Mount Bartle Frere
Encyclopedia
Mount Bartle Frere is the highest mountain
in Queensland
at an elevation of 1622 metres. The mountain was named after Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a British colonial administrator and then president of the Royal Geographical Society by George Elphinstone Dalrymple in 1873. Bartle Frere was British Governor of Cape Colony at the outset of the Zulu Wars. The Aboriginal name for the mountain is Chooreechillum.
It is located 51 km south of Cairns
in the Wooroonooran National Park
southwest of the town of Babinda
on the eastern edge of the Atherton Tablelands. Mount Bartle Frere is part of the Bellenden Ker Range
and the watershed of Russell River
.
The foothill to summit is entirely covered by rainforest, ranging from typical tropical rainforest
in the lowlands to low cloud forest
at the cooler summit, where temperatures are up to 10°C (18°F) lower than on the coast. Despite the treacherous climb, reaching the top offers an expansive view of the surrounding area.
is the second highest mountain in Queensland at 1593 metres.
On 21 April 1942 an American Air Corp B-25 Mitchell
medium range bomber (41-12455), from the 3rd Bomb Group, 90th Bomb Squadron crashed on the mountain with the loss of all seven crew members. This particular aircraft had only recently returned from the Royce Raid against Japanese forces in the Philippines.
car park.
The total distance from Josephine Falls is 15 km return and would normally take between 10–12 hours. The vertical elevation gained is around 1500 metres. This area of Queensland records several metres of rain every year, so it is not usual for the peak to be covered in cloud. The best time to climb Bartle Frere is during winter when the weather is cooler and likelihood of rain is lower. There are orange markers every kilometre along the trail although several of these are difficult to spot.
An easier alternative is to approach from a small camp site at the western side. It is reachable by car via Topaz Road and Gourka Road. From this starting point (at an altitude of 700 m), it's relatively easy to complete the climb and descent in a day. It is a favourite with local bushwalking clubs and is best attempted in the dry winter months, from June to October. Walking during the wet season (December to April) brings with it the risks of torrential tropical downpours, poor visibility and leeches. Rock slips occur occasionally.
There is a shorter 10 km return trail to 'Broken Nose', a spur feature on the southern side from Josephine Falls. Although there is a large map at the Josephine Falls car park, there are no other maps or ranger station before the climb.
suggest an annual average rainfall of around 8000 millimetres (315 in), and an estimated potential maximum as high as 17000 mm (669.3 in), both of which would make the mountain one of the wettest places in the world. Even in what constitutes the "dry" in most of tropical Australia, rainfall on the summit is very heavy at around 800 mm (31.5 in) in May and 350 mm (13.8 in) in August, whilst in the wettest month of March estimated averages are as high as 1800 mm (70.9 in) and maxima around 6000 mm (236.2 in). Calculations based on available lowland data (from Innisfail
, Cairns
and Port Douglas
) would suggest daily rainfalls could have been potentially as high as 2000 mm (78.7 in) during a cyclone
in 1911 - which if accurate would be the highest daily rainfall in the world.
, Elaeocarpus ferruginiflora and Pimple Bark Balanops australiana. With further increases in altitude increasing exposure and cloud contact create conditions ideal for the formation of cloud forest (Simple Microphyll Vine Fern Thicket) many of the species are rare or endemic and most trees are shrouded in mosses and other bryophytes.
The stunted tree Eucryphia wilkei found in the cloud forest above 1500 m elevation on Mount Bartle Frere exists nowhere else on earth and has relatives in the Cool Temperate Rainforests of Tasmania
and Chile
. Other notable species include the Mountain Aspen Acronychia chooreechillum, Trochocarpa bellendenkerensis, Polyscias bellendenkerensis, the vine Parsonsia bartlensis and Australia's only native rhododendron
, Rhododendron lochiae
which grows on top of the large granite boulders or as an epiphyte
in the cloud forest canopy. Eidothea zoexylocarya
was initially discovered on the slopes of Mount Bartle Frere, which holds its main populations.
In some areas near the summit the granitic soil is so leached of nutrients by the very high rainfall that rainforest plants are replaced by heath plants such as Acrothamnus spathaceus, Acrotriche baileyana, ferns, (Gleichenia
species), carnivorous sundews (Drosera species) and the orchid, Dipodium ensifolium.
has only been found on the slopes of Mount Bartle Frere above 1400 m.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
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...
at an elevation of 1622 metres. The mountain was named after Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a British colonial administrator and then president of the Royal Geographical Society by George Elphinstone Dalrymple in 1873. Bartle Frere was British Governor of Cape Colony at the outset of the Zulu Wars. The Aboriginal name for the mountain is Chooreechillum.
It is located 51 km south of Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
in the Wooroonooran National Park
Wooroonooran National Park
Wooroonooran is a national park in Queensland , 1367 km northwest of Brisbane, between Innisfail and Cairns.The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site...
southwest of the town of Babinda
Babinda, Queensland
Babinda is a small town 60 km south of Cairns, Queensland. It is located in the Cairns Region.The town is noted for its proximity to two of Queensland's highest mountains Mount Bartle Frere and Mount Bellenden Ker....
on the eastern edge of the Atherton Tablelands. Mount Bartle Frere is part of the Bellenden Ker Range
Bellenden Ker Range
The Belleden Ker Range, also known as the Wooroonooran Range is a coastal mountain range in Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range it is located between Gordonvale and Babinda....
and the watershed of Russell River
Russell River
The Russell River is a short river that passes east of the town of Babinda in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river rises near the highest mountain in Queensland, Mount Bartle Frere, part of the Frances Range in the Wooroonooran National Park...
.
The foothill to summit is entirely covered by rainforest, ranging from typical tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
in the lowlands to low cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
at the cooler summit, where temperatures are up to 10°C (18°F) lower than on the coast. Despite the treacherous climb, reaching the top offers an expansive view of the surrounding area.
History
The first European to scale the mountain was Christie Palmerston in 1886. He blazed a tree at the summit "'P' October 26,'86." Reference: 'The Diary of a Northern Pioneer' Christie Palmerston's Experiences published in Queensland Figaro 23/4/1887. Its immediate neighbour Mount Bellenden KerMount Bellenden Ker
Mount Bellenden Ker is the second highest mountain in Queensland, Australia. It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located 60 km south of Cairns near Babinda, it is adjacent to Mount Bartle Frere, the state's highest peak, part of the Bellenden Ker Range which is also...
is the second highest mountain in Queensland at 1593 metres.
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
medium range bomber (41-12455), from the 3rd Bomb Group, 90th Bomb Squadron crashed on the mountain with the loss of all seven crew members. This particular aircraft had only recently returned from the Royce Raid against Japanese forces in the Philippines.
Climbing
The summit of Mount Bartle Frere, when it is not covered in cloud, offers the chance to view both the coastal lowlands and the Atherton Tablelands. The climb can be quite steep in places with some rock scrambling required. Sudden weather changes have been known to occur in the area. The ascent to the summit can be quite treacherous and many tourists have become lost, some for several days, while climbing the mountain. The main reasons for this are the unpredictable weather, poor preparation and occasionally obscure track markers. Nonetheless, an experienced climber should have no problem summiting after an early start from the Josephine FallsJosephine Falls
Josephine Falls are located at the foot of the southern face of Mount Bartle Frere in the Wooroonooran National Park, in Queensland, Australia. The falls are a popular recreation site among locals as the water flows over a large rock to form a natural waterslide.Josephine Falls are located on...
car park.
The total distance from Josephine Falls is 15 km return and would normally take between 10–12 hours. The vertical elevation gained is around 1500 metres. This area of Queensland records several metres of rain every year, so it is not usual for the peak to be covered in cloud. The best time to climb Bartle Frere is during winter when the weather is cooler and likelihood of rain is lower. There are orange markers every kilometre along the trail although several of these are difficult to spot.
An easier alternative is to approach from a small camp site at the western side. It is reachable by car via Topaz Road and Gourka Road. From this starting point (at an altitude of 700 m), it's relatively easy to complete the climb and descent in a day. It is a favourite with local bushwalking clubs and is best attempted in the dry winter months, from June to October. Walking during the wet season (December to April) brings with it the risks of torrential tropical downpours, poor visibility and leeches. Rock slips occur occasionally.
There is a shorter 10 km return trail to 'Broken Nose', a spur feature on the southern side from Josephine Falls. Although there is a large map at the Josephine Falls car park, there are no other maps or ranger station before the climb.
Climate
Although no rain gauge exists on the mountain, data at nearby Mount Bellenden KerMount Bellenden Ker
Mount Bellenden Ker is the second highest mountain in Queensland, Australia. It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located 60 km south of Cairns near Babinda, it is adjacent to Mount Bartle Frere, the state's highest peak, part of the Bellenden Ker Range which is also...
suggest an annual average rainfall of around 8000 millimetres (315 in), and an estimated potential maximum as high as 17000 mm (669.3 in), both of which would make the mountain one of the wettest places in the world. Even in what constitutes the "dry" in most of tropical Australia, rainfall on the summit is very heavy at around 800 mm (31.5 in) in May and 350 mm (13.8 in) in August, whilst in the wettest month of March estimated averages are as high as 1800 mm (70.9 in) and maxima around 6000 mm (236.2 in). Calculations based on available lowland data (from Innisfail
Innisfail, Queensland
Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
, Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
and Port Douglas
Port Douglas, Queensland
Port Douglas is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, approximately north of Cairns. Its permanent population was 948 residents in 2006. The town's population can often double, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May–September. The town is named in honour of...
) would suggest daily rainfalls could have been potentially as high as 2000 mm (78.7 in) during a cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
in 1911 - which if accurate would be the highest daily rainfall in the world.
Vegetation
The high altitude and rainfall of the mountain create conditions for a number of vegetation types growing on the poor granitic soils. The lower slopes support lowland tropical rainforest (complex mesophyll vine forest) with a great diversity of large leaved trees, climbers, epiphytes, palms and ferns. With increasing elevation the rainforest changes to a less diverse smaller leaved notophyll type. At elevations above 1000 m Simple Microphyll Vine Fern Forest is found with species such as the purple Kauri Pine Agathis atropurpureaAgathis atropurpurea
The Black Kauri or Blue Kauri is a species of conifer in the Araucariaceae family.It is found only in Queensland, Australia.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
, Elaeocarpus ferruginiflora and Pimple Bark Balanops australiana. With further increases in altitude increasing exposure and cloud contact create conditions ideal for the formation of cloud forest (Simple Microphyll Vine Fern Thicket) many of the species are rare or endemic and most trees are shrouded in mosses and other bryophytes.
The stunted tree Eucryphia wilkei found in the cloud forest above 1500 m elevation on Mount Bartle Frere exists nowhere else on earth and has relatives in the Cool Temperate Rainforests of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Other notable species include the Mountain Aspen Acronychia chooreechillum, Trochocarpa bellendenkerensis, Polyscias bellendenkerensis, the vine Parsonsia bartlensis and Australia's only native rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
, Rhododendron lochiae
Rhododendron lochiae
Rhododendron lochiae is one of two recognised species of Rhododendron endemic to Australia.-Description:It is a small shrub which has glossy, elliptic leaves...
which grows on top of the large granite boulders or as an epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
in the cloud forest canopy. Eidothea zoexylocarya
Eidothea zoexylocarya
Eidothea zoexylocarya is a tree in the family Proteaceae described by A.W.Douglas and B.Hyland in 1995. It was the first Eidothea to be discovered, on the slopes of Mount Bartle Frere, the biggest mountain of Queensland. Its name refers to the almost identical fossil fruit Xylocaryon lockii F. Muell...
was initially discovered on the slopes of Mount Bartle Frere, which holds its main populations.
In some areas near the summit the granitic soil is so leached of nutrients by the very high rainfall that rainforest plants are replaced by heath plants such as Acrothamnus spathaceus, Acrotriche baileyana, ferns, (Gleichenia
Gleichenia
Gleichenia is a genus of ferns.Species include:* Gleichenia abscida Rodway* Gleichenia alpina R.Br.* Gleichenia dicarpa R.Br. – Pouched Coral Fern, Tangle Fern* Gleichenia mendellii S.B.Andrews...
species), carnivorous sundews (Drosera species) and the orchid, Dipodium ensifolium.
Fauna
The Bartle Frere skinkTechmarscincus jigurru
The Bartle Frere skink is a rare and endangered skink lizard first discovered in 1981. This skink is agile and energetic. It has a rainbow sheen color. Their bodies are long and flat with short limbs and a very long tail. The Bartle Frere is only seen out and basking during the day...
has only been found on the slopes of Mount Bartle Frere above 1400 m.