Cape-Melville-Nationalpark
The Cape Melville National Park (English Cape Melville National Park ) is a national park in northeastern Australian state of Queensland.
Location
The nature reserve is situated 1711 kilometers north-west of Brisbane and 120 kilometers north-west of Cooktown on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula.
In the neighborhood lie off the coast of the National Park Flinders Group and Howick Group, on the mainland Jack River and Starcke.
Landforms
Characteristic of the National Park are the granite blocks of the Melville Range and the sandstone cliffs of Altanmoui Range.
Flora
In the park there are rain and mangrove forest, light forest and grassland. As the park is very remote, many endemic plants were able to develop, such as the fox tail palm ( Wodyetia bifurcata ).
History
In the area of the park of the Aboriginesstamm Othawa lives. Its long tradition can be seen in rock carvings, burial mounds and Køkkenmøddinger. In an expedition in 2013 researchers discovered three previously unknown species; a leaf-tailed gecko ( Saltuarius eximius ), a gold-colored Skink ( Saproscincus saltus ) and a frog ( Cophixalus petrophilus ).
Access and facilities
The park is accessible only through unpaved roads. Along the coast leads a 180 -kilometer road from Cooktown to Wakooka station in the south of the park. From there, a 35 -kilometer road leads further to the campground at the Bathurst Bay on the north coast. From Kalpowar Crossing in Lakefield National Park Wakooka the station via a 70-kilometer long road is reached. The unpaved roads can be used only with four-wheel drive vehicles with high ground clearance. As a travel time, offers the dry season from August to November. In the rainy season the roads can be impassable.
Tents in the park is permitted on the coast, but it do not have specific facilities at the campsites. Also popular are hikes along the beach.