- Mount Banda Banda
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Mount Banda Banda Mountain 
Mount Banda Banda photographed from Camerons BluffCountry Australia State New South Wales Region Mid North Coast Range Great Dividing Range City Kempsey River Wilson River, New South Wales Highest point Banda Banda - elevation 1,258 m (4,127 ft) Geology Porphyry, Dacite, Sedimentary & Metamorphic rocks Period Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian Plant Cool Temperate Rainforest Animal Hastings River Mouse & Rufous Scrub-bird Banda Banda is a mountain of the mid north coast of New South Wales, Australia. 320 km from Sydney, situated within Willi Willi National Park. Banda Banda can be seen on the north western horizon from the town of Port Macquarie. At 1258 metres[1] it is the highest mountain in the district.
Contents
Flora
The stands of Antarctic Beech are some of the finest in existence, and the mountain was included in 1986[1] on the United Nations World Heritage List[2] as part of Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.[3]
Interesting eucalyptus plants occurring on the mountain include the Blue Mountains Ash and Eucalyptus scias subsp. apoda. The endangered shrub Zieria lasiocaulis only occurs at Willi Willi National Park.[4] Another endangered plant on Mount Banda Banda is Grevillea guthrieana.[5]
The summit of the mountain is remarkably flat, and covered in grasses and the Blue Mountains Ash. The isolated occurrence of the Blue Mountains Ash is noteworthy, as it is most often seen in the Blue Mountains district, some 300 kilometres to the south west.[6]
Cool Temperate Rainforest
The main tree species in the rainforest is the Antarctic Beech. Associated species include Prickly Ash, Coachwood, Sassafras, Soft Corkwood and Yellow Carabeen. Walking Stick Palms are seen in the understorey, though usually not associated with such cooler rainforests. Orange Berry is a common ground cover. Despite the impressive 40 metre canopy, the soil is only moderately fertile, being derived from porphyry.[7] Rainfall on Mount Banda Banda is 2 metres per year,[8] a very high amount for the otherwise arid Australian continent.
Arboretum
In 1964, the New South Wales Forestry Commission planted various exotic conifers amidst the cool temperate rainforest at Banda Banda. Arboretum species include the Monkey Puzzle Tree, Douglas Fir and the Sierra Redwood. The possibility of the spread of exotic seedlings into the natural rainforest is of concern.[4]
Fauna
Rarely seen fauna on Mount Banda Banda includes the Hastings River Mouse, Parma Wallaby, Sphagnum Frog, Booroolong Frog, Giant Barred Frog, Stuttering barred frog, the Tree dwelling snail, the Olive Whistler, and the Rufous Scrub-bird, which was described by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of "universally outstanding significance to science and conservation".[2][9][10] The reptile and invertebrate fauna of the mountain are not yet comprehensively understood.[4] However, as this Gondwana rainforest is in good condition, future surveys should provide a valuable picture of the local ecology.
Gallery
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Antarctic Beech, at Mount Banda Banda, 45 metres tall
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Yellow Carabeen (left) and Antarctic Beech (right) at Mount Banda Banda
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Antarctic Beech at Mount Banda Banda
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Eucalyptus scias subsp. apoda at Mount Banda Banda
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Blue Mountains Ash near the summit of Mount Banda Banda
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grassy area at 1250 metres above sea level
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Nameplate at the summit of Mount Banda Banda, elevation 1258 metres
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Soft Corkwood at Mount Banda Banda
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Featherwood at Mount Banda Banda
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Drymophila moorei, an understorey plant at Mount Banda Banda
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Anopterus growing under tall cool temperate rainforest at Mount Banda Banda
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Mount Banda Banda seen from Bellangry Number One Fire Tower
See also
- List of mountains of Australia
References
- ^ a b Werrikimbe & WilliWilli National Parks
- ^ a b New South Wales Rainforests - The Nomination for the World Heritage List, Paul Adam, 1987. ISBN 0 7305 2075 7
- ^ Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, Australia
- ^ a b c Willi Willi National Park Draft Plan of Management
- ^ http://www.racac.nsw.gov.au/rfa/pdf/npws_tsl_licence.pdf
- ^ A field guide to Eucalypts volume 1 ISBN 0 909605 62 9 Page 85 - Brooker & Kleinig
- ^ Floyd, A.G., Australian Rainforests in New South Wales Volume 2 - 1990 ISBN 0 949324 32 9 page 141
- ^ NSW Forestry Commission pamphlet "Wilson River Reserve"
- ^ http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/PomDraftWilliOct2008.pdf
- ^ http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:xYZhE6axXh8J:whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/368bis.pdf+%22mount+banda+banda%22+rare&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au&client=firefox-a
- New South Wales Rainforests - The Nomination for the World Heritage List, Paul Adam, 1987. ISBN 0 7305 2075 7
Coordinates: 31°9.62′S 152°26.31′E / 31.16033°S 152.4385°E
Categories:- Mountains of New South Wales
- Double-named places in Australia
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
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