Bowling Green Bay National Park
Bowling Green Bay is a national park in the City of Townsville and Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia,[2] 1,103 km northwest of Brisbane, and 28 km south of Townsville and 59 km north of Ayr. It is a Ramsar Convention listed site. The park protects diverse range of habitats including the rugged, forested landscape surrounding Mount Elliot and Saddle Mountain as well as coastal estuaries between Cape Cleveland and Cape Bowling Green.[3]
Landforms
Mount Elliot rises 1,342 m and has numerous creeks on its eastern slopes, of which, Alligator Creek is the most important.[3] The creek is a popular place to swim and to watch birds drinking the creek's water or feeding on riparian vegetation.[3]
The parks incorporates the floodplains of the Haughton River. This includes one of the largest wetlands on the east coast of Australia.[4] The wetland arose as the coastal streams deposited material into the calm waters of Bowling Green Bay. It is composed of mud and sand flats, swamps, isolated hills, mangrove forests and inter-tidal flats.[4] Behind the areas where mangroves grow are bare salt pan. These wide expanses are a unique characteristic of North Queensland wetlands produced by comparatively low rainfall and a short wet season that never washes the salt away.[4]
Fauna
The brolga and magpie goose find habitat in the sedge swamps of Bowling Green Bay. The park is one of the best places to see the rarely observed zitting cisticola.[4] Other bird species include the whistling duck, black duck, spoonbill, ibis and jabiru. Crocodiles are found in the estuarine and swamp areas.
Facilities
Camping in the park in permitted at the Alligator Creek campground.[5] Bush camping is permitted at Cape Bowling Green.[4] No open fires or domestic animals are permitted in the park.[4]
Access
Access to the park is via the Bruce Highway. Cape Bowling Green is accessible via the village of Alva Beach.
See also
References
- ^ "Bowling Green Bay". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Bowling Green Bay National Park (entry 39386)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Hema Maps (1997). Discover Australia's National Parks. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia. p. 192. ISBN 1-875992-47-2.
- ^ a b c d e f Shilton, Peter (2005). Natural Areas of Queensland. Mount Gravatt, Queensland: Goldpress. pp. 88–92. ISBN 0-9758275-0-2.
- ^ "Alligator Creek - Bowling Green Bay National Park". queenslandholidays.com.au. Tourism Queensland. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
External links
- Department of Environment and Science - Bowling Green Bay National Park
- v
- t
- e
- Baga
- Blackdown Tableland
- Bulburin
- Byfield
- Capricorn Coast
- Capricornia Cays
- Carnarvon
- Castle Tower
- Curtis Island
- Deepwater
- Epping Forest
- Eurimbula
- Expedition
- Goodedulla
- Humboldt
- Isla Gorge
- Junee
- Keppel Bay Islands
- Kroombit Tops
- Littabella
- Mazeppa
- Minerva Hills
- Mount Archer
- Mount Colosseum
- Mount Etna Caves
- Mount O'Connell
- Mount Walsh
- Nuga Nuga
- Palmgrove
- Peak Range
- Precipice
- Rundle Range
- Snake Range
- Taunton
- Warro
- West Hill
- Wild Cattle Island
- Alwal
- Annan River
- Apudthama
- Barnard Island Group
- Barron Gorge
- Basilisk Range
- Blackbraes
- Bulleringa
- Cape Melville
- Chillagoe-Mungana
- Claremont Isles
- Clump Mountain
- Crater Lakes
- Daintree
- Danbulla
- Davies Creek
- Dinden
- Djiru
- Ella Bay
- Endeavour River
- Eubenangee Swamp
- Family Islands
- Fitzroy Island
- Flinders Group
- Frankland Group
- Forty Mile Scrub
- Great Basalt Wall
- Green Island
- Grey Peaks
- Girramay
- Girringun
- Goold Island
- Hann Tableland
- Hasties Swamp
- Herberton Range
- Hinchinbrook Island
- Hope Islands
- Howick Group
- Hull River
- Japoon
- Kalkajaka
- Kirrama
- Kuranda
- Kurrimine Beach
- Kutini-Payamu
- Lama Lama
- Little Mulgrave
- Lizard Island
- Ma’alpiku Island
- Macalister Range
- Malaan
- Maria Creek
- Marpa
- Michaelmas and Upolu Cays
- Millstream Falls
- Mitchell-Alice Rivers
- Mitirinchi Island
- Moresby Range
- Mount Cook
- Mount Hypipamee
- Mount Lewis
- Mount Spurgeon
- Mount Webb
- Mount Windsor
- Mowbray
- Ngalba Bulal
- Nymph Island
- Oyala Thumotang
- Palmerston Rocks
- Piper Islands
- Possession Island
- Raine Island
- Rinyirru
- Rocky Islets
- Russell River
- Sandbanks
- Saunders Islands
- Sir Charles Hardy Group
- Staaten River
- Starcke
- Three Islands
- Topaz Road
- Tully Gorge
- Turtle Group
- Two Islands
- Undara Volcanic
- Wooroonooran
- Wuthara Island
- Yamarrinh Wachangan Islands
- Yungaburra
- Blackwood
- Brook Islands
- Bowling Green Bay
- Brampton Islands
- Broad Sound Islands
- Cape Hillsborough
- Cape Palmerston
- Cape Upstart
- Conway
- Dipperu
- Dryander
- Eungella
- Gloucester Island
- Halifax Bay Wetlands
- Holbourne Island
- Homevale
- Lindeman Islands
- Magnetic Island
- Molle Islands
- Moorrinya
- Mount Aberdeen
- Mount Martin
- Mount Ossa
- Newry Islands
- Northumberland Islands
- Orpheus Island
- Paluma Range
- Pioneer Peaks
- Reliance Creek
- Repulse Island
- Round Top Island
- Smith Islands
- South Cumberland Islands
- South Island
- Swain Reefs
- Whitsunday Islands
- Auburn River
- Beeron
- Beninbi
- Burrum Coast
- Cania Gorge
- Coalstoun Lakes
- Fairlies Knob
- Goodnight Scrub
- Goomboorian
- Great Sandy
- Grongah
- Mount Bauple
- Pipeclay
- Poona
- Tarong
- Woocoo
- Woondum
- Woowoonga
- Bellthorpe
- Bribie Island
- Burleigh Head
- Conondale
- D'Aguilar
- Deer Reserve
- Dularcha
- Esk
- Eudlo Creek
- Ferntree Creek
- Fort Lytton
- Freshwater
- Gatton
- Glass House Mountains
- Kondalilla
- Lamington
- Lockyer
- Mapleton Falls
- Mooloolah River
- Moogerah Peaks
- Gheebulum Kunungai
- Mount Barney
- Mount Chinghee
- Mount Coolum
- Mount Pinbarren
- Naree Budjong Djara
- Nicoll Scrub
- Noosa
- Nerang
- Ravensbourne
- Sarabah
- Southern Moreton Bay Islands
- St Helena Island
- Springbrook
- Tamborine
- Teerk Roo Ra
- Tewantin
- Triunia
- Tuchekoi
- Venman Bushland
- West Cooroy
- Wickham