Taunton-Nationalpark
The Taunton National Park (English: Taunton National Park ) is a national park in the eastern part of the Australian state of Queensland. It is located 400 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, 130 kilometers west of Rockhampton and 35 kilometers east of Blackwater at the Fitzroy Developmental Road.
It is a sanctuary for scientific purposes. Access is only possible with a special permit.
History
The park is located in the Aboriginal tribal area of Kangoulu and Ghungalu, for which the area still has a certain meaning. Special cultural sites there is not there though. The area of the present park was formerly used as grazing land. In 1994 the area was declared a National Park.
Provincial nature
The landscape is mostly flat. Gentle slopes rise to the north and west. In the park clay soils predominate. The small water courses do not lead the water all year round, but from the time of grazing, there are 14 dams, but these are mostly verschlickt and therefore about 9 months of the year are dry.
Flora and Fauna
The National Park is located in the northern part of the Brigalow Belt. Accordingly, acacia and eucalyptus species prevail there, in particular the species Acacia and Eremophila harpophylla mitchelli. There are also grasslands and low thickets. A total of 190 plant species were found on the territory of the park.
The most interesting species in this park is the short nail kangaroo ( Onychogalea fraenata ), which was considered to be extinct since 1937, until 1973, again some have been sighted there; it is considered endangered. We found over 70 species of birds, of which a quarter waterfowl. There are various other types of kangaroo, koala, and six species of snakes.
Facilities and access
The park has no facilities for tourists. Groups of students and researchers perform there several times by studies.
The park is located north of the Capricorn Highway and west of the Fitzroy Developmental Road, which branches off from the Dingo Capricorn Highway. After about 23 km to the west branches from a dirt road that leads to the Red Hill in the north- western part of the park.