McIlwraith Range

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The McIlwraith Range is a mountainous country on the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland, Australia. The area is a part of the Great Dividing Range, located about 15 km east of Coen and 550 kilometers north of Cairns. It covers about 3,000 square kilometers and extends 80 km in north-south direction. The mountainous landscape is under national conservation and is part of a larger bird sanctuary by BirdLife International.

Name

The area is named after Sir Thomas McIlwraith (1835-1900), a prime minister from Queensland, who was elected in three legislatures. Managed the mountainous country is the under national conservation KULLA ( McIlwraith Range ) National Park ( CYPAL ).

Environment

The McIlwraight Range is a relatively low-lying plateau of granite; the majority of the mountains rising above the sea level to about 450 meters. The highest mountain is 824 meters high.

In the landscape with rugged mountains, steep slopes and ravines grow rainforests and due to heavy rainfall of about 1500 mm per year, there are waterfalls, streams and rivers.

The fauna with 56 species resembles that of New Guinea, including climbing Beutler ( Phalanger maculatus ), superb bird of paradise ( Ptiloris magnificus ), Manucodia ( Manucodia keraudrenii ), Palm Cockatoo ( Probosciger aterrimus ) and Actual cuscuses ( Spilocuscus maculatus ). 28 species are rare. The area is also inhabited by the Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) and is endemic gecko ( Orraya occultus ).

The mountain land is a part of the 6205 km ² large McIlwraith and Iron Ranges Important Bird Area (IBA ) by BirdLife International.

92 plant species growing in the field, 16 of which are endemic and rare species of orchids growing there which is ( Cepobaculum locust ) and acacia (Acacia albizioides ).

Aboriginal

The Aborigines of Kaanju, Umpila, Lama Lama and Ayapathu been living there for thousands of years. A Kulla Land Trust, which manages the national park in the mountains, holds a native title over an area of ​​2090 km ².