The Main Range is a mountain range and national park in Queensland, Australia. It is mostly located in Tregony, Southern Downs Region, 85 kilometres (53 mi) southwest of Brisbane. This area is part of the World Heritage Site called Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, which was previously known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves. The park protects the western part of a half-circle of mountains in South East Queensland, known as the Scenic Rim. This includes the largest rainforest area in South East Queensland. The park is also part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, recognized by BirdLife International for its role in protecting several bird species that are at risk of disappearing.
Description
The park stretches from Kangaroo Mountain, near Frazerview, south to Wilsons Peak on the New South Wales border and includes Mount Superbus (1,375 m), South East Queensland’s highest peak.
Bare Rock, Mount Cordeaux, Mount Mitchell, Spicers Peak, Mount Huntley, Mount Asplenium, Mount Steamer, The Steamer Range, Lizard Point, Mount Roberts, Mount Mistake, and Mount Superbus are all located within the Main Range National Park. In total, there are more than 40 peaks higher than 1,000 m.
Walking tracks, camping areas, and picnic facilities are available at several places, such as Spicers Gap, Cunninghams Gap, and Queen Mary Falls.
The Main Range Volcanics are believed to be leftover parts of a large lava field that likely had many eruptive centers at the same time.
The Main Range shield volcano erupted between 25 and 22 million years ago during the Tertiary period. Instead of forming a central peak, the volcano erupted through many basalt dykes, creating horizontal lava flows. These flows are mainly basalt but sometimes include trachyte. These flows now make up most of the Main Range, Little Liverpool Range, and Mistake Range and once covered a much larger area that included both the Lockyer Valley and Fassifern Valley.
The steeper slopes have not been cleared of land, providing a safe place for wildlife in the area. The most common types of vegetation on the range are sub-tropical rainforest and dry sclerophyll forest. The park’s forests and montane heath support many animals, including the eastern bristlebird, Coxen’s fig parrot, and the black-breasted buttonquail, all of which are in danger of disappearing. The at-risk and uncommon red goshawk may also be seen.
The giant barred frog, Fleay’s barred frog, spotted-tailed quoll, and the Hastings River mouse are listed as endangered species, once more common in the Goomburra section of the park.
History
Spicers Gap is thought to have been a path used by Indigenous Australians to travel between the inland and the coast.
In 1828, Allan Cunningham officially discovered a mountain route that is now called Cunninghams Gap; however, this route can be seen from Brisbane. In 1847, Stockman Henry Alphen found Spicers Gap. The Spicers Gap Road, which was used to transport supplies to and from the Darling Downs, is the best remaining example of advanced engineering from the 1800s in Queensland.
In 1840, George Elphinstone Dalrymple moved to the Goomburra Valley. A stream nearby was named Dalrymple Creek after him. By 1847, a new road through Spicers Gap was helping settlers move into new areas. In 1909, the area around Cunninghams Gap became a national park. In 1994, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee expanded the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia to include the Goomburra Forest Reserve in Main Range National Park. In 2007, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia was added to the Australian National Heritage List.
Heritage listings
In 1994, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added the Goomburra Forest Reserve in Main Range National Park to the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia. In 2007, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia were added to the Australian National Heritage List. Main Range National Park includes several heritage-listed sites, such as Spicers Gap Road, which is now part of the Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park.