Girraween National Park

Infobox_protected_area_of_Australia | name =
iucn_category = II

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caption =
locator_x = 260
locator_y = 129
nearest_town_or_city = Stanthorpe
coordinates = coord|28|46|27|S|151|54|43|E|type:landmark_region:AU
area = 117.00 km²cite book |title=Australia's National and Marine Parks: Queensland |last=Reid |first=Greg |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2004 |publisher=Macmillan Education Australia |location=South Yarra, Victoria |isbn=073299053X |pages=22 ]
established = 1966cite book |title=Heritage Trails of the Great South East |last=Queensland Environmental Protection Agency |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2000 |publisher=State of Queensland |location= |isbn=0-7345-1008-X |pages=122 ]
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
managing_authorities = Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
official_site =

Girraween National Park is an area of the Granite Belt in south-east Queensland, Australia reserved as a national park. Girraween is known for its spectacular flowers, dramatic landscapes and unique wildlife. 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

It features granite landscapes, balancing boulders, clear streams, wetlands, cascades and open forest. ] The granite outcroppings, such as the Pyramids and Castle Rock, dominate the local scenery. The park contains many kilometres of graded walking trails to the park's major features like the first Pyramid, Castle Rock, The Sphinx, Turtle Rock, Underground Creek and Mount Norman - the highest point in the park at 1267 metres. 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. ]

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, which led to its being called "place of flowers" in the indigenous language. The area is the only place where the Wallangarra whitegums grow. ]

In 1992, Taronga Park Zoo staff discovered the rare Bald Rock Creek turtle. [cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2006/s1626436.htm |title=Rare Species |accessdate=2008-08-30 |date=2006-04-26 |work=Stateline |format=Transcript |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation ] The species has only been found within a ten km stretch of the creek.

ee also

* Protected areas of Queensland

References

Further reading

*citebook|title=Landforms and Geology of Granitic Terrains|author=C. R. Twidale, Juan Ramón Vidal Romaní|year=2005|publisher=CRC Press|id=ISBN 0415364353

External links

* [http://www.exploroz.com/Places/64109/QLD/Girraween_National_Park.aspx Girraween National Park QLD] www.exploroz.com