Bladensburg National Park
Encyclopedia
Bladensburg is a national park in Queensland
, Australia
, located 1152 km northwest of Brisbane
, and just south of the town of Winton
. The 84,900 hectares of national park were declared in 1984.
Birds common to the area include the Painted Firetail
, Rufous-crowned Emu-wren
and Rufous-throated Honeyeater
.
.
The landscape to the south of the park has dissected tablelands with mesa
s and butte
s and to the far south are flat sand plains.
of high biodiversity. It covers both the Channel Country
and Mulga Grass Downs bioregions. The original Bladensburg homestead, which was probably transported to the site some time in the 1910s, houses the park's visitor information centre today.
The park contains dinosaur
fossil
s as well as aboriginal story places and ceremonial grounds. Skull Hole, a waterhole in the park was the site of an aboriginal massacre known as the Bladensburg Massacre.
. Camping is permitted beside Surprise Creek. No water is available.
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...
, located 1152 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 just south of the town of Winton
Winton, Queensland
-Qantas:Winton was one of the founding towns of the Australian airline Qantas. The first board meeting was held at the Winton Club on 10 February 1921.-Waltzing Matilda:...
. The 84,900 hectares of national park were declared in 1984.
Birds common to the area include the Painted Firetail
Painted Firetail
The Painted Firetail, Emblema pictum, is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It is also known as the Painted Finch or the Painted Firetail Finch. It is the only species in the genus Emblema....
, Rufous-crowned Emu-wren
Rufous-crowned Emu-wren
The Rufous-crowned Emu-wren is a species of bird in the Maluridae family.It is endemic to Australia.-Taxonomy:...
and Rufous-throated Honeyeater
Rufous-throated Honeyeater
The Rufous-throated Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.-References:...
.
Landforms
The park features grassland plains, river flats, sandstone ranges and flat-topped mesas. The main watercourse in the park is the often dry Surprise Creek. During floods the creek becomes a braided channelBraided river
A braided river is one of a number of channel types and has a channel that consists of a network of small channels separated by small and often temporary islands called braid bars or, in British usage, aits or eyots. Braided streams occur in rivers with high slope and/or large sediment load...
.
The landscape to the south of the park has dissected tablelands with mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
s and butte
Butte
A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...
s and to the far south are flat sand plains.
History
Bladensburg was once a station, now a protected area containing mulga landsMulga Lands
The Mulga Lands are an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia region of eastern Australia consisting of dry sandy plains scattered with mulga trees.-Location and description:...
of high biodiversity. It covers both the Channel Country
Channel Country
The Channel Country is region of outback Australia located mostly in the state of Queensland but also in portions of South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales. The name comes from the numerous intertwined rivulets that cross the region, which cover 150,000 km²...
and Mulga Grass Downs bioregions. The original Bladensburg homestead, which was probably transported to the site some time in the 1910s, houses the park's visitor information centre today.
The park contains dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s as well as aboriginal story places and ceremonial grounds. Skull Hole, a waterhole in the park was the site of an aboriginal massacre known as the Bladensburg Massacre.
Facilities
Access to the park is by 16 km of road from WintonWinton, Queensland
-Qantas:Winton was one of the founding towns of the Australian airline Qantas. The first board meeting was held at the Winton Club on 10 February 1921.-Waltzing Matilda:...
. Camping is permitted beside Surprise Creek. No water is available.