Bunya Mountains National Park

Coordinates: 26°47′58″S 151°32′13″E / 26.79944°S 151.53694°E / -26.79944; 151.53694
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bunya Mountains National Park
Queensland
Bunya pines
Bunya Mountains National Park is located in Queensland
Bunya Mountains National Park
Bunya Mountains National Park
Nearest town or cityBell, Queensland
Coordinates26°47′58″S 151°32′13″E / 26.79944°S 151.53694°E / -26.79944; 151.53694
Established1908
Area117 km2 (45.2 sq mi)
Managing authoritiesQueensland Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteBunya Mountains National Park
See alsoProtected areas of Queensland

Bunya Mountains is a national park in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia.[1]

Geography

The park includes much of the

Kingaroy
.

The park is known for its abundant wildlife, permanent waterfalls and its views. The mild climate of the range means morning and evening temperatures are low. The park is accessed by a steep and winding roads and is serviced with camping grounds, a network of walking tracks and several picnic grounds.

History

The

ceremonies, for land control, food control and farming, and produce (native yams) harvesting by Aboriginal people for thousands of years.[5][6] Fire management has enabled the grasslands to maintain their treeless characteristic, preventing rainforest and woodland species from becoming established.[7] The balds are considered a cultural landscape and an enduring symbol of Indigenous land management which still hold significance to Indigenous people today.[4]

The BunyaBunya Mountains (the correct Aboriginal word is BunyaBunya) form part of the larger creation spiritual song line which connects the five shield volcanoes of Tweed Volcano (Woolumbin), Glass House Mountains, The Main Range Mountains Mount Barney. the five volcanos are known as Oobi oobi).[citation needed]

This creation story connects these areas, nations and the mobs/clans along these routes who co-existed harmoniously, through ceremonies, trade and economic exchange for thousands of years.[citation needed]

The arrival of European settlers saw the removal of Indigenous communities off the Bunya Mountains ending active fire management by Indigenous people from 1860s onwards.[4]

During the 1860s the park was logged for red cedar, bunya pine and hoop pine[2] and the Aboriginal people were pushed out.[8] European settlers began to visit the area and enjoy the scenery in the same decade.[9]

The Bunya Sawmill opened in 1883.[10] As the 9,112 ha (22,520-acre) national park was declared in 1908, it makes it the second oldest national park in Queensland.[10] A further addition to the park was donated by WA Russell MLA in 1927.[11] Timber was still removed from the national park until about 1917.[9] The last sawmill on the mountains closed in 1945.[12]

The first walking tracks were constructed in 1939.

flying foxes to transport logs.[9]

Flora

Looking north-east from Bunya Mountains over South Burnett and Kingaroy regions.

Some of the parks

silky oaks.[10] Grass trees on Mount Kiangarow grow nearly 5 m tall and some are least several hundred years old.[9]

Scattered throughout the mountain forests are many natural clearings known as 'grassy balds'. These clearings are typically a few hectares in area and are caused by bushfires and geological conditions. Where there a slabs of unfractured basalt soil formation and root penetration is impossible, leaving a patch in the forest. There are about 100 balds, although those caused by fire are steadily being lost due to a lack of recent fires.[13] The grassy balds have a higher biodiversity than the dense rainforests, because they are home to birds and rodents not found elsewhere in the forest.

Fauna

A myrmecia flavicoma in the park
Looking south-east from Mount Kiangarow in the Bunya Mountains over the Darling Downs

The park is home to more than 200

red bellied black snake and brown tree snake.[10]

The mountains are part of the Bunya Mountains and Yarraman

brush turkeys.[10]

Waterfalls

The park contains a number of waterfalls including Tim Shea Falls and Mcgrory Falls.

Management

The national park is currently managed by the department of national parks, recreation, sports and racing (NPRSR),[15] There has been an integrated program of burning the unique grassland balds by Queensland Parks and Wildlife in the Bunya Mountains since the late 1990s with 27% of unburnt balds being burnt for the first time in many years. There have been difficulties in recovering a number of balds which have well established forest canopies due to decades of non-burning, these balds may be too far gone to recover. Some balds which have had significant forest species invasion have had mechanical removal and coppicing of trees to aid recovery of the balds through burning [16][17][18] .[19] Proactive fire management is a priority within the current management plan for the Bunya Mountains National Park with additional importance given to partnerships with traditional owners using traditional fire techniques in restoring and maintaining the grasslands. Australian Government initiatives such as the ‘Working on Country’ Program has been active on the mountain since 2009 allowing greater conservation action through additional rangers and resources being used to enable recovery of this unique threatened grassland landscape.[4][15][20]

Facilities

There is a visitor information centre and campgrounds at Dandabah.[10] Other campgrounds are provided at Burton's Well and Westcott. There are a number of well-developed walking tracks, some with lookouts. Picnic facilities are provided at all campgrounds, as well as Cherry Plain.[10]

Access

Roads from

Nanango all lead up the mountains. Steep grades mean travelling with caravans and trailers is not recommended.[10] Smaller caravans can access the mountains via Maidenwell
.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bunya Mountains National Park (entry 44093)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-74117-245-4
    .
  3. ^ Jerome, P., 2002. Boobarran Ngummin: the Bunya Mountains. [Opening address to the Bunya Symposium (2002: Griffith University).] [WWW Document]. URL http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=200302450;res=IELAPA Archived 16 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 3.31.14).
  4. ^ a b c d Markwell Consulting, 2010. Bonye Buru Booburrgan Ngmmunge - Bunya Mountains Aboriginal Aspirations and Caring for Country Plan (Plan).
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-922142-43-6
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-74237-748-3
  7. ^ Moravek, S., Luly, J., Grindrod, J., Fairfax, R., 2013. The origin of grassy balds in the Bunya Mountains, southeastern Queensland, Australia. The Holocene 23, 305–315. doi:10.1177/0959683612460792.
  8. ISBN 1-875992-47-2
    .
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Bunya Mountains National Park: Nature, culture and history". Department of Environment and Resource Management. 6 August 2010. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  10. ^
    ISBN 0-9758275-0-2
    .
  11. ^ "Russell Park". bunyamountains.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  12. ^ Department of Environment. (1996). Bunya Mountains National Park Visitor Information State of Queensland.
  13. ^ a b A Walk in the Park: Queensland. by Stapleton, Jane and Penny, Roger. ABC Audio. 2007.
  14. ^ "IBA: Bunya Mountains & Yarraman". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  15. ^ a b Queensland Government, 2012. Bunya Mountains National Park Management Statement 2012 (Management Plan). Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing.
  16. ^ Fairfax, R., Fensham, R., Butler, D., Quinn, K., Sigley, B., Holman, J., 2009. Effects of multiple fires on tree invasion in montane grasslands. Landsc. Ecol. 24, 1363–1373. doi:10.1007/s10980-009-9388-y
  17. ^ Fensham, R., Fairfax, R., 1996. The Disappearing Grassy Balds of the Bunya Mountains, South-Eastern Queensland. Aust. J. Bot. 44, 543–558.
  18. ^ Fensham, R.J., Fairfax, R.J., 2006. Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds? Austral Ecol. 31, 317–325. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2006.01560.x
  19. ^ Butler, D.W., Fairfax, R.J., Fensham, R.J., 2006. Impacts of tree invasion on floristic composition of subtropical grasslands on the Bunya Mountains, Australia. Aust. J. Bot. 54, 261–270.
  20. ^ Calland, D., 2012. Natural and cultural resource management - The aspirations of the traditional custodians of the Bunya Mountains. EMR Proj. Summ.

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