Mount Etna Caves National Park

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Etna Caves National Park
Eastern flank of Mount Etna with an abandoned limestone quarry
Eastern flank of Mount Etna with an abandoned limestone quarry
Mount Etna Caves National Park, Queensland
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
Coordinates: 23 ° 9 ′ 37 ″  S , 150 ° 28 ′ 31 ″  E
Location: Queensland , Australia
Specialty: Limestone caves, bats
Next city: Rockhampton
Surface: 5.81 km²
Founding: 1994
Australian ghost bat
Australian ghost bat
i2 i3 i6

The Mount Etna Caves National Park (English: Mount Etna Caves National Park ) is a national park in the east of the Australian state of Queensland . It is 544 kilometers northwest of Brisbane and 26 kilometers north of Rockhampton .

history

The Archer Brothers , settlers in the Rockhampton area in the 1850s, named Mount Etna after Mount Etna in Sicily . From 1914 to 1939 guano was extracted from the caves and from 1925 limestone was also mined . In World War II commandos trained the Australian Army here. In 1975 the national park was established to protect the caves.

National nature

The Mount Etna is made of limestone and has in addition to the rock steps and karst caves in its interior. The area was once inundated by a shallow sea in which coral reefs formed. When the sea level fell, the mountain appeared as it is today.

fauna

The karst caves use more than 80% of a smooth-nosed species ( Miniopterus australis ) found in Australia as a sleeping place. This is also one of the few places in Australia to spot a colony of the endangered Australian ghost bat.

Facilities and access

Camping in the park is not permitted. There are several created hiking trails and guided tours through the caves.

The national park can be reached from the Bruce Highway ( The Caves exit ). Access to the caves is restricted to protect the animals. Some caves are not allowed to be entered.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 2010 ( MS Excel ; 170 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on October 7, 2012 (English)
  2. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 1997 ( MS Excel ; 93 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on October 7, 2012 (English)
  3. ^ A b Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing. Archerfield QLD 2007. ISBN 978-1-74193-232-4 . P. 11
  4. ↑ a b c d e Mount Etna Caves National Park . Department of Environment and Resource Management. Retrieved November 28, 2012