1850s, named Mount Etna after the volcano in Sicily. From 1914 to 1939, the caves were mined for guano, a natural fertiliser, and from 1925 for limestone. During World War II, commandos trained here. The park was established in 1975 to protect the caves, and a subsequent campaign to save other caves included the protection of Mount Etna. The park was once submerged by a shallow sea and has been alternately shaped by, and then starved of, water. Limestone from ancient coral reefs formed the rocky karst seen today. As Mount Etna's landscape has evolved, so too have people's attitudes towards the mountain. Once the focus of Australia's longest conservation dispute, Mount Etna Caves National Park now protects the mountain for future generations.

 

Mount Hypipamee National Park
About 110km south-west of Cairns, 25km south of Atherton and 15km from Malanda. The park is centred around a deep, cylindrical volcanic pipe with a lake at the bottom. Several different forest types, within a small area, are home to remarkable diversity of possums. Located high on the southern Evelyn Tableland, in the Hugh Nelson Range, this park is centred around a diatreme or what is commonly referred to as a volcanic pipe or vent, thought to have been created by a massive gas explosion. A platform at the end of a 400m walking track through the rainforest provides an uninterrupted view of the remaining crater. The crater is less than 70m across with sheer granite walls (the surface rock through which the gas exploded). Fifty-eight metres below the rim is a lake about 82m deep covered with a green layer of native waterweed. A remarkable variety of vegetation types, including high-altitude rainforest, grows in this small park. It is a hot spot for possums with several different species inhabiting the area and a good place for seeing high-altitude birds.

 

Mount Walsh National Park
Mount Walsh is 84km west of Maryborough or 50km south of Childers. Rising to 703m above sea level in the Coastal Range, Mount Walsh National Park is a rugged park with spectacular exposed granite outcrops and cliffs. The “Bluff” area of Mount Walsh, at the park’s northern end, is a prominent landmark in the Biggenden area. The park’s diverse vegetation includes vine forest in sheltered pockets, scrubland and heath on rock pavements and open eucalypt forest and woodland. Shrubs are common in the forest and woodland understorey, heath and shrubland. Common rainforest trees include tuckeroo, python tree, canary beech and the native witch hazel with its white perfumed flowers. The park is a wildlife refuge and home to rare and threatened species including the heart-leaved bosistoa Bosistoa selwynii, powerful owl Ninox strenua and the grey goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae.

 

Mowbray National Park
7km from Mossman. The pyramid-shaped Black Mountain towers over tropical rainforest and open eucalypt forest. Two parks (Mowbray National Park and Kuranda National Park) occupy the western slopes of the Macalister Range, which runs parallel to the coast between Cairns and Mossman. Black Mountain Road, an unsealed road, runs through both parks, as well as state forest and private land, from the Kennedy Highway in the south to the Mossman-Mount Molloy Road, near Julatten, in the north. Mowbray National Park is entirely within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It features both rainforest and open eucalypt forest and protect an important wildlife corridor between centres of biodiversity in the Daintree/Carbine Tableland area to the north and Lamb Range/Atherton Tableland area to the south. 

 

Murray Upper National Park
41km north-west of Cardwell and 36km south-west of Tully. Rainforested mountains meet tropical lowlands in the scenic foothills of the Kirrama Range. The clear waters of the Murray River cascade over boulders into rock pools in this picturesque spot. Murray Upper National Park is in the foothills of the Kirrama Range and is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Murray Falls are among the prettiest in north Queensland, with spectacular water-sculpted rocks and crystal clear pools. This park is a great location for a picnic. The falls can be viewed from the boardwalk and viewing platform. For the more adventurous, a walking track through the rainforest will take you to a lookout, where the falls and the Murray Valley can be viewed.

 

Noosa National Park
160km north of Brisbane, on the Sunshine Coast. Noosa National Park features spectacular coastal scenery and provides an important refuge for native wildlife including the koala, glossy black cockatoo, ground parrot and wallum froglet. Includes the popular scenic headland at Noosa Heads, parts of Lake Weyba (a large, shallow, saltwater lake in the Noosa River system), Emu Mountain and coastal lowlands extending south towards Coolum. The park is home to the koala, and rare and threatened wildlife such as the glossy black cockatoo, ground parrot, red goshawk, wallum froglet, swamp orchid and Christmas bell. Open woodlands with a heath understorey and low wallum heath cover most of the park. Hoop and kauri pines tower above small rainforest pockets growing on sand in sheltered sites away from the sea breezes.

 

Paluma Range National Park
North of Townsville and south of Ingham. Features dense rainforest, open forest, creek scenery, wildlife and panoramic views. Locked campground. There are lots of things to do: picnicking, camping, bushwalking, birdwatching and nature study. Rising high above the coastal plains, cloaked in tropical rainforest and dissected by numerous streams, Mount Spec is the southernmost national park section in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Jourama Falls Section of Paluma Range National Park is the traditional homeland of the Nywaigi

 

Poona National Park
Poona is just 6km south-east of Maryborough on the northern side of the Maryborough-Cooloola and Boonooroo Road. Access is possible by four-wheel-drive vehicle, boat or walking. The roads inside the park are not signposted and become boggy when wet. Low-lying coastal plains and two small islands in the Great Sandy Strait are protected in this park between the Mary River estuary and Great Sandy Strait. Poona National Park conserves valuable remnants of the wallum heath communities which flourished in the Maryborough-Hervey Bay area before settlement and land clearing. Paperbark forests and woodlands, mangroves, and banksia and blue gum woodlands also grow in the park. Rare and threatened plants include Boronia keysii and Macrozamia pauli-guilielimi. The park contains one of the most southerly stands of the broad-leafed paperbark Melaleuca viridiflora. Poona National Park is an important wildlife refuge. The endangered ground parrot lives in the park's wallum heath. The park also protects part of the Kalah Creek catchment. Poona National Park is the traditional country of the Butchulla people who also lived on nearby Fraser Island.

 

Porcupine Gorge National Park
60km north of Hughenden, which lies 385km west of Townsville. Towering cliffs of coloured sandstone, pockets of vine forest and deep permanent waterholes along Porcupine Creek contrast strikingly with the savanna plains surrounding Porcupine Gorge. Covering an area of 5410ha, Porcupine Gorge National Park extends for more than 25km along Porcupine Creek, and includes surrounding open woodland and grassland. The creek has carved an impressive canyon, which reveals strata of sedimentary rocks spanning hundreds of millions of years. In the wider section of the gorge, the eroding action of the creek has also created the Pyramid, an isolated monolith of multicoloured sandstone rising from the floor of the gorge, shaped as its name suggests. Porcupine Gorge National Park and the surrounding area are a rich cultural landscape, with three Aboriginal groups continuing to maintain traditional connections to country with the park.

 

Ravensbourne National Park
Ravensbourne is located between Esk and Toowoomba just off the Esk-Hampton Road. Small remnants of the rainforest and wet eucalypt forest that once covered this part of the Great Dividing Range are preserved in Ravensbourne National Park. Evidence suggests the rainforest is slowly overtaking the open forest. More than 80 species of birds visit or live in this park including the black-breasted button-quail, which is threatened with extinction, fruit doves and six species of owls. Ravensbourne is along one of the pathways taken by Aboriginal people when visiting the Bunya Mountains for the bunya nut festival, providing a reliable source of food for travelling Aboriginal people.

 

Russell River National Park
83km south-east of Cairns. This small coastal park in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area protects lowland rainforest, paperbark swamps and mangroves, near the estuary of the Russell and Mulgrave rivers. Russell River National Park occupies a section of the Graham Range between the meandering Russell River and the coast. It also includes a section to the north of the Russell River, near Deeral Landing. The only point of access into the park is from Bramston Beach. Here, the long sandbar, only 30m across in some areas, supports a fragile environment that changes each year with the tide. Paperbark and mangrove forests line the many creeks and rivers in this tranquil, unspoilt area. There is a high risk of crocodiles in the area. Estuarine crocodiles live mainly in tidal reaches of rivers and creeks, as well as in freshwater sections of lagoons, swamps and waterways up to hundreds of kilometres from the sea. They can even occur in the ocean and along some beaches.

 

Simpson Desert National Park
79km west of Birdsville. Enjoy the rich colours of this big sky country with its red sand dunes and ironstone pebbles, grey-green spinifex and clear blue skies. Camp under the stars in Queensland’s largest national park. At one million hectares, Simpson Desert National Park is Queensland’s largest protected area. At Poeppel Corner it meets South Australia’s Simpson Desert Conservation Park and the Northern Territory’s Simpson Desert Regional Reserve. The entire Simpson Desert covers more than 17 million hectares of Central Australia. Across the Simpson, parallel dunes run south-east to north-west, the dominant wind direction when they formed during the Pleistocene epoch about 80,000 years ago. Spaced about 1km apart, dunes can extend 200km. Bare windswept crests stand atop slopes secured by spinifex and canegrass. Flat plains between dunes can be wind-polished gibber pebbles or mineral encrusted claypans, but many surprisingly support open shrublands of acacias, hakeas and grevilleas. Warning! Simpson Desert National Park is vast and remote. Only experienced, self-sufficient visitors should explore the Simpson Desert. You must be well-equipped to cope with the harsh environment in Australia’s driest place. Leave a copy of your travel plans with your family or someone responsible. Travel in two-vehicle parties and stay on the track. Take a two-way radio and plenty of food, water, fuel and spare parts for your vehicle.

 

Southwood National Park
Southwood is about four hours’ drive west of Brisbane or 130km south-west of Dalby on the Moonie Highway. Four-wheel-drive is recommended on Fabians Road which dissects the park. Roads become boggy when wet. Brigalow-belah forest remnants are conserved in this park on the western Darling Downs. Few intact examples of this vegetation type remain on the Downs. Cypress pine, poplar box, wilga bush, false sandalwood, western teatree and other plant species common throughout the semi-arid lands also grow in the park. Southwood’s scrubby forests are a refuge for wildlife. More than 92 species of birds have been seen in the park. The wonga pigeon is close to the inland limit of its range here. Large depressions known as gilgais are scattered through the park. These form by constant wetting and drying of the heavy clay soils. This is the traditional land of the Bigambul people. Explorers Allan Cunningham and Thomas Mitchell passed this way but the surrounding area was slow to attract settlers. Formerly known as “Wild Horse Paradise”, Southwood became a national park in 1970.

 

Springbrook National Park
About 100km south of Brisbane. Spectacular waterfalls, lush rainforest, ancient trees, impressive views, exceptional ecological importance and natural beauty make this World Heritage-listed park an outstanding place to visit. Dominating the Gold Coast’s western skyline, Springbrook’s cool forests and mountain streams offer visitors views of impressive landscapes, and walks among subtropical and temperate rainforest, open eucalypt forest and montane heath. Spectacular waterfalls, cascades and tumbling creeks are dominant features in this World Heritage-listed park. Springbrook National Park covers 3425ha and is in three sections — Springbrook Plateau, Mount Cougal to the east and Natural Bridge to the west. The Plateau has many lookouts with fabulous views while Mount Cougal offers an insight into the area’s logging history. Visit Natural Bridge by day to see a unique waterfall or after dark to discover the park’s amazing glow-worms. Located on the banks of the Nerang River and shaded by a forest setting, the Numinbah Forest Reserve’s day-use area is a perfect spot for a barbecue or picnic. 

 

St Helena Island National Park
In Moreton Bay, off Brisbane, accessible by boat from Manly or New Farm. This picturesque island in Moreton Bay has a turbulent history as the site of Queensland's first penal settlement. Tour the stone ruins for fascinating insights into 19th century life. St Helena Island National Park contains the ruins of the State’s first penal settlement, which operated here from 1867 until 1932. Remains of the prison stockade include the bakery, workshops and underground tanks. Beyond the stockade are the stone ruins of warder accommodation, a sugar mill, lime kiln, jetty and Queensland’s first tramway. The vegetation today is an interesting mix of the original vine forest, remnants of beautifully landscaped gardens, and former crops such as olive trees. Middens and shell scatters show that for thousands of years, Aboriginal people visited the island seasonally, harvesting flying-foxes, dugongs and shellfish. Wetlands around the island are a haven for migratory wading birds. The surrounding waters are protected in Moreton Bay Marine Park.

 

Sundown National Park
Sundown is 3-4 hours’ drive south-west of Brisbane on the Queensland/New South Wales border, Sundown National Park is a rugged wilderness park with spectacular steep-sided gorges, sharp ridges and peaks rising to more than 1000 metres.  The vegetation is mainly box-ironbark-cypress woodland with tea trees, river red gums and river oaks along the river, stringybark-yellow box forest in some high eastern areas and pockets of dry vine scrub in sheltered gorges.  More than 150 species of birds have been recorded in the park, some seasonal visitors. Grey kangaroos are common. Red-necked wallabies and swamp wallabies and wallaroos also live in the park. The once common brush-tailed rock-wallaby now survives only in the northern end of the park. Go birdwatching early morning or late afternoon. See ducks, herons, cormorants and tiny azure kingfishers along the river. Watch eastern grey kangaroos browsing on the grassy flats around The Broadwater late afternoon and early morning.  Camping and walking are best between May and September when you can expect cold nights, frosty mornings and warm, clear days. Summer can be hot and humid.  

 

Tam O’Shanter National Park
8km west of the town of Mission Beach. Rare fan palms are a feature of this park which protects some of the last remaining lowland forest in the Wet Tropics. It is home to endangered southern cassowaries. Since Europeans began to settle north Queensland, over 80 percent of the lowland rainforest in the wet tropics has been cleared for agriculture and housing. Much of the forest in Mission Beach was spared, or has regrown after timber was harvested. A large tract of this now rare forest type is preserved as national park. From the Licuala day-use area, the short fan palm walk takes visitors through dense groves of native fan palm. The splayed fronds, which create a bright green, patterned canopy overhead, are a popular subject for photographers. At Lacey Creek, visitors can follow the walk through the rainforest along, and across, the creek. Many of the features of mature tropical rainforest can be seen: tall trees with wide buttressed trunks; epiphytic ferns perching on tree branches, high in the canopy; and twining vines climbing up and over other plants to reach the light. Cassowaries are often seen in this park, appearing from the surrounding forest and then melting away again. Unfortunately, this forest was badly affected by Cyclone Larry, a category five storm which hit the coast here on 20 March 2006. Damage to the forest will be apparent to visitors for many years

 

Tamborine National Park
About 80km south of Brisbane, in the Gold Coast hinterland. Within an hour's drive of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Tamborine National Park is very popular with day visitors seeking picnic facilities and short walks in a natural environment. The Witches Falls section of the park was declared in 1908, making it Queensland's first national park. Over the years additional reserves have been declared and today the park is made up of 13 sections of land on the Tamborine plateau and surrounding foothills. The park protects remnants of Tamborine Mountain's plant communities and includes areas of rainforest with distinctive piccabeen palm groves, wet eucalypt forest dominated by tall flooded gums, open forest with bracken fern understorey and woodland. Surrounded by urban and rural development, these plant communities provide essential wildlife habitat. Tamborine Mountain escarpment contains 85 percent of all fauna species and 65 percent of all flora species in the Gold Coast City area. The park is home to many rainforest animals including the rare Albert's lyrebird and one of the world's largest skinks, the land mullet. The Richmond birdwing butterfly and noisy pitta migrate seasonally to the park from nearby higher altitude rainforests. Basalt columns, cliffs, rocky outcrops and waterfalls are a lasting legacy of volcanic eruptions 23 million years ago. Tamborine is the most northerly remnant of the flows from a volcano centred on Mt Warning. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is currently improving tracks and visitor facilities in Tamborine National Park, to enhance visitors' safety and enjoyment of the park's natural features. Some tracks may be temporarily closed. QPWS apologises for any inconvenience this may cause. Information on this web site and signs on site will provide current information on any track or area closures.

 

Teerk Roo Ra (Peel Island) National Park
In Moreton Bay between Cleveland and Stradbroke island. A Moreton Bay island with beautiful beaches, significant cultural heritage values, and natural conservation values both terrestrial and marine. Important historic features include remnants of a quarantine station and a multiracial lazaret. The 590ha island is surrounded by mangroves except for a sand beach on the southern side that forms Horseshoe Bay. Rich in cultural significance, Teerk Roo Ra (Peel Island) is the only intact example of a multiracial lazaret in Australia. It opened in 1907, housing leprosy patients for the next 52 years. Before the lazaret was built the island served as a quarantine station (1874–1890s) and home for “inebriates” (1910–1916). The island is managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

 

Undara Volcanic National Park
300km south-west of Cairns or 420km north-west of Townsville. This park contains the remains of the Earth’s longest flow of lava originating from a single volcano. Caves within this lava tube are fertile pockets in which rainforest plant and animal species thrive. On the western slopes of the McBride Plateau, open woodlands give way to the vast open spaces of the savanna. Here in Undara Volcanic National Park, rich volcanic basalt soils, covered in a sea of seasonal grasses, conceal the Undara lava tube. This geological tunnel of global significance snakes westward under a ribbon of remnant deciduous rainforest. “Undara” is an Aboriginal word meaning “long way”. The park protects one of the longest lava tube cave systems in the world. About 190,000 years ago a large volcano erupted violently, spewing molten lava over the surrounding landscape. The lava flowed rapidly down a dry riverbed. The top, outer layer cooled and formed a crust, while the molten lava below drained outwards, leaving behind a series of hollow tubes. Semi-evergreen vine thicket grows in the moist, sheltered entrances to some of the lava caves. The roofs of some tubes collapsed, creating ideal conditions for dry rainforest to grow and wildlife to shelter. Rock-wallabies, insectivorous bat colonies and owls roost here in the cool. Birds shelter in the fruit-filled canopy and predators lurk in the tumbled basalt terrain to complete the food chain. The collapsed tubes have also created mysterious caves for us to explore.

 

Venman Bushland National Park
40km south of Brisbane city on West Mt Cotton Road. One of the largest remaining areas of eucalypt forest in the coastal lowlands near Brisbane, this park and other forest remnants in the region are very important habitat for koalas and other wildlife. Venman Bushland National Park has been a popular Brisbane recreation site for decades. It was originally private property, owned by local Jack Burnett Venman (1911-94). Today, the area forms part of the Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area and is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. The open forest, with its mixture of eucalypt and angophora trees and well-developed understorey of flowering shrubs, is home to koalas, brushtail and ringtail possums, sugar gliders, greater gliders, swamp and red-necked wallabies, powerful owls and many other birds. The park protects the headwaters of Tingalpa Creek and its tributaries. For most of the year, the creeks are dry or reduced to a string of waterholes, as the creeks flow underground. Frogs, water-rats and water dragons live in and around the creeks.

 

Whitsunday Islands National Park
The Whitsunday Island group is readily accessible from Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour by private boat or commercial tours. Hilly islands dotting the aquamarine waters of the scenic Whitsunday Passage are protected in Whitsunday Islands National Park. The Whitsunday group of continental islands formed when changing sea levels drowned a mountain range. Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island is world-renowned for its pure, white, silica sands and crystal-clear waters. The Whitsunday reefs have outstanding coral cover and variety. From May to September the Whitsundays are an important calving ground for migrating humpback whales. The islands and surrounding waters are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and are protected. The Ngaro people, one of the earliest recorded Aboriginal groups in Australia, were seen by Cook while exploring the Whitsunday Passage. The “Island People” lived throughout the island chain known as the Whitsundays and the nearby mainland for hundreds of years. Rock art and middens at Nara Inlet (Hook Island) provide a record of their special way of life.

 

Wooroonooran National Park
Located south of Cairns, covers 79 500ha ofthe impressive Bellenden Ker Range. Mt Bartle Frere,1622m, and MtBellenden Ker,1592m, dominate thelandscape of the park. This World Heritage National Park gives you the opportunity to view superb rainforest sections, admire spectacular views and picnic alongside peaceful creek scenery. It is located on the highway between Innisfail and the Atherton Tableland. Beautiful lowland rainforest, wild rivers, the North Johnstone River gorge and waterfalls make the Palmerston Section of Wooroonooran National Park one of the most scenic places in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Both lowland and upland rainforests can be seen in the Palmerston Section.