Barron Gorge National Park is a national park in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 (Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

), 1,404 km northwest of Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

 and 2 km from Kuranda

Kuranda, Queensland

Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by rainforest. At the 2006 census, Kuranda had a population of 1,611.-History:...

. Barron Gorge is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Kuranda Scenic Railway

Kuranda Scenic Railway

The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a name for the railway line that runs from Cairns, Queensland, Australia to the nearby town of Kuranda. The tourist railway snakes its way up the Macalister Range and is no longer used for regular commuter services. It passes through the suburbs of Stratford,...

 line passes through the park with a station at Barron Falls

Barron Falls

Barron Falls is where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. Protected within the Barron Gorge National Park, the volume of water seen in the upper photo only occurs after substantial rainfall during the wet season...

. One train runs from and returns to Cairns daily. The original weir

Weir

A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...

, constructed in 1934 at the top of the falls, is visible from the station lookout.

Landforms

Barren Gorge formed where the Barron River

Barron River (Queensland)

The Barron River is located on the Atherton Tableland inland from Cairns in Northern Queensland, Australia. With its headwater at Lake Tinaroo, it is more than 165 km long and has a catchment area of approximately 2138 km².-History:...

 passes over the eastern escarpment of the Atherton Tablelands. Barren Falls cascade 265 m to the gorge below. Two waterfalls—Stoney Creek Falls

Stoney Creek Falls

Stoney Creek Falls are found in the Barron Gorge National Park, north-east of Cairns, in Queensland, Australia. The falls are formed where Stoney Creek starts to descend in steps from the shoulders of the gorge. The falls are best known for the curved lattice railway bridge that passes in front of...

 and Surprise Creek Falls

Surprise Creek Falls

Surprise Creek Falls are found in the Barron Gorge National Park, north-east of Cairns, in Queensland, Australia. The falls are located near Barron Gorge Hydro and cascade 243 m into the gorge....

 exist on tributaries of the Barron River within the park. Slopes around the gorge are steep with some at a 45° angle. This made construction of the railway hazardous. 23 lives were lost during its construction.

History

In 1885 the explorer Archibald Meston

Archibald Meston

Archibald Meston was an Australian politician, civil servant, journalist, naturalist and explorer.-Personal Life:Archibald Meston was born 26 March 1851 at Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of Alexander Meston....

 described the Barron Falls in flood where the raging waters "rush together like wild horses as they enter the straight in the dread finish of their last race ... (where) the currents of air created by the cataract waved the branches of the trees hundreds of feet overhead ... the rock shook like a mighty steamer tumbling with the vibrations of the screw."

In 1935, the waters of the Barron River were harnessed in the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station to generate Queensland's first hydroelectric power. Two hundred metres from the base of the Barron Falls an underground power station was carved into the cliff face. Water was delivered through pipes to drive the turbines, two 1200 kW turbo-alternators. The substation, workshops and staff houses were built around the area now forming the Skyrail station.

Ownership of the park returned to its traditional owners on 17 December 2004. Visitors to the park have not faced any changes under the new owners but Aboriginals were then able to hold traditional religious ceremonies.

Fauna

Bird's-nest fern and elkhorn

Platycerium

Platycerium is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely-shaped fronds...

 ferns grow amongst Candlenut

Candlenut

Aleurites moluccana, the Candlenut, is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as Candleberry, Indian walnut, Kemiri, Varnish tree, Nuez de la India, Buah keras or Kukui nut tree....

, Corkwood

Corkwood

Corkwood is a common name of a number of plants:*Annona glabra in the West Indies*Duboisia species in Australia*Endiandra sieberi a Corkwood from Australia in the laurel family...

, Native Olive and False Red Sandalwood trees at the bottom of the gorge.

Flora

Noisy Pitta

Noisy Pitta

The Noisy Pitta, Pitta versicolor, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.It eats earthworms, insects and snails....

s and the Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

The Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Megapodius reinwardt, is a small megapode of the family Megapodiidae.This species comprises five subspecies found on many islands in Wallacea as well as southern New Guinea and northern Australia. It is a terrestrial bird the size of a domestic chicken and dark-coloured...

 are two species of bird that may be commonly seen. The Southern Cassowary

Southern Cassowary

The Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, also known as Double-wattled Cassowary, Australian Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary, is a large flightless black bird...

 is occasionally spotted in the southern section of the park. Nocturnal animals are relatively common. These include a variety of possums and flying foxes as well as Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo

Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo

Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo is a heavy-bodied tree-kangaroo found in rain forests of the Atherton Tableland Region of Queensland. Its status is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, although local authorities classify it as rare...

 and the Northern Quoll

Northern Quoll

The Northern Quoll , also known as the Northern Native Cat, the Satanellus, the North Australian Native Cat or the Njanmak , is a carnivorous marsupial mammal, native to Australia.- Taxonomy :The Northern Quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae, and is often stated to be the most distinctive...

.

External links

• Barron Gorge National Park Queensland Holidays
• Barron George National Park protectedplanet.net