Lamington National Park
Encyclopedia
Lamington is a national park in Queensland, Australia, lying on the Lamington Plateau of the McPherson Range
on the Queensland/New South Wales border. From Southport
on the Gold Coast the park is 85 km to the southwest and Brisbane
is 110 km north.
Lamington National Park is known for its natural beauty, rainforests, birdlife, ancient trees, waterfalls, walking tracks and mountain views. The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the World Heritage Site
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List
in 2007. The park is part of the Scenic Rim
Important Bird Area
, identified as such by BirdLife International
because of its importance in the conservation of several species of threatened birds.
, most of the park is situated 900 m above sea level only 30 km from the Pacific's
ocean shores. The plateaus and cliffs in Lamington and Springbrook National Park
s are the northern and north western remnants of the huge 23 million year old Tweed Volcano
, centered around Mount Warning
. Elevation in the south of the park is above 1000 m in some parts. The land declines to under 700 m in the north. Some of the mountains located in the park include Mount Hobwee, Mount Widgee, Mount Toolona, Mount Cominan, Mount Roberts and Mount Bithongabel. The Nerang River
, Albert River and Coomera River all have their source in Lamington National Park. Eastern parts of the park feature high cliffs which rise above the Numinbah Valley
.
For at least 6000 years, Aboriginal people
lived in and visited these mountains. The vanished Wangerriburras and Nerangballum tribes claimed home to the plateau territory. Roughly 900 years ago the indigenous population began to decline. Bushrangers Cave, which is located close to Mount Hobwee and is 60 m long, was once an aboriginal camp. This site shows Aboriginal occupation going back 10,000 years.
Captain Patrick Logan
and Allan Cunningham
were the first European explorers in the area. The timber cutters soon followed, including the Lahey family who owned one of Queensland's largest timber mills at the time. In 1863 a survey of the Queensland/New South Wales border was conducted. The task was carried out by Francis Edward Roberts and Isaiah Rowland, both surveyors, who had to define the border along the highest points in dense rainforest where there were very few clear lines of sight
.
Robert Martin Collins campaigned heavily for the protection of the area from logging from the 1890s. Collins entered state parliament
and saw a bill passed that preserved state forests and national parks but he died before the McPherson Range was protected. Later it was another local, Romeo Lahey who recognised the value of preserving the forests. He campaigned to make it one of the first protected area
s in Queensland. The O’Reilly family established a guesthouse near the park in 1926, now named O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat
, and founding members of the National Parks Association of Queensland built Binna Burra
Lodge next to the park in the 1930s. Lamington National park was established in 1915. The park was named after Lord Lamington
, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1902.
In 1937, Bernard O'Reilly became a hero when he rescued the survivors from a crashed Stinson
plane from the remote Lamington wilderness. In typical Australian bushman fashion he embarked on his rescue mission taking only onions to eat. Only a small portion of the original wreck remains today, 10 km south from the O'Reilly's guesthouse.
Rugged mountain scenery, tumbling waterfall
s, caves, rainforest
, wildflower heath
s, tall open forests, picturesque creeks, varied wildlife and some of the best bushwalking in Queensland are protected in Lamington National Park. One of Queensland’s best-loved parks, Lamington is the core of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves Australia World Heritage Area along the adjoining Border Ranges National Park
in New South Wales.
David Attenborough
visited and filmed the park while making the 1979 television series Life on Earth in which beech trees and bowerbirds were featured.
cool temperate rainforests in Australia. The roots of the oldest Antarctic beech trees are over 5,000 years old. Around Mount Widgee numbers of Antarctic beech appear to be increasing. The park protects one of the country's largest remaining forests of hoop pine which are found on the drier slopes.
Below 880 m the White Booyong and Black Booyong are commonly found. In higher elevations the Yellow Carabeen, Red Carabeen, Pigeonberry Ash, Rosewood
and Soft Corkwood trees predominate.
Many of Lamington's plants are found nowhere else on earth, such as O’Reilly's Pittosporum
(Pittosporum oreillyanum), the Lamington Peach Myrtle (Uromyrtus
lamingtonensis), and the Mt Merino Eyebright and Everlasting Daisy which are subalpine
relics from the last ice age
. In 2006 it was realised that an old collection of the Eastern Underground Orchid (Rhizanthella slateri
) from Lamington was actually a separate species and has been described as the Lamington Underground Orchid (Rhizanthella omissa). This Orchid like the two other related species has no chlorophyll
and depends entirely upon a symbiotic fungus for survival. It is also one of only four flowering plants on Earth to complete its life cycle entirely underground. Sadly one of Lamington's more than 100 fern species is now presumed extinct, Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum
was known from only a single plant which has since died and no other plants have been found. Lamington is also home to a large number of threatened plant species such as the Ravine and Blotched Sarchochilus orchids.
including rare and threatened animals such as the Coxen’s fig parrot, Eastern Bristlebird
, Albert's Lyrebird
, Richmond Birdwing butterfly. The blue Lamington Crayfish is found only on the Lamington plateau in pools and streams above an altitude of 450 m. The vulnerable Large-eared Pied Bat
is found in the park. Other rare species include the Rainforest Cool-skink, Elf Skink and numerous frog species including the Fleay's Barred Frog
, Giant Barred Frog
and the Cascade Treefrog. Red-necked Pademelons can be seen near the edges of the rainforest and platypus
may be spotted in the deeper rock pools.
. This large shield volcano
is over 100 km in diameter, and extends from Mount Tamborine in the north to Lismore
in the south. The volcanic plug of Mount Warning
marks the centre of the volcano. This volcano was active around 23 million years ago when this part of Australia was above a hotspot
in the mantle. Both basaltic and rhyolitic lavas were erupted, and erosion of these lavas from rain and running water has formed the many spectacular landforms including cliffs, now observed in the park. Under these layers is a layer of tuff
made from volcanic ash and fine rock which is up to 60 m thick in some places. Near Binna Burra the maximum thickness of the basalt layer is estimated to be 700 m.
The park contains more than 500 waterfalls, including Elabana Falls
and Running Creek Falls in the south of the park which falls into a box canyon
. Yarrbilgong Falls
and Coomera Falls
both flow into Coomera Gorge. Morans Falls is another cascade that is passed on the 6 km long Morans Falls Track. Upper Ballanjui Falls, Lower Ballanjui Falls, Stairway Falls and Nagarigoon Falls are also located in the national park.
The park is covered by more than 150 km (93.2 mi) of clearly marked walks that were constructed during the Great Depression
and designed by Romeo Lahey. Lahey studied dairy cow movements on the surrounding hills, noticing that their paths never had a gradient of greater that 1:10. He laid out the parks tracks in a similar manner so that walkers would not be out of breath. Where steep terrain was unavoidable, steps were used instead of a steep track.
Some are short and others are steep and take up to seven hours to complete. The well maintained and signed Border Track, follows the border between New South Wales and Queensland along the top of the McPherson Range
. This track links Binna Burra to the O'Reilly guesthouse at Green Mountains, a distance of some 23 kilometres which can be completed one way in a day or in 7 to 8 hours.
A number of other well marked and varied walks connect with this Border Track creating a network which can be easily negotiated by relatively inexperienced bushwalkers. These include the Box Forest Circuit (10.9 km or 4 hours return from O'Reilly's), Toolona Creek Circuit (17.4 km or 6 hours return), and the Albert River Circuit (20.6 km or 7 hours return to O'Reilly's) to name some of the best known. While the Border Track remains reasonably level for most of its length, many of the other tracks descend to lower altitudes of 750 metres or less and provide access to some of the diverse variety of flora, fauna and geography to be found in the park.
Another attraction is the Tree Top Walk, suspended 15 m above the ground. This walk provides the opportunity to safely walk through the canopy
of the forest along a series of suspension bridges. Climbing a ladder up a strangler fig takes visitors to an observation deck 30 m above the ground.
For experienced walkers there are also numerous trails traversing the park. These trails do not have clear tracks; in many cases there are only occasional markers in the natural forest and it is inadvisable to use them without the company of an experienced bushwalker who knows the area. The walk to the Stinson wreck is long and steep in places. Map reading and good navigation skills are a necessity and National Park Rangers should be notified before commencing. Camping overnight is not permitted without a permit. There are a number of natural hazards such as leech
es, snake
s and stinging trees that bushwalkers should be aware of.
McPherson Range
The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Further west of the...
on the Queensland/New South Wales border. From Southport
Southport, Queensland
-Sport:The Southport Sharks Australian rules football club has a presence in the area, including a club and function centre.-Transport:The Broadwaterway is a foreshoreway that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to travel along the Broadwater foreshores of Southport.A ferry terminal is planned for...
on the Gold Coast the park is 85 km to the southwest and 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...
is 110 km north.
Lamington National Park is known for its natural beauty, rainforests, birdlife, ancient trees, waterfalls, walking tracks and mountain views. The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the 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...
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List
Australian National Heritage List
The Australian National Heritage List is a list of places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places...
in 2007. The park is part of the Scenic Rim
Scenic Rim
The Scenic Rim is a group of forested mountain ranges of the Great Dividing Range straddling the border between south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.-Description:...
Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
, identified as such by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
because of its importance in the conservation of several species of threatened birds.
Geography
Part of the Scenic RimScenic Rim
The Scenic Rim is a group of forested mountain ranges of the Great Dividing Range straddling the border between south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.-Description:...
, most of the park is situated 900 m above sea level only 30 km from the Pacific's
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
ocean shores. The plateaus and cliffs in Lamington and Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park is a national park at Springbrook on the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland of Queensland, , 96 km south of Brisbane. It is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the World Heritage site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia...
s are the northern and north western remnants of the huge 23 million year old Tweed Volcano
Tweed Volcano
Tweed Volcano was an early Miocene shield volcano in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. In the course of about three million years, Tweed Volcano was formed over the East Australia hotspot when this part of the continent passed over it around 23 million years ago...
, centered around Mount Warning
Mount Warning
Mount Warning is a mountain west-south-west of Murwillumbah, near the border with Queensland in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia...
. Elevation in the south of the park is above 1000 m in some parts. The land declines to under 700 m in the north. Some of the mountains located in the park include Mount Hobwee, Mount Widgee, Mount Toolona, Mount Cominan, Mount Roberts and Mount Bithongabel. The Nerang River
Nerang River
The Nerang River is a river that begins in the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland and runs through Gold Coast City in South East Queensland, Australia...
, Albert River and Coomera River all have their source in Lamington National Park. Eastern parts of the park feature high cliffs which rise above the Numinbah Valley
Numinbah Valley
The Numinbah Valley is an area of the Gold Coast hinterland in South East Queensland, Australia. This Scenic Rim valley contains many rocky outcrops, waterfalls, rainforest walks, and good hinterland scenery....
.
History
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
lived in and visited these mountains. The vanished Wangerriburras and Nerangballum tribes claimed home to the plateau territory. Roughly 900 years ago the indigenous population began to decline. Bushrangers Cave, which is located close to Mount Hobwee and is 60 m long, was once an aboriginal camp. This site shows Aboriginal occupation going back 10,000 years.
Captain Patrick Logan
Patrick Logan
Captain Patrick Logan was the commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony from 1826 until his death in 1830. He is thought to have been killed by Aboriginal Australians who objected to him entering their lands...
and Allan Cunningham
Allan Cunningham (botanist)
Allan Cunningham was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants.- Early life :...
were the first European explorers in the area. The timber cutters soon followed, including the Lahey family who owned one of Queensland's largest timber mills at the time. In 1863 a survey of the Queensland/New South Wales border was conducted. The task was carried out by Francis Edward Roberts and Isaiah Rowland, both surveyors, who had to define the border along the highest points in dense rainforest where there were very few clear lines of sight
Sightline
A sightline, or sight line, is a normally unobstructed line-of-sight between an intended observer and a stage, arena, or monument, for example. Sightlines are a particularly important consideration in theatre and stadium design, road junction layout and urban planning...
.
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
and saw a bill passed that preserved state forests and national parks but he died before the McPherson Range was protected. Later it was another local, Romeo Lahey who recognised the value of preserving the forests. He campaigned to make it one of the first protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s in Queensland. The O’Reilly family established a guesthouse near the park in 1926, now named O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat
O'Reilly's Guesthouse
O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat is a tourist destination in Queensland, Australia, situated in the heart of the Lamington National Park, two hours by road south of Brisbane and 90 minutes by road west of the Gold Coast. It is located in the Scenic Rim Region Local Government Area and and is...
, and founding members of the National Parks Association of Queensland built Binna Burra
Binna Burra
Binna Burra is a parcel of private land surrounded by Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia. The settlement lies in the north-eastern corner of the Lamington Plateau, 75 km south of Brisbane. It is a part of the World Heritage site, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia...
Lodge next to the park in the 1930s. Lamington National park was established in 1915. The park was named after Lord Lamington
Alexander Baillie-Cochrane
Alexander Dundas Ross Cochrane-Wishart-Baillie, 1st Baron Lamington , better known as Alexander Baillie-Cochrane, was a British Conservative politician perhaps best known for his association with Young England in the early 1840s.The son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas John Cochrane, he succeeded...
, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1902.
In 1937, Bernard O'Reilly became a hero when he rescued the survivors from a crashed Stinson
Stinson Aircraft Company
The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.-The Company:The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business...
plane from the remote Lamington wilderness. In typical Australian bushman fashion he embarked on his rescue mission taking only onions to eat. Only a small portion of the original wreck remains today, 10 km south from the O'Reilly's guesthouse.
Natural heritage
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, caves, rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, wildflower heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
s, tall open forests, picturesque creeks, varied wildlife and some of the best bushwalking in Queensland are protected in Lamington National Park. One of Queensland’s best-loved parks, Lamington is the core of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves Australia World Heritage Area along the adjoining Border Ranges National Park
Border Ranges National Park
Border Ranges National Park, 150 km south of Brisbane, Australia, is in northern New South Wales with a small portion located in Queensland....
in New South Wales.
David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
visited and filmed the park while making the 1979 television series Life on Earth in which beech trees and bowerbirds were featured.
Flora
The national park protects one of the most diverse areas of vegetation in the country. The park’s lush rainforests include one of the largest upland subtropical rainforest remnants in the world and the most northern Antarctic BeechNothofagus moorei
Nothofagus moorei, is an important Gondwana relict of the rainforests of the southern hemisphere. It occurs in wet, fire free areas at high altitude in eastern Australia....
cool temperate rainforests in Australia. The roots of the oldest Antarctic beech trees are over 5,000 years old. Around Mount Widgee numbers of Antarctic beech appear to be increasing. The park protects one of the country's largest remaining forests of hoop pine which are found on the drier slopes.
Below 880 m the White Booyong and Black Booyong are commonly found. In higher elevations the Yellow Carabeen, Red Carabeen, Pigeonberry Ash, Rosewood
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...
and Soft Corkwood trees predominate.
Many of Lamington's plants are found nowhere else on earth, such as O’Reilly's Pittosporum
Pittosporum
Pittosporum is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Pittosporaceae. The genus is probably Gondwanan in origin; its present range extends from Australasia, Oceania, eastern Asia and some parts of Africa. Citriobatus is usually included here, but might be a distinct genus...
(Pittosporum oreillyanum), the Lamington Peach Myrtle (Uromyrtus
Uromyrtus
Uromyrtus is a genus of approximately 15-20 species in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. The greatest diversity of species are found in New Caledonia and the remainder are found in Australia, New Guinea and Malesia. Two new species were recently described from Australia, U. lamingtonensis and U....
lamingtonensis), and the Mt Merino Eyebright and Everlasting Daisy which are subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
relics from the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. In 2006 it was realised that an old collection of the Eastern Underground Orchid (Rhizanthella slateri
Rhizanthella slateri
Rhizanthella slateri, or the Eastern Underground Orchid, is a terrestrial saprophytic orchid with fleshy underground stem to 15 cm long and 15 mm diameter.A synonym is Cryptanthemis slateri Rupp ....
) from Lamington was actually a separate species and has been described as the Lamington Underground Orchid (Rhizanthella omissa). This Orchid like the two other related species has no chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
and depends entirely upon a symbiotic fungus for survival. It is also one of only four flowering plants on Earth to complete its life cycle entirely underground. Sadly one of Lamington's more than 100 fern species is now presumed extinct, Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum
Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum
Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum was a species of epiphytic or lithrophytic fern known from subtropical rainforest in Lamington National Park in the state of Queensland, Australia. Only one plant was known in the wild and when this plant died the specimen was preserved and used to describe the...
was known from only a single plant which has since died and no other plants have been found. Lamington is also home to a large number of threatened plant species such as the Ravine and Blotched Sarchochilus orchids.
Fauna
The area is one of the most important wildlife refuges in the region. Lamington is home to an incredible variety of wildlifeBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
including rare and threatened animals such as the Coxen’s fig parrot, Eastern Bristlebird
Eastern Bristlebird
The Eastern Bristlebird is a species of bird in the Bristlebird family Dasyornithidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, and temperate grassland...
, Albert's Lyrebird
Albert's Lyrebird
The Albert's Lyrebird is a pheasant-sized songbird, approximately 90cm long, with brown upper body plumage and rich chestnut below. It is very similar with the Superb Lyrebird in its habits. This bird also mimics other species sounds....
, Richmond Birdwing butterfly. The blue Lamington Crayfish is found only on the Lamington plateau in pools and streams above an altitude of 450 m. The vulnerable Large-eared Pied Bat
Large-eared Pied Bat
The Large-Eared Pied Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.This vulnerable mammal can be found in the Australia.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 09 July 2007....
is found in the park. Other rare species include the Rainforest Cool-skink, Elf Skink and numerous frog species including the Fleay's Barred Frog
Fleay's Barred Frog
The Fleay's Barred Frog is a large species of frog restricted to small pockets of rainforest in northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland, Australia.-Distribution:...
, Giant Barred Frog
Giant Barred Frog
The Giant Barred Frog, Mixophyes iteratus, is a species of barred frogs in Australia. It occurs from south-east Queensland to just south of the Newcastle region in New South Wales...
and the Cascade Treefrog. Red-necked Pademelons can be seen near the edges of the rainforest and platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
may be spotted in the deeper rock pools.
Geology
The Lamington National Park is located on the northern side of the Tweed volcanoTweed Volcano
Tweed Volcano was an early Miocene shield volcano in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. In the course of about three million years, Tweed Volcano was formed over the East Australia hotspot when this part of the continent passed over it around 23 million years ago...
. This large shield volcano
Shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
is over 100 km in diameter, and extends from Mount Tamborine in the north to Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
in the south. The volcanic plug of Mount Warning
Mount Warning
Mount Warning is a mountain west-south-west of Murwillumbah, near the border with Queensland in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia...
marks the centre of the volcano. This volcano was active around 23 million years ago when this part of Australia was above a hotspot
Hotspot (geology)
The places known as hotspots or hot spots in geology are volcanic regions thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the mantle elsewhere. They may be on, near to, or far from tectonic plate boundaries. There are two hypotheses to explain them...
in the mantle. Both basaltic and rhyolitic lavas were erupted, and erosion of these lavas from rain and running water has formed the many spectacular landforms including cliffs, now observed in the park. Under these layers is a layer of tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
made from volcanic ash and fine rock which is up to 60 m thick in some places. Near Binna Burra the maximum thickness of the basalt layer is estimated to be 700 m.
Waterfalls
Elabana Falls
Elabana Falls are located within Lamington National Park in South East Queensland, Australia. Access to the falls is via tracks from Binna Burra.-References:...
and Running Creek Falls in the south of the park which falls into a box canyon
Box canyon
Box Canyon is a Box canyon in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. It was originally founded as a mining camp and helped the city of Ouray establish itself as a permanent community. Box Canyon is home to Box Canyon Falls, a 285-foot waterfall, with quartzite walls that extend almost one hundred...
. Yarrbilgong Falls
Yarrbilgong Falls
Yarrbilgong Falls are located within Lamington National Park in South East Queensland, Australia. Access to the falls is along the main Coomera Track that links Binna Burra and O'Reilly's Guesthouse. The height of the falls are 150 m....
and Coomera Falls
Coomera Falls
The Coomera Falls are found on the upper Coomera River in South East Queensland, Australia. The height of the waterfall is 64 m.The Coomera Falls drop into Coomera Gorge. Access is via graded walking tracks in Lamington National Park from Binna Burra....
both flow into Coomera Gorge. Morans Falls is another cascade that is passed on the 6 km long Morans Falls Track. Upper Ballanjui Falls, Lower Ballanjui Falls, Stairway Falls and Nagarigoon Falls are also located in the national park.
Bushwalking
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and designed by Romeo Lahey. Lahey studied dairy cow movements on the surrounding hills, noticing that their paths never had a gradient of greater that 1:10. He laid out the parks tracks in a similar manner so that walkers would not be out of breath. Where steep terrain was unavoidable, steps were used instead of a steep track.
Some are short and others are steep and take up to seven hours to complete. The well maintained and signed Border Track, follows the border between New South Wales and Queensland along the top of the McPherson Range
McPherson Range
The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Further west of the...
. This track links Binna Burra to the O'Reilly guesthouse at Green Mountains, a distance of some 23 kilometres which can be completed one way in a day or in 7 to 8 hours.
A number of other well marked and varied walks connect with this Border Track creating a network which can be easily negotiated by relatively inexperienced bushwalkers. These include the Box Forest Circuit (10.9 km or 4 hours return from O'Reilly's), Toolona Creek Circuit (17.4 km or 6 hours return), and the Albert River Circuit (20.6 km or 7 hours return to O'Reilly's) to name some of the best known. While the Border Track remains reasonably level for most of its length, many of the other tracks descend to lower altitudes of 750 metres or less and provide access to some of the diverse variety of flora, fauna and geography to be found in the park.
Another attraction is the Tree Top Walk, suspended 15 m above the ground. This walk provides the opportunity to safely walk through the canopy
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
of the forest along a series of suspension bridges. Climbing a ladder up a strangler fig takes visitors to an observation deck 30 m above the ground.
For experienced walkers there are also numerous trails traversing the park. These trails do not have clear tracks; in many cases there are only occasional markers in the natural forest and it is inadvisable to use them without the company of an experienced bushwalker who knows the area. The walk to the Stinson wreck is long and steep in places. Map reading and good navigation skills are a necessity and National Park Rangers should be notified before commencing. Camping overnight is not permitted without a permit. There are a number of natural hazards such as leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
es, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s and stinging trees that bushwalkers should be aware of.
Accommodation
In addition to guest houses, there is also a camp ground available and limited bush camping throughout the year.See also
- Protected areas of Queensland