Girringun National Park
Encyclopedia
Girrungun National Park is a National Park
in Queensland
(Australia), approximately 50 km southwest of Ingham
, 110 km north of Townsville and 1,290 km northwest of Brisbane
. The park was formerly named Lumholtz
National Park when it was created in 1994. The Blencoe Falls
Section was gazetted as part of Lumholtz National Park in 2000. Its name was subsequently changed to Girringun in 2003.
The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site
.
On National Parks Day 2010 (Sunday, March 28, 2010) the Queensland State Government announced the addition of 2,810 hectares to the park. The announcement is at http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=69077
consists mainly of wet sclerophyll forests
, but small pockets of rainforest also exists along the eastern slopes and hilltops. The Seaview
, George and Cardwell ranges dominate the landscape, which is strewn with granite
debris from a volcanic eruption 100,000 years ago. Perhaps the most well known geological feature in this park is the Wallaman Falls
. At 268 metres, it is the largest single-drop falls in Australia.
track. However for most of the park there is only very rudimentary or absent vehicle access. Most of the park is accessible for hikers, but due to its remoteness and rugged terrain only experienced bushwalkers should undertake extensive hikes.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
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), approximately 50 km southwest of Ingham
Ingham, Queensland
Ingham is a town in the Great Green Way region of North Queensland, Australia. The town was founded in 1864, gazetted a shire in 1879, and is the service centre for many sugarcane plantations, pioneered in the 1870s by William Ingham, for whom the town is named...
, 110 km north of Townsville and 1,290 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...
. The park was formerly named Lumholtz
Carl Sofus Lumholtz
Carl Sofus Lumholtz was a Norwegian explorer and ethnographer, best known for his meticulous field research and ethnographic publications on indigenous cultures of Australia and Mesoamerican central Mexico.-Biography:...
National Park when it was created in 1994. The Blencoe Falls
Blencoe Falls
Blencoe Falls are located on Blencoe Creek, a tributary of the Herbert River, 2 km north of a confluence, within the Girringun National Park in Queensland, Australia...
Section was gazetted as part of Lumholtz National Park in 2000. Its name was subsequently changed to Girringun in 2003.
The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
Wet Tropics of Queensland
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...
series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
On National Parks Day 2010 (Sunday, March 28, 2010) the Queensland State Government announced the addition of 2,810 hectares to the park. The announcement is at http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=69077
Geography
This large, 1,538 square kilometre National ParkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
consists mainly of wet sclerophyll forests
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
, but small pockets of rainforest also exists along the eastern slopes and hilltops. The Seaview
Seaview Range
The Seaview Range, part of the of Great Dividing Range, is a mountain range west of Ingham in North Queensland, Australia. Much of the range is covered by rainforest and parts of it are protected in the Girringun National Park and the Wet Tropics of Queensland world heritage area.The range is the...
, George and Cardwell ranges dominate the landscape, which is strewn with granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
debris from a volcanic eruption 100,000 years ago. Perhaps the most well known geological feature in this park is the Wallaman Falls
Wallaman Falls
The Wallaman Falls are notable for their single-drop of 268 metres, which is Australia's highest permanent waterfall. The pool at the end of the waterfall is 20 metres deep....
. At 268 metres, it is the largest single-drop falls in Australia.
Access and infrastructure
Vehicle access into the forest include the Dalrymple Gap Track, or the Wallaman FallsWallaman Falls
The Wallaman Falls are notable for their single-drop of 268 metres, which is Australia's highest permanent waterfall. The pool at the end of the waterfall is 20 metres deep....
track. However for most of the park there is only very rudimentary or absent vehicle access. Most of the park is accessible for hikers, but due to its remoteness and rugged terrain only experienced bushwalkers should undertake extensive hikes.