Girraween National Park

Girraween National Park Queensland
IUCN category II (national park)
Granite domes known as the Pyramids
Girraween National Park
Nearest town or city	Stanthorpe
Coordinates	28°46′27″S 151°54′43″E / 28.77417°S 151.91194°E / -28.77417; 151.91194Coordinates: 28°46′27″S 151°54′43″E / 28.77417°S 151.91194°E / -28.77417; 151.91194
Established	21 October 1966 (1966-10-21)^[1]^[2]
Area	117 km² (45.2 sq mi)^[3]
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	Girraween National Park
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

Girraween National Park is an area of the Granite Belt in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia reserved as a national park. Girraween is known for its spectacular flowers, dramatic landscapes and unique wildlife. Bushwalking and rock climbing are the most popular activities in the park.

Location

The park is situated 40 km south of Stanthorpe. The southern boundary of the park is the state border between Queensland and New South Wales. It is a twin park with Bald Rock National Park, which lies across the border in New South Wales, and features Bald Rock, the second-largest monolith (after Uluru) on the continent. Curiously, South Bald Rock and West Bald Rock lie in Girraween National Park in Queensland, not in Bald Rock National Park in New South Wales.

Features

Granite outcrops are a feature of the park.

It features granite landscapes, balancing boulders, clear streams, wetlands, cascades and open forest.^[3] The granite outcroppings, such as the Pyramids and Castle Rock at 1112 m, dominate the local scenery. The park contains many kilometres of graded walking trails to the park's major features like the First Pyramid, Second Pyramid, The Sphinx, Turtle Rock, Underground Creek, the Eye of the Needle and Mount Norman - the highest point in the park at 1267 metres.^[4] Fire trails can be followed when venturing into the southern and eastern sections of the park. The park has a temperate climate. During winter snow can fall in the area.^[3]

Fauna and flora

The park has abundant fauna, including some that are rarely seen elsewhere in Queensland, such as the common wombat, spotted quoll, lyrebird and the turquoise parrot.

The area is also noted for its diverse flora. The eucalypt forests and heathlands provide habitat for abundant birdlife. In spring, many wildflowers bloom, this led to its being called "place of flowers" in the indigenous language. The area is the only place where the Wallangarra whitegums grow.^[3]

In 1992, Taronga Park Zoo staff discovered the rare Bald Rock Creek turtle.^[5] The species has only been found within a ten km stretch of the creek.

References

↑ "History of Girraween National Park".
↑ Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 122. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.
1 2 3 4 Reid, Greg (2004). Australia's National and Marine Parks: Queensland. South Yarra, Victoria: Macmillan Education Australia. p. 22. ISBN 0-7329-9053-X.
↑ Seeing South-East Queensland (2 ed.). RACQ. 1980. p. 73. ISBN 0-909518-07-6.
↑ "Rare Species" (Transcript). Stateline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2008-08-30.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Girraween National Park.

Darling Downs, Queensland

Cities:	Toowoomba Warwick

Townships:	Acland Allora Amiens Applethorpe Ballandean Bell Brigalow Bungunya Cambooya Cecil Plains Chinchilla Clifton Condamine Cooyar Crows Nest Dalby Dalveen Daymar Drillham Dulacca Goombungee Goondiwindi Gowrie Junction Greenmount Haden Hampton Highfields Inglewood Jandowae Jimbour Karara Kaimkillenbun Killarney Kingsthorpe Kogan Kulpi Leyburn Macalister Maclagan Maryvale Meandarra Meringandan Messines Miles Millmerran Moonie Mount Tyson Nobby Oakey Passchendaele Peranga Pittsworth Pozieres Quinalow Stanthorpe Southbrook Talwood Texas Tara The Gums Thulimbah Toobeah Wallangarra Wandoan Warra Weengallon Wyberba Wyreema Yangan Yarraman Yelarbon

Local Government Areas:	Goondiwindi Region Southern Downs Region Toowoomba Region Western Downs Region

National Parks:	Bendidee Bunya Mountains Crows Nest Erringibba Girraween Main Range Mount Binga Pidna Southwood Sundown The Palms Wondul Range

Places of Interest:	Cambanoora Gorge Canning Downs Cunninghams Gap Granite Belt Jimbour Homestead

National Parks of Queensland

Central	Blackdown Tableland Byfield Capricorn Coast Capricornia Cays Carnarvon Castle Tower Curtis Island Deepwater Epping Forest Eurimbula Expedition Goodedulla Humboldt Isla Gorge Junee Keppel Bay Islands Kroombit Tops Littabella Mazeppa Minerva Hills Mount Archer Mount Colosseum Mount Etna Caves Mount Jim Crow Mount O'Connell Mount Walsh Nuga Nuga Palmgrove Peak Range Rundle Range Snake Range Taunton West Hill Wild Cattle Island

Darling Downs	Bendidee Bunya Mountains Crows Nest Erringibba Girraween Main Range Mount Binga Pidna Southwood Sundown The Palms Wondul Range

Far North	Alwal Annan River Barnard Island Group Barron Gorge Black Mountain Blackbraes Bulleringa Cape Melville Cedar Bay Chillagoe-Mungana Claremont Isles Clump Mountain Crater Lakes Daintree Danbulla Davies Creek Denham Group National Park Edmund Kennedy Ella Bay Endeavour River Eubenangee Swamp Family Islands Fitzroy Island Flinders Group Frankland Group Forbes Islands Forty Mile Scrub Great Basalt Wall Green Island Grey Peaks Girringun Goold Island Hann Tableland Hasties Swamp Hinchinbrook Island Hope Islands Howick Group Hull River Japoon Jardine River Kirrama Kuranda Kurrimine Beach Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) Lakefield Lama Lama Lizard Island Ma’alpiku Island Macalister Range Malaan Maria Creek Marpa Michaelmas and Upolu Cays Millstream Falls Mitchell-Alice Rivers Moresby Range Mount Cook Mount Hypipamee Mount Lewis Mount Spurgeon Mount Webb Mount Windsor Mowbray Murray Falls, Girramay Nymph Island Oyala Thumotang Palmerston Rocks Piper Islands Possession Island Precipice Quoin Island Raine Island Rocky Islets Russell River Sandbanks Saunders Islands Sir Charles Hardy Group Staaten River Starcke Three Islands Topaz Road Tully Gorge Turtle Group Two Islands Undara Volcanic Wooroonooran Yungaburra

North	Blackwood Brook Islands Bowling Green Bay Brampton Islands Broad Sound Islands Cape Hillsborough Cape Palmerston Cape Upstart Conway Dipperu Dryander Eungella Gloucester Island Halifax Bay Wetlands Holbourne Island Homevale Lindeman Islands Magnetic Island Molle Islands Moorrinya Mount Aberdeen Mount Martin Mount Ossa Newry Islands Northumberland Islands Orpheus Island Paluma Range Pioneer Peaks Reliance Creek Repulse Island Round Top Island Smith Islands South Cumberland Islands South Island Swain Reefs Whitsunday Islands

South West	Alton Chesterton Range Culgoa Floodplain Currawinya Diamantina Hell Hole Gorge Idalia Lake Bindegolly Mariala Narkoola Thrushton Tregole

North West	Boodjamulla Camooweal Caves Porcupine Gorge White Mountains

Central West	Astrebla Downs Bladensburg Cudmore Diamantina Forest Den Goneaway Lochern Munga-Thirri Narrien Range Welford

Wide Bay-Burnett	Auburn River Beeron Beninbi Burrum Coast Cania Gorge Coalstoun Lakes Fairlies Knob Goodnight Scrub Goomboorian Great Sandy Grongah Mount Bauple Pipeclay Poona Tarong Woondum Woowoonga

Brisbane and Surrounds	Bellthorpe Blue Lake Bribie Island Burleigh Head Conondale D'Aguilar Deer Reserve Dularcha Esk Eudlo Creek Ferntree Creek Fort Lytton Freshwater Gatton Glass House Mountains Kondalilla Lamington Lockyer Mapleton Falls Mooloolah River Moogerah Peaks Moreton Island Mount Barney Mount Chinghee Mount Coolum Mount Pinbarren Nicoll Scrub Noosa Nerang Ravensbourne Sarabah Southern Moreton Bay Islands St Helena Island Springbrook Tamborine Teerk Roo Ra Tewantin Triunia Venman Bushland Wickham

Protected areas of Queensland

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