Main Range National Park
Encyclopedia
Main Range is a mountain range
and a national park
in Queensland
(Australia
), 85 km southwest of Brisbane
. It is part of the World Heritage Site
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves). It protects the western part of a semicircle of mountains in South East Queensland
known as the Scenic Rim
. This includes the largest area of rainforest in South East Queensland. 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.
border and includes Mount Superbus
(1375 m), South East Queensland
’s highest peak.
Bare Rock
, Mount Cordeaux
, Mount Mitchell, Spicers Peak
, Mount Huntley
, Mount Asplenium
, Mount Steamer
, The Steamer Range
, Lizard Point
, Mount Roberts, Mount Mistake and Mount Superbus all lie within the Main Range National Park. In total there are more than 40 peaks higher than 1000 m.
There are walking tracks, camping
areas and picnic
facilities at a number of places such as Spicers Gap, Cunninghams Gap and Queen Mary Falls
.
erupted between 25 and 22 million years ago in the Tertiary period. Rather than forming a central peak the volcano erupted through numerous basalt
dykes that created horizontal lava
flows which are mainly basalt
. These flows now form the bulk of the Main Range, Little Liverpool Range
and Mistake Range and once covered a much wider area that includes both the Lockyer Valley and Fassifern Valley
.
, acting as a refuge for wildlife in the region. The most predominant vegetation types on the range is sub-tropical rainforest
and dry sclerophyll
forest. The park’s forests and montane heath provide habitat for many animals, including the Eastern Bristlebird
, Coxen's Fig-Parrot
, Black-breasted Buttonquail
, all of which are threatened by extinction. The vulnerable and rare Red Goshawk
may also be seen.
The Giant Barred Frog
, Fleay's Barred Frog
, Spotted-tailed quoll
and the Hastings River Mouse
are listed as endangered species, once more commonly found in the Goomburra section of the park.
travelling between the inland and the coast.
In 1828, Allan Cunningham
'officially' discovered the route through the mountains now called Cunninghams Gap, however it can be easily seen from Brisbane. Stockman (Australia) Henry Alphen discovered Spicers Gap in 1847. The Spicers Gap Road, used to carry supplies to and from the Darling Downs, is the best remaining example of sophisticated 19th century engineering in Queensland.
In 1840, Ernst Dalrymple settled in the Goomburra Valley. Dalrymple Creek was named after this early settler.
By 1847 a new road, through Spicers Gap was opening areas for settlers.
In 1909 the areas surrounding Cunninghams Gap were declared a national park.
In 1994 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee extended the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia to include Goomburra Forest Reserve within Main Range National Park.
In 2007 the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia was added to the Australian National Heritage List
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
and a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
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...
(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...
), 85 km southwest 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...
. It is part 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 (formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves). It protects the western part of a semicircle of mountains in South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
known as 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:...
. This includes the largest area of rainforest in South East Queensland. 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.
Description
The park extends from Kangaroo Mountain south to Wilsons Peak on the New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
border and includes Mount Superbus
Mount Superbus
Mount Superbus lies 150 km south-west of Brisbane and is South East Queensland's highest peak at 1375 metres . At this elevation it is the third highest peak in Queensland. Only Mount Bellenden Ker at 1593 m and Mount Bartle Frere at 1622 m in Far North Queensland are higher.It has an...
(1375 m), South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
’s highest peak.
Bare Rock
Bare Rock
Bare Rock is a rock which lies northeast of Berntsen Point in the entrance to Borge Bay, off the east side of Signy Island in the South Orkney Islands. It was charted and named descriptively by DI personnel on the RRS Discovery in 1927....
, Mount Cordeaux
Mount Cordeaux
Mount Cordeaux is a mountain near Brisbane, Australia. It lies to the immediate north of Cunninghams Gap in the Main Range National Park. It is known to the Aboriginal People as Niamboyoo and rises 1,135 m....
, Mount Mitchell, Spicers Peak
Spicers Peak
Spicers Peak is a mountain in Australia. It lies roughly 120 km west of Brisbane in the middle of the Main Range National Park. It is just south of Cunninghams Gap and Mount Mitchell...
, Mount Huntley
Mount Huntley
Mount Huntley is one of the mountains of the Main Range in south-east Queensland, Australia. It is within the Main Range National Park. There are no marked walking trails to the summit, and the ascent is long and very steep with some dangerous sections. There is a clearing at the summit for hikers...
, Mount Asplenium
Mount Asplenium
Mount Asplenium is a mountain in the Main Range of south-east Queensland, Australia. It is protected within the Main Range National Park. The summit can be reached by hiking south from Mount Huntley, however there is no marked trail so only experienced navigators should attempt the ascent...
, Mount Steamer
Mount Steamer
Mount Steamer marks the intersection between the Main Range National Park and The Steamer Range in Australia. Walking to the summit is a tough undertaking from any of its spurs.-See also:*List of mountains in Australia...
, The Steamer Range
The Steamer Range
The Steamer Range is a series of spectacular rock formations branching off the Main Range National Park in Queensland, Australia. They lie at the head of Emu Creek, west of Warwick, in the Main Range...
, Lizard Point
Lizard Point, Queensland
Lizard Point, Queensland is a rocky outcrop between Mount Steamer and Mount Roberts. It offers great panoramic views of the Main Range National Park, Boonah and other Scenic Rim areas....
, Mount Roberts, Mount Mistake and Mount Superbus all lie within the Main Range National Park. In total there are more than 40 peaks higher than 1000 m.
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
areas and picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
facilities at a number of places such as Spicers Gap, Cunninghams Gap and Queen Mary Falls
Queen Mary Falls
Queen Mary Falls are found in Main Range National Park on the McPherson Range near the New South Wales/Queensland border.The 40 m waterfall is located 50 km south-east of Warwick, 10 km east of the town of Killarney in Queensland, Australia...
.
Geology
The Main Range shield volcanoShield 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...
erupted between 25 and 22 million years ago in the Tertiary period. Rather than forming a central peak the volcano erupted through numerous basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
dykes that created horizontal lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flows which are mainly basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
. These flows now form the bulk of the Main Range, Little Liverpool Range
Little Liverpool Range
The Little Liverpool Range is a mountain range of the Scenic Rim in South East Queensland, Australia. It runs from the Main Range to the west of Aratula northwards to the area between Marburg and Hatton Vale where it is crossed by the Warrego Highway...
and Mistake Range and once covered a much wider area that includes both the Lockyer Valley and Fassifern Valley
Fassifern Valley
Fassifern Valley is a valley of the Scenic Rim in South East Queensland. Towns found in the valley include Harrisville, Kalbar, Roadvale, Warril View and Aratula...
.
Flora and fauna
The steeper slopes have avoided any land clearingLand clearing in Australia
Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation and in Australia. Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of...
, acting as a refuge for wildlife in the region. The most predominant vegetation types on the range is sub-tropical rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
and dry sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest. The park’s forests and montane heath provide habitat for many animals, including the 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...
, Coxen's Fig-Parrot
Coxen's Fig-Parrot
Coxen's Fig-Parrot , also known as the Blue-browed, Red-faced or Southern Fig-Parrot or Lorilet, is one of the smallest and least known Australian parrots. It is a highly endangered subspecies of the Double-eyed Fig-Parrot...
, Black-breasted Buttonquail
Black-breasted Buttonquail
The Black-breasted Buttonquail is a rare buttonquail endemic to eastern Australia, where it is usually found in rainforest. Like other buttonquails, it is unrelated to the true quails...
, all of which are threatened by extinction. The vulnerable and rare 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...
may also be seen.
The 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...
, 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:...
, Spotted-tailed quoll
Tiger Quoll
The tiger quoll , also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tailed dasyure or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia...
and the Hastings River Mouse
Hastings River Mouse
The Hastings River Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Australia.-Habitat:These rodents often prefer damp and moist environments, along drainage lines if necessary...
are listed as endangered species, once more commonly found in the Goomburra section of the park.
History
Spicers Gap is believed to be a traditional pathway for Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous 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....
travelling between the inland and the coast.
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 :...
'officially' discovered the route through the mountains now called Cunninghams Gap, however it can be easily seen from Brisbane. Stockman (Australia) Henry Alphen discovered Spicers Gap in 1847. The Spicers Gap Road, used to carry supplies to and from the Darling Downs, is the best remaining example of sophisticated 19th century engineering in Queensland.
In 1840, Ernst Dalrymple settled in the Goomburra Valley. Dalrymple Creek was named after this early settler.
By 1847 a new road, through Spicers Gap was opening areas for settlers.
In 1909 the areas surrounding Cunninghams Gap were declared a national park.
In 1994 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee extended the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia to include Goomburra Forest Reserve within Main Range National Park.
In 2007 the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia was 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...
.
See also
- Border Ranges National ParkBorder Ranges National ParkBorder Ranges National Park, 150 km south of Brisbane, Australia, is in northern New South Wales with a small portion located in Queensland....
- McPherson RangeMcPherson RangeThe 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...
- Protected areas of Queensland
- Spicers Gap Road Conservation ParkSpicers Gap Road Conservation ParkSpicers Gap Road Conservation Park is a part of the Main Range National Park in Australia. Spicers Gap Road is the original route between the Darling Downs and Brisbane. It was used by Cobb and Co Coaches and was later replaced by the Cunninghams Gap Road named after explorer Allan Cunningham who...