Taunton National Park

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Taunton National Park
Short-nailed kangaroo (Onychogalea fraenata), illustration by John Gould
Short-nailed kangaroo ( Onychogalea fraenata ),
illustration by John Gould
Taunton National Park (Queensland)
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
Coordinates: 23 ° 32 ′ 0 ″  S , 149 ° 13 ′ 17 ″  E
Location: Queensland , Australia
Specialty: Short-nailed kangaroo
Next city: Blackwater
Surface: 116.26 km²
Founding: 1994
i2 i3 i6

The Taunton National Park (English: Taunton National Park ) is a national park in the east of the Australian state of Queensland . It is 400 kilometers northwest of Brisbane , 130 kilometers west of Rockhampton and 35 kilometers east of Blackwater on the Fitzroy Developmental Road .

It is a protected area for scientific purposes. Access is only possible with a special permit.

history

The park is located in the Aboriginal tribal area of ​​the Kangoulu and Ghungalu , for whom the area still has a certain importance today. But there are no special cultural sites there. The area of ​​today's park was previously used as pasture. In 1994 the area was declared a national park.

National nature

The landscape is mostly flat. Gentle slopes rise to the north and west. Clay soils predominate in the park. The small watercourses do not carry water all year round, but from the time of grazing there are 14 weirs, most of which are silted up and therefore dry about 9 months a year.

Flora and fauna

The national park is located in the northern part of the Brigalow Belt . Accordingly, acacia and eucalyptus species predominate there, especially the species Acacia harpophylla and Eremophila mitchelli . There are also grasslands and low thickets. A total of 190 plant species were found in the area of ​​the park.

The most interesting species in this park is the short-nailed kangaroo ( Onychogalea fraenata ), which was considered to be extinct since 1937, until a few specimens were spotted there again in 1973; it is considered endangered. Over 70 species of birds have been identified, a quarter of which are water birds. There are several other species of kangaroo, the koala and six species of snakes.

Facilities and access

There are no tourist facilities in the park. Groups of students and scientists often conduct studies there.

The park is north of the Capricorn Highway and west of the Fitzroy Developmental Road, which branches off the Capricorn Highway in Dingo . After about 23 kilometers, an unpaved road branches off to the west, which leads to Red Hill in the northwest part of the park.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 2010 ( MS Excel ; 170 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on January 7, 2013 (English)
  2. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 1997 ( MS Excel ; 93 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on January 7, 2013 (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 f Taunton National Park (Scientific) (PDF; 617 kB) Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2013.