Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park
The Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park - (English: Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park ) is a national park in northeastern Australian state of Queensland, which consists of two small coral islands.
Location
It is located 1409 km northwest of Brisbane and 33 kilometers northeast of Cairns.
In the vicinity the National Parks Green Iceland, Iceland Fitzroy and Hope Islands lie; on the mainland Kuranda, Grey Peaks and Dinden.
Geography
The two small coral islands in the Michaelmas Michaelmas Cay Reef and Upolu Cay in the more southerly Arlington Reef are World Heritage Great Barrier Reef. The islands are separated by approximately eight and a half kilometers.
Geology
Michaelmas Cay was created by a collection of broken coral, shells and the remains of calcareous algae. It is stabilized by the formation of beach rock, sand and other Riffüberbleibsel be cemented by algae to rock, but has two sides, two wandering sand spikes. The Cay eroded continuously and creates new, depending on wind and water flow elsewhere. In this way, Michaelmas Cay migrates every year by about one meter.
The Michaelmasriff forms the northeastern section of the Arlingtonriff complex, which sits on a foundation 30 feet below sea level.
In 1926, geologists drilled a hole on Michaelmas Cay to a depth of 182.8 meters. Riffgesteine ranged up to a depth of 115.3 meters, including quartz sand followed.
Upolu Cay is not stabilized by Beach Skirt and therefore changes more rapidly in both form and size.
Flora and Fauna
The vegetation on Michaelmas Cay is characteristic of a coral island. The low vegetation consists portulacastrum from beach blue grass ( Spinifex sericeus ), stalk of grass ( lepturus repens ), The Goat - Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes caprae ), puncture vine ( Tribulus cistoides ) Sesuvium and Boerhavia diffusa. The nutrients as fertilizer for the vegetation derived from the seabirds. The smaller island of Upolu Cay is without vegetation.
Michaelmas Cay fulfills an important role as a breeding ground for several tern species. BirdLife International has the area designated as Important Bird Area (IBA ) because it provides habitat for about one percent of the world population of Eilseeschwalben and Rüppellseeschwalben.
On Michaelmas Cay 23 bird species have been recorded, including the endangered Little Tern ( Sternula albifrons ), roseate tern (Sterna dougallii ) and Zügelseeschwalbe ( Onychoprion anaethetus ). It is an important breeding ground for four species: Noddi ( Anous stolidus ), Sooty Tern ( Onychoprion fuscata ), White-bellied Booby (Sula leucogaster ) and Ruddy Turnstone ( Arenaria interpres ). Silver Gull ( Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae ), black-necked Tern ( Sterna sumatrana ) and Reef egret (Egretta sacra ) also breed on the island. In the summer, at the height of the breeding season over 20,000 nests were counted.
The green turtle lays also occasionally on the coral island eggs. The surrounding reefs have a rich marine life, for example, giant clams.
Facilities
Camping and fishing are not permitted on and around the two coral islands very well, however, the diving and snorkeling. Facilities with the exception of the anchorages do not exist.
Check-in
Both islands are easily accessible by private boat from Cairns. Two anchorages are on Michaelmas Cay and one is reported to Upolu Cay. Only there should be moored so that the coral reefs are not unnecessarily damaged. Michaelmas Cay may be entered at certain times in a restricted area.