Why is Lamington so special

Drone shot by Wojciech (Tek) Golda looking South from Mount Roberts

Lamington National Park comprises 21,377-hectares on the Queensland/New South Wales border, abutting the Border Ranges National Park. The area was used by local aboriginal groups, primarily the Wangerriburra, for resources. Gazetted in 1915, and although not the first park in Queensland, it was agitation for this land that was responsible for the entire national park concept in Queensland.

Lamington National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed property protected because of its international significance as:

  • An outstanding representation of major stages of evolutionary history
  • An outstanding representation of ongoing geological processes and biological evolution
  • A site containing important and significant habitat.

The park is based on the variety of lavas from the Mt. Warning volcano (active about 23 million years ago) which in turnover lie folded sediments, producing soils supporting a wide range of vegetation. The spectacular cliff-line and waterfall scenery is based on the north and west radiating spurs from the Tweed volcano, the valleys eroded by rivers and the cliffs of more durable rhyolite. Lamington forms the northern side of the best example of this type of erosion caldera in the world.

Lamington forms part of an area called the McPherson-McLeay overlap; an area which represents the southernmost distribution of many of the northern life forms together with the northernmost distribution of many of the southern life forms: consequently, a great diversity of living things.

Lamington National Park contains:

  • The largest area of subtropical rainforest in Queensland and one of the largest in the world
  • The second largest natural stand of Hoop Pine in Australia
  • Representative’s areas of 16 different forest types
  • Five different rainforest types
  • Nearly 100 species of fern/fern allies, including six species of tree fern
  • Representatives of ancient plant groups such as Hoop Pine (most primitive genera of conifers Brown Pine (Podacarpus- primitive seed plants), cycad (Lepidozamia), and Antarctic Beech (ancient flowering plan group), descendants of Australia’s Gondwana
  • Australia’s northernmost group of Antarctic Beeches
  • Contains nearly 900 species of vascular plants
  • Protects over 60 vascular plants listed as rare, endangered or vulnerable
  • The world’s greatest diversity of saprophytic orchids
  • Habitat for about 60 species of mammal and nearly 200 species of bird in more than half of Australian bird families
  • 25 animal species listed as potentially vulnerable, and two endangered
  • The northern subspecies of the Eastern Bristlebird and a subspecies of the Pale Yellow Robin
  • Two bird species from the primitive perching birds- Albert’s Lyrebird and Rufous Scrub Bird
  • Over 100 species of reptiles and amphibians, including Australia’s largest skink (Land Mullet), all species of Legless Lizard and several rare frogs
  • A significant proportion of the total habitat for several species e.g. Red-necked and Red-legged Pademelons, Marbled Frogmouth, Yellow-bellied Glider, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Albert’s Lyrebird, Lamington Spiny Crayfish
  • The exclusive home of several species of both plant and animal e.g. alga, lichen, Fletcher’s Frog, Loveridge’s Frog, Lamington Eyebright, among others
  • The southern limit of the White- eared Monarch
  • Over 500 waterfalls.
  • Vital habitat food source for numerous migratory and nomadic species such as Glossy Black Cockatoo
  • Notable invertebrates include giant earthworms (including Australia’s second largest), Richmond Birdwing butterfly, King Cricket, Giant Pine Weevil, three species of Peripatus, as well as many, many more species of invertebrate and yet unnamed, and many more as yet undiscovered.

 

Drone shot looking North from Mount Roberts by Wojciech (Tek) Golda