Sundown National Park
Encyclopedia
Sundown is a national park in Queensland
, Australia
, 198 km southwest of Brisbane. The parks contains spectacular gorge country and a number of peaks higher than 1,000 m.
, which is the starting point of the Darling River
. The Severn River (Queensland)
is a separate river to the New South Wales
river of the same name
. The river has cut a 10 km long gorge through hard trap rock
. Some of the Severn River's tributaries have carved gorges and contain waterfalls.
The area has a complex geological history. Before it was a national park the land was mined for molybdenite
, arsenic
, tungsten
, copper
, gold
and tin
. Disused mines and a treatment plan are contaminated so access in these locations is restricted. Shellfish fossils can be found on the summit of Mount Donaldson which is 1,038 m above sea level. The trap rock which underlays most of the park contains granite
intrusion
s which has caused some fracturing
.
, Yellow Box
, Brown Box and Tenterfield Woollybutt are the most common trees. Along the river Red River Gum, River Oak, Tea-tree and Bottlebrush
are typically found. Some areas of the park were cleared for grazing the production of fine wool.
At least 150 species of bird have been noted in the park.
There are a number of short and long walking tracks in the park.
.
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...
, 198 km southwest of Brisbane. The parks contains spectacular gorge country and a number of peaks higher than 1,000 m.
Landforms
It is the source of the Severn River (Queensland)Severn River (Queensland)
The Severn River, in Queensland, is a small river that rises in the Sundown National Park which joins the Dumaresq River near the Tenterfield Creek and Glenlyon Dam road. The Dumaresq flows into the Macintyre River...
, which is the starting point of the Darling River
Darling River
The Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
. The Severn River (Queensland)
Severn River (Queensland)
The Severn River, in Queensland, is a small river that rises in the Sundown National Park which joins the Dumaresq River near the Tenterfield Creek and Glenlyon Dam road. The Dumaresq flows into the Macintyre River...
is a separate river to the New South Wales
New 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...
river of the same name
Severn River (New South Wales)
The Severn River * is a river in the north of New South Wales, Australia. It rises on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales just north of Glen Innes and is wholly in NSW...
. The river has cut a 10 km long gorge through hard trap rock
Trap rock
Trap rock is a form of igneous rock that tends to form polygonal vertical fractures, most typically hexagonal, but also four to eight sided. The fracture pattern forms when magma of suitable chemical composition intrudes as a sill or extrudes as a thick lava flow, and slowly cools.Because of the...
. Some of the Severn River's tributaries have carved gorges and contain waterfalls.
The area has a complex geological history. Before it was a national park the land was mined for molybdenite
Molybdenite
Molybdenite is a mineral of molybdenum disulfide, MoS2. Similar in appearance and feel to graphite, molybdenite has a lubricating effect that is a consequence of its layered structure. The atomic structure consists of a sheet of molybdenum atoms sandwiched between sheets of sulfur atoms...
, arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
. Disused mines and a treatment plan are contaminated so access in these locations is restricted. Shellfish fossils can be found on the summit of Mount Donaldson which is 1,038 m above sea level. The trap rock which underlays most of the park contains granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
s which has caused some fracturing
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
.
Flora and fauna
In the north of the park StringybarkStringybark
A stringybark can be any of the many Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the Myrtaceae family. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species A stringybark can be any of the many Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous...
, Yellow Box
Yellow Box
Yellow Box may refer to:*Eucalyptus melliodora, the Yellow Box species of Eucalypt*Cocoa . Yellow Box was the OPENSTEP base of libraries and binary support which became Apple's Cocoa API.*A Box junction...
, Brown Box and Tenterfield Woollybutt are the most common trees. Along the river Red River Gum, River Oak, Tea-tree and Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush
Callistemon is a genus of 34 species of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, all of which are endemic to Australia. It is sometimes considered a synonym of Melaleuca, and four Callistemon species from New Caledonia were moved to that genus by Lyndley Craven and John Dawson in 1998...
are typically found. Some areas of the park were cleared for grazing the production of fine wool.
At least 150 species of bird have been noted in the park.
Facilities
In the south east of the park at Broadwater campground there are facilities for camping. Bush camping is permitted. Camping permits and fees apply in both cases.There are a number of short and long walking tracks in the park.
Access
Access to the park is via a turn-off at Mingoola along the Bruxner HighwayBruxner Highway
The Bruxner Highway is one of the more obscure State highways in New South Wales, Australia. It forms an east-west link from the Northern Rivers coast, across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South Wales, close to the border with Queensland...
.
External links
- Sundown National Park - Queensland Holidays, Tourism Queensland