Blackall Range

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Picture of Nambour on the Blackall Range ( 1910)

The Blackall Range is a mountainous country in south-east Queensland, Australia. The first Europeans who came to this area was Ludwig Leichhardt. The name comes from Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland.

The Blackall Range dominates the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, west of Nambour. Maleny, Mapleton, Montville and Flaxton are the most important settlements in this mountain country. The Stanley River rises in the southern slopes. Baroon Pocket Dam is a dam on the Obi Obi Creek, which drains the north-western slopes.

Geology

The mountains of basalt was formed by volcanic activity 30 million years ago. Erosion changed the landscape, creating canyons and floors where subtropical rain forests grow. Volcanoes before 235 million years created rhyolite rock.

Aboriginal

In the area of the Blackall Range survived the Aborigines of the Gubbi Gubbi, where the Queensland Araucaria (Araucaria bidwillii ) - locally called the Bunya Pine, grows. The Blackall Range and Bunya Mountains are the only two areas in which this tree grows naturally. , Which is up to 30 to 45 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of 1.5 m and basaltic soils preferred. The Bunya nut reaches the football size, a Kg will be heavy and contains 100 to 200 seeds, was collected by the Aborigines in the area of the southern North Queensland from December to March, together with neighboring Aborigines as bush food. The seeds were eaten raw or roasted, processed into flour or baked into bread. The nut also had significance in ceremonies, trade, weddings and other occasions, which were held at the meeting. Recently, the wood of the tree is used to build guitars.

From 1842 to 1860, the Blackall Range was a big reserve for Aborigines. Governor George Gipps built it to protect the Aborigines and their Bunya nut. It was forbidden to reap the nut to move and hit trees. In the Mary Cairncross Reserve of the first European settlers of the Blackall Range moved. Curramore Sanctuary, Mapleton Falls, Mapleton, Maleny and Kondalilla National Park located in the hill country. Numerous vantage points on the mountains offer a view of the coast. One of the best views is at Howell's Knob, a mountain of 561 m rises above sea level. With its spectacular views, natural beauty and its developed tourism with accommodation, restaurants, deals in art galleries and shops, the Blackall Range is a popular destination for tourists.

European

The rich timber reserves led in the 1860s loggers in this area. The last logging was carried out in 1939.

Activities of the local communities reached with the support of the Queensland Government that the area received a cult status and became more environmentally protected. In the middle of 2008 this status was proclaimed, before these were Noosa and Port Douglas.