Bunya Mountains National Park Discovery Guide
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Michael O’Connor © Qld Govt Qld © O’Connor Michael Michael O’Connor © Qld Govt Qld © O’Connor Michael a hole in the canopy lets in sunlight. in lets canopy the in hole a Large-leaved stinging trees sprout where where sprout trees stinging Large-leaved Robert Ashdown © Qld Govt Qld © Ashdown Robert tadpoles of great barred frogs barred great of tadpoles Peek in rock pools for the huge huge the for pools rock in Peek and buses. buses. and Ranger Kelvin Ranger Discretion is urged with respect to caravans, motorhomes motorhomes caravans, to respect with urged is Discretion discover and treasure in Queensland’s second oldest national park. national oldest second Queensland’s in treasure and discover and narrow and not suitable for long and/or heavy vehicles. vehicles. heavy and/or long for suitable not and narrow and possums foraging in tree tops. tree in foraging possums stories of the past and enduring cultural connections, there are so many things to to things many so are there connections, cultural enduring and past the of stories All access roads to the Bunya Mountains are steep, winding winding steep, are Mountains Bunya the to roads access All in leaf litter or brushtail and ringtail ringtail and brushtail or litter leaf in still amazes me. From forest giants to tiny blossoms, endangered ecosystems to to ecosystems endangered blossoms, tiny to giants forest From me. amazes still bandicoots and antechinus fossicking fossicking antechinus and bandicoots surrounding farmlands to this very special place. place. special very this to farmlands surrounding After 20 years working in this park, its ageless diversity and raw majesty of nature nature of majesty raw and diversity ageless its park, this in working years 20 After spot might you torchlight by Then, Kingaroy, Nanango or Yarraman to rise up from the plains and and plains the from up rise to Yarraman or Nanango Kingaroy, These mist-covered mountains are a world away from the surrounding countryside. countryside. surrounding the from away world a are mountains mist-covered These Follow the Great Bunya Drive signs from Dalby, Jondaryan, Jondaryan, Dalby, from signs Drive Bunya Great the Follow Australia’s largest known maternity colony. maternity known largest Australia’s bats from the old timber school house at Dandabah— at house school timber old the from bats of Brisbane and 125km north-west of Toowoomba. Toowoomba. of north-west 125km and Brisbane of warmer months for the sunset flight of tiny chocolate wattled wattled chocolate tiny of flight sunset the for months warmer Bunya Mountains National Park is about 200km north-west north-west 200km about is Park National Mountains Bunya them just off the road heading south towards Dalby. Dalby. towards south heading road the off just them warm, spring evenings at dusk. Wait with anticipation in in anticipation with Wait dusk. at evenings spring warm, Follow the Great Bunya Drive Bunya Great the Follow areas. They are not featured in this guide, but you’ll find find you’ll but guide, this in featured not are They areas. Be enchanted by fireflies flickering through the forest on on forest the through flickering fireflies by enchanted Be Council, also offers several walks, lookouts and picnic picnic and lookouts walks, several offers also Council, koalas overhead. koalas Russell Park Russell , managed by the Western Downs Regional Regional Downs Western the by managed , Burton’s legless lizards scurrying off the track and watch for for watch and track the off scurrying lizards legless Burton’s Michael O’Connor © Qld Govt refuge for us all. us for refuge thousands of years. of thousands views to the east. east. the to views necked wallabies laze on the grass. Glimpse skinks and and skinks Glimpse grass. the on laze wallabies necked Today the Bunya Mountains are a gathering place and and place gathering a are Mountains Bunya the Today have been gathering for for gathering been have overnight. Admire magnificent grasstrees and panoramic panoramic and grasstrees magnificent Admire overnight. honeyeaters forage among leaves and flowers, and red- and flowers, and leaves among forage honeyeaters or just yourself, where people people where yourself, just or the shelter shed or shade of stately stringybarks; or camp camp or stringybarks; stately of shade or shed shelter the and to receive strength from Mother Earth. Mother from strength receive to and Out in the open forest, grey fantails, tree-creepers and and tree-creepers fantails, grey forest, open the in Out Reconnect with family, friends, friends, family, with Reconnect water for bullocks and horses. Relax nearby over a picnic in in picnic a over nearby Relax horses. and bullocks for water stories, settle disputes, pass on wisdom, marry, trade trade marry, wisdom, on pass disputes, settle stories, canopy above. above. canopy natural spring excavated in the early 1900s to provide clean clean provide to 1900s early the in excavated spring natural swoop to a nearby branch. branch. nearby a to swoop celebrate the bounty of the bunya nut harvest—to share share harvest—to nut bunya the of bounty the celebrate land snails, or birds have dropped partly-eaten fruit from the the from fruit partly-eaten dropped have birds or snails, land Burtons Well Burtons , a a , historic is entrance northern park’s the Near inquisitive satin bowerbirds bowerbirds satin inquisitive For generations Aboriginal peoples gathered to feast and and feast to gathered peoples Aboriginal generations For for tell-tale signs where noisy pittas have been feasting on on feasting been have pittas noisy where signs tell-tale for as colourful parrots and and parrots colourful as Plain. Westcott has wood barbecues and a small camping area. camping small a and barbecues wood has Westcott Plain. future generations. future pademelons deep inside the rainforest. Scan the forest floor floor forest the Scan rainforest. the inside deep pademelons nourishing flesh of bunya nuts. bunya of flesh nourishing crimson, green or blue blue or green crimson, dry rainforest gully a short distance along the track from Cherry Cherry from track the along distance short a gully rainforest dry for and now enjoy—for to all us Watch for green catbirds, paradise rifle-birds and red-legged red-legged and rifle-birds paradise catbirds, green for Watch promise of cool forests, cold mountain streams and the the and streams mountain cold forests, cool of promise Catch a brilliant flash of of flash brilliant a Catch grassy areas. Look for shy black-breasted button-quails in the the in button-quails black-breasted shy for Look areas. grassy for place a is It place. special picnic areas. areas. picnic hot, dry land, towards the Bunya Mountains—and the the Mountains—and Bunya the towards land, dry hot, Plain . Spy fairy-wrens, finches and scurrying skinks in open open in skinks scurrying and finches fairy-wrens, Spy . this respect and for care you over the plains below. below. plains the over brush turkeys and satin bowerbirds easy to see around around see to easy bowerbirds satin and turkeys brush hundreds of kilometres along traditional pathways, across across pathways, traditional along kilometres of hundreds Cherry Cherry Westcott and and to head sun more and crowds less For that ask Corporation Aboriginal top picnic, or simply enjoy the scenery and panoramic views views panoramic and scenery the enjoy simply or picnic, top Bunyas; with king parrots, crimson rosellas, kookaburras, kookaburras, rosellas, crimson parrots, king with Bunyas; They came from the north, south, east and west travelling travelling west and east south, north, the from came They Peoples Bunya the and Service displays to learn more about the park. the about more learn to a summer’s day. Delight in a rainforest stroll, a mountain- a stroll, rainforest a in Delight day. summer’s a There’s more than 210 bird species to tick off your list at the the at list your off tick to species bird 210 than more There’s Wildlife and Parks Queensland The outdoor interpretive interpretive outdoor centre visitor park and and the visit to sure Seek refuge from a noisy, busy world or the searing heat of of heat searing the or world busy noisy, a from refuge Seek sunlight and owls in the dark of night. night. of dark the in owls and sunlight King parrot restaurants and accommodation options are nearby. Be Be nearby. are options accommodation and restaurants —your senses will be nourished here, as will your spirit. ©your Brucewill Thomsonas here, nourished be will senses —your overhead. Encounter carpet pythons basking in patches of of patches in basking pythons carpet Encounter overhead. area, local natural history museum, small grocery store, store, grocery small museum, history natural local area, Mountains Bunya the like planet the on else nowhere There’s generations. wedge-tailed eagles soaring, or topknot pigeons wheeling wheeling pigeons topknot or soaring, eagles wedge-tailed entrance for short and long rainforest walks. The camping camping The walks. rainforest long and short for entrance current to times ancient from people sustained has that landscape in gullies and streams. Glimpse grey goshawks and and goshawks grey Glimpse streams. and gullies in barbecues, an abundance of colourful birdlife and is the the is and birdlife colourful of abundance an barbecues, Spy watchful wallabies and soaring birds of prey. Feel the connection to a a to connection the Feel prey. of birds soaring and wallabies watchful Spy Listen for the songs of forest birds and the croak of frogs frogs of croak the and birds forest of songs the for Listen Surrounded by bunya pine forest, the picnic area has electric electric has area picnic the forest, pine bunya by Surrounded waterfalls.