Wooroonooran-Nationalpark

The Wooroonooran National Park (English Wooroonooran National Park ) is a 1149 square kilometer national park in Queensland, Australia. Due to a large number of endemic bird species, the park is part of the Wooroonooran Important Bird Area and the UNESCO World Heritage Wet Tropics of Queensland. The two highest elevations of Queensland, Mount Bartle Frere and Mount Bellenden Ker are in the National Park.

Location

The park is located in the region of North Queensland and is located about 30 kilometers west of Innisfail. In a north-south direction it extends over 75 kilometers from Gordonvale to Tully, where he immediately Tully Falls and Tully Gorge National Park adjoins the. The Palmerston section in the southern part is on the Palmerston Highway to reach the Josephine - section in the north from the Bruce Highway from. The mountain range of the Bellenden Ker Range, with the 1622 meter high Mount Bartle Frere and the 1592 meter Mount Bellenden Ker extends over a large part of the area of the National Park. Walsh's Pyramid with 922 meters height, one of the largest natural pyramids in the world, located at its northern end directly at Gordonvale.

Waterfalls

The visitor center near the Josephine Falls was established in the 1970s and opened to the public. The water in the Josephine Creek originates from the slopes of Mount Bartle Frere and flows into the Russell River. A 600 meter long trail leads through the rain forest to a newly created viewing platform. In the past, many people have been injured on the way to the top pool on the slippery granite rocks and died. Resident in the area of the falls is the Bartle Frere skink endemic.

In the park Palmerston section hiking trails lead to the Tchupala Falls and Wallicher Falls. About 2 km further west on the Palmerston Highway to paths to the Nandroya Falls. Here the Douglas Creek plunges from a basalt slab 50 m in depth. It is also near the Silver Creek Falls lie.

Flora and Fauna

100,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago formed the volcanoes of the Atherton Tablelands, the landscape of the park. Today The nutrient-rich, up to 200 meters thick lava layers form the basis for numerous animal and plant species. The rain forests of the National Park are home to over 500 different tree species such as the Australian chestnut tree, Alstonia scholaris and Rottulpeneichen. At their branches and trunks thrive numerous epiphytes, such as the Korbfarn or Elchhornfarn.

Among the mammals found in the park include the Streifenpossum, sleep Beutler, the Yellow-footed bag mouse, Lumholtz tree kangaroo, and the musky rat kangaroo, the smallest member of the kangaroo family. With a little luck you can also Australia's largest snake in the park watching the Australian Amethystine. It can be up to five meters long.

Both in the dense foliage of the trees and on the floor of the rain forest full of birds, such as the mask dwarf parrot, the green wing dove, the Australian fig oriole, the Glanzspitzendrongo or gold ear - honey -eater can be observed.