Yourka Reserve
Encyclopedia
Yourka Reserve is a 43,500–hectare
nature reserve
in Far North Queensland
, Australia
. It is a former cattle station
in the Einasleigh Uplands bioregion on the western edge of the Wet Tropics of Queensland
World Heritage Site
, 130 km south of Cairns
, with the nearest town being Ravenshoe
. It is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia
(BHA), by which it was purchased in 2007.
with the highest and wettest land in the eastern part of the reserve. Its vegetation includes rainforest
and wet eucalypt
forest communities in the east, changing to drier eucalypt woodland
s in the west. The upper Herbert River
and various creeks flow through the property.
, Semon's Roundleaf Bat
, Yellow-bellied Glider
and Northern Bettong
. Birds include Masked Owl
and Red Goshawk
. A major management issue is the need to control feral
animals.
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
, 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...
. It is a former cattle station
Cattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
in the Einasleigh Uplands bioregion on the western edge of the Wet Tropics of Queensland
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...
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...
, 130 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...
, with the nearest town being Ravenshoe
Ravenshoe, Queensland
Ravenshoe is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is located south west of the regional centre, Cairns. At the 2006 census, Ravenshoe had a population of 910....
. It is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia
Bush Heritage Australia
Bush Heritage Australia is a non-profit organisation based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia that operates throughout Australia. It was previously known as the Australian Bush Heritage Fund, which is still its legal name. It purchases land, assessed as being of outstanding conservation value, from...
(BHA), by which it was purchased in 2007.
Landscape and vegetation
Yourka has a diverse topography and soils, ranging in altitude from 500 to 900 m aslAbove mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
with the highest and wettest land in the eastern part of the reserve. Its vegetation includes rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
and wet eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
forest communities in the east, changing to drier eucalypt woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s in the west. The upper Herbert River
Herbert River
The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it is named after Robert George Wyndham Herbert , the first Premier of Queensland...
and various creeks flow through the property.
Fauna
Threatened mammal species likely to be found on the property include the Spotted-tail Quoll, Northern QuollNorthern 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...
, Semon's Roundleaf Bat
Semon's Roundleaf Bat
Semon's Leaf-nosed Bat or Semon's Roundleaf Bat, Hipposideros semoni, is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.-References:...
, Yellow-bellied Glider
Yellow-bellied Glider
The Yellow-bellied Glider is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in a narrow range of native eucalypt forests down eastern Australia, reaching from northern Queensland to Victoria.-Habitat:...
and Northern Bettong
Northern Bettong
The Northern Bettong is a small potoroid marsupial which is restricted to some areas of mixed open Eucalyptus woodlands and Allocasuarina forests bordering rainforests in far northeastern Queensland, Australia....
. Birds include Masked Owl
Masked Owl
The Australian Masked Owl is a barn owl of Southern New Guinea and the non-desert areas of Australia.-Taxonomy:Described subspecies of Tyto novaehollandiae include:* T. n. calabyi I.J. Mason, 1983,...
and Red Goshawk
Red Goshawk
The Red Goshawk is probably the rarest Australian bird of prey. It is found mainly in the savanna woodlands of northern Australia, particularly near watercourses...
. A major management issue is the need to control feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
animals.