Boodjamulla National Park Queensland |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Boodjamulla National Park
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Nearest town or city | Burketown |
Established | 1985 |
Area | 2,820 km2 (1,088.8 sq mi) |
Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
Website | Boodjamulla National Park |
See also | Protected areas of Queensland |
Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia.
The park is in the Gulf Country region of northwestern Queensland. The park is 340 km (210 mi) northwest of Mount Isa or 1,837 km (1,141 mi) northwest of Brisbane.
The main attractions in the park are the sandstone ranges with deep gorges and a limestone plateau with significant fossil fields. Other attractions include crystal-clear green waters, lush vegetation and canoeing. Surrounding the park are numerous resources reserves, set aside for mineral exploration and mining.
The park contains several permanent creeks, waterholes, gorges, and sandstone ranges. Boodjamulla's ancient sandstones and limestones have been gradually stripped away over millions of years leaving behind rugged escarpments, gorges, and rock outcrops. There are four main habitats contained with the park: riverine, alluvial flats, rocky hills, and clay plains.
Lawn Hill Gorge, the primary attraction in the park, cuts through the sandstone plateau of the Constance Range, on the eastern extremity of the Barkly Tableland. The gorge has been carved out by Lawn Hill Creek, which flows all year and is fed by numerous freshwater springs from the limestone plateau to the west. The gorge is a rich oasis with cabbage palms and other tropical vegetation.
Also located in the park are the Gregory River and O'Shanassy Rivers which flow all year round. The park contains 20 km of walking tracks.
On the sandstone hills are spinifex, acacias, eucalypts and grevilleas. Growing on the river plains are western bloodwoods and mitchell grass.Paperbarks, river red gums, figs, ferns, pandanus and cabbage palms are found along the creek and river banks. A diverse range of aquatic plants such as waterlilies, ferns, mosses, sedges and bulrushes grow in the creeks.