Diamantina National Park
Encyclopedia
Diamantina National Park is a national park in the Channel Country
of south west Queensland
, Australia
, 1278 km west of Brisbane
. Like the Diamantina River
that flows through it, it is named for Lady Diamantina Bowen
, wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen
, the first Governor of Queensland.
Established in 1993 with an area of 507,000 ha, Diamnatina National Park received an award in March 2007 from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for being among the top 10 reserves of the decade. Recognition was given for the successful efforts to protect the bilby
, an endangered mammal native to Australia.
Livestock was removed from the park in 1998.
Parts of the park contain traditional aboriginal
lands. These are noted for their food resources and numerous habitation sites. Aboriginals would roam the area, moving from the sandhill
s and gibber
country in the wet season and returning to permanent water in the dry season.
, Diamantina National Park forms part of the 7627 km2 Diamantina and Astrebla Grasslands Important Bird Area
, identified by BirdLife International
as such because it is one of few sites known for the critically endangered
Night Parrot
. It also supports globally important populations of the Plains-wanderer, Australian Bustard
, Straw-necked Ibis
, White-necked Heron
, Inland Dotterel
, Bourke's Parrot
, Black
and Pied Honeyeater
s, Gibberbird
, Hall's Babbler
, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
, Cinnamon Quail-thrush
and Spinifexbird.
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...
of south west 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
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...
, 1278 km west 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...
. Like the Diamantina River
Diamantina River
The Diamantina River is a river in south west Queensland and the far north of South Australia. Rising north-west of Longreach in the Swords Range, it flows in a south-westerly direction through central Queensland and the Channel Country to form the Warburton River at its confluence with the...
that flows through it, it is named for Lady Diamantina Bowen
Diamantina Bowen
Lady Diamantina Bowen was a Greek noble who became the wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
, wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen
George Ferguson Bowen
Sir George Ferguson Bowen GCMG was a British colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland , New Zealand, Victoria , Mauritius and Hong Kong....
, the first Governor of Queensland.
Established in 1993 with an area of 507,000 ha, Diamnatina National Park received an award in March 2007 from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for being among the top 10 reserves of the decade. Recognition was given for the successful efforts to protect the bilby
Bilby
Bilbies are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. Before European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. One became extinct in the 1950s; the other survives but remains endangered....
, an endangered mammal native to Australia.
Livestock was removed from the park in 1998.
Parts of the park contain traditional aboriginal
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....
lands. These are noted for their food resources and numerous habitation sites. Aboriginals would roam the area, moving from the sandhill
Sandhill
A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.Entisols are the typical...
s and gibber
Desert pavement
A desert pavement is a desert surface that is covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cobble size.-Formation:Several theories have been proposed for their formation...
country in the wet season and returning to permanent water in the dry season.
Birds
With Astrebla Downs National ParkAstrebla Downs National Park
Astrebla Downs is a national park in the Channel Country of outback Queensland, Australia, 1298 km west of Brisbane. The landscape is flat and barren with few trees....
, Diamantina National Park forms part of the 7627 km2 Diamantina and Astrebla Grasslands 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 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...
as such because it is one of few sites known for the critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
Night Parrot
Night Parrot
The Night Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. The species was originally placed within its own genus , but most authors now prefer to place it within the genus Pezoporus together with the two ground parrots.No known sightings of the bird were made between...
. It also supports globally important populations of the Plains-wanderer, Australian Bustard
Australian Bustard
The Australian Bustard, Ardeotis australis, is a large ground bird of grassland, woodland and open agricultural country across northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is also commonly referred to in Central Australia as the Bush Turkey, particularly by Aboriginal people.The male is up to ...
, Straw-necked Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
The Straw-necked Ibis is a bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. It can be found throughout Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Indonesia. Adults have distinctive straw-like feathers on their neck....
, White-necked Heron
White-necked Heron
The White-necked Heron, Ardea pacifica also known as the Pacific Heron is found throughout New Guinea and Australia, except for the most arid regions, and is a vagrant to New Zealand....
, Inland Dotterel
Inland Dotterel
The Inland Dotterel also known as the Australian Dotterel and sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Peltohyas, is a medium-sized Charadriine plover.-Description:...
, Bourke's Parrot
Bourke's Parrot
The Bourke's Parrot , also known as the Bourke's Parakeet or "Bourkie", is a small parrot originating in Australia and the only species in its genus Neopsephotus...
, Black
Black Honeyeater
The Black Honeyeater is a species of bird in the family of honeyeaters, Meliphagidae, and the sole species in the genus Sugomel. The Black Honeyeater exhibits sexual dimorphism with the male being black and white while the female is a speckled grey-brown; immature birds look like the female...
and Pied Honeyeater
Pied Honeyeater
The Pied Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
s, Gibberbird
Gibberbird
The Gibberbird is a species of bird endemic to Australia. It is the only species in the genus Ashbyia. It, along with the four chats in the genus Epthianura, have sometimes been placed in a separate family, Epthianuridae , but are now thought to be aberrant honeyeaters in the family...
, Hall's Babbler
Hall's Babbler
Hall's Babbler is a species of bird in the Pomatostomidae family. It is endemic to Australia and was first described in 1964.-Name:...
, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
The Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
, Cinnamon Quail-thrush
Cinnamon Quail-thrush
The Cinnamon Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
and Spinifexbird.