Bladensburg National Park
| Bladensburg National Park Queensland | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category II (national park) | |
 Scrammy Gorge, 2011 | |
  Bladensburg National Park | |
| Nearest town or city | Winton |
| Coordinates | 22°30′12″S 142°59′17″E / 22.50333°S 142.98806°ECoordinates: 22°30′12″S 142°59′17″E / 22.50333°S 142.98806°E |
| Established | 1984 |
| Area | 849 km2 (327.8 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Bladensburg National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of Queensland |
Bladensburg is a national park in Queensland, Australia, located 1152 km northwest of Brisbane, and just south of the town of Winton. The 84,900 hectares of national park were declared in 1984.
Birds common to the area include the painted firetail, rufous-crowned emu-wren and rufous-throated honeyeater.[1]
Landforms
The park features grassland plains, river flats, sandstone ranges and flat-topped mesas.[2] The main watercourse in the park is the often dry Surprise Creek.[1] During floods the creek becomes a braided channel.
The landscape to the south of the park has dissected tablelands with mesas and buttes and to the far south are flat sand plains.[1]
History
Bladensburg was once a sheep station, and is now a protected area containing areas of high biodiversity. It is situated predominantly in the Goneaway Tablelands subregion of the Channel Country bioregion, but also contains some of the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion. The original Bladensburg homestead, which was probably transported to the site some time in the 1910s, houses the park's visitor information centre today.[3]
The park contains dinosaur fossils as well as Aboriginal story places and ceremonial grounds.[3] Skull Hole, a waterhole in the park was the site of an aboriginal massacre known as the Bladensburg Massacre.[3]
Facilities
Access to the park is by 16 km of road from Winton.[1] Camping is permitted beside Surprise Creek.[2] No water is available.[1]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Shilton, Peter (2005). Natural Areas of Queensland. Mount Gravatt, Queensland: Goldpress. pp. 288–290. ISBN 0-9758275-0-2.
- 1 2 "Bladensburg National Park". Tourism Queensland. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- 1 2 3 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2002). Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback. State of Queensland. p. 75. ISBN 0-7345-1040-3.