Climber Pothos brownii on tree trunk rainforest discovery track

Eungella National Park ( ; meaning "Land of the clouds") is a protected area in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It is on the

Clarke Range The Clarke Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, is a rainforest-covered mountain range located in North Queensland, Australia. The range is located approximately from the Coral Sea and west of the coastal city of Mackay. The highest poi ...

at the end of the

Pioneer Valley The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial and promotional name for the portion of the Connecticut River Valley that is in Massachusetts in the United States. It is generally taken to comprise the three counties of Hampden, Hampshire, and Frankli ...

80 km west of

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

, and 858 km northwest of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Eungella is noted for the

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

which surrounds it. It is considered to be the longest continual stretch of sub-tropical rainforest in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The original inhabitants are the Wirri people. The park is covered by dense rainforest and is known for its

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...

es.

Regional description

Eungella National Park is located on an isolated massif about 80 km west of

in North–central Queensland.Winter, J., and K. R. McDonald. 1986. Eungella: the land of the cloud. Australian Natural History 22:39-43. The Eungella Plateau rises to 1259m at Mt Dalrymple and to similar elevation at Mt William, forming part of the

.Kitching, R. L., D. Bickel, A. C. Creagh, K. Hurley, and C. Symonds. 2004. The biodiversity of Diptera in old world rain forest surveys: a comparative faunistic analysis. Journal of Biogeography 31:1185-1200. The park preserves about half (30,000 ha) the area of

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

present at the time of European settlement, which has been much reduced by logging. Rainforest in the National Park ranges from high elevation, notophyll vine forest to low elevation mesophyll forests at the base of the ranges. Notophyll vine forest with tall eucalypts such as red stringybark (''

Eucalyptus resinifera ''Eucalyptus resinifera'', commonly known as red mahogany or red messmate, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree endemic to coastal areas of eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy or fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped ad ...

'') is found on the ridges of eastern facing slopes and drier western slopes often contain hoop pine (''

Araucaria cunninghamii ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' is a species of ''Araucaria'' known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist a ...

''). The rainforests of the Eungella massif represent one of the most isolated patches of this vegetation type in Australia. The rainforest is bordered by eucalypt forests and woodlands across much of its extent.

History and climate

Eungella National Park was declared over 49,610 hectares in 1941. In 1986 the National Park was extended to include land at Mt Beatrice and a small area of former State Forest near Finch Hatton, so that today the park encompasses 52,900 ha.Queensland Government. 2001. Mackay Highlands management statement. The word Eungella is an aboriginal name meaning 'land of the cloud' and with an average annual rainfall of 2240mm, it often seems perched in a cloud. The temperature is generally around five degrees cooler than the surrounding lowlands.

Endemic species

Eungella National Park is recognised as a centre of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

for Australian rainforest species.Low, T. 1993. Last of the rainforests: rainforest refuges of the Mackay region. Wildlife Australia 30:18-21. There were three key refuge areas in mid-east Queensland during past periods of rainforest contraction. The most important is thought to have been in the Clarke Range and Eungella National Park area, which support many endemic species, including a spiny crayfish, ''

Euastacus eungella ''Euastacus eungella'' is a species of southern crawfish in the family Parastacidae The Parastacidae are the family of freshwater crayfish found in the Southern Hemisphere. The family is a classic Gondwana-distributed taxon, with extant membe ...

'' (Eungella spiny crayfish); a leaf-tailed gecko, ''

Phyllurus nepthys ''Phyllurus nepthys'', also known commonly as the Eungella leaf-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Carphodactylidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Etymology The specific name, ''nepthys'', refers to the ancient Egyptian ...

'' (Eungella leaf-tailed gecko); a skink, ''

Tumbunascincus luteilateralis The orange-speckled forest-skink (''Tumbunascincus luteilateralis''), monotypic in the genus ''Tumbunascincus'', is endemic to Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Q ...

'' (orange-spotted forest-skink); a honeyeater, ''

Bolemoreus hindwoodi The Eungella honeyeater (''Bolemoreus hindwoodi'') is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae and is endemic to Australia. This species is found only in a small area of plateau rainforest in the Clarke Range, west of Mackay, in Queensland. ...

'' (Eungella honeyeater); and three frogs, ''

Taudactylus liemi The Eungella tinker frog (''Taudactylus liemi''), also known as Eungella tinkerfrog, Liem's frog, or Liem's tinker frog, is a species of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Eungella area in Queensland, Australia. It lives in ...

'' (Eungella tinker frog), ''

Taudactylus eungellensis The Eungella torrent frog or Eungella day frog (''Taudactylus eungellensis'') is a species of stream dwelling frog endemic to Australia. It is restricted to ranges west of Mackay in mid-eastern Queensland. Description It is a relatively small f ...

'' (Eungella torrent frog or Eungella dayfrog) and '' Rheobatrachus vitellinus'' (northern gastric-brooding frog).

Flora

A total of 16 species of

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

, 19

mosses Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and horn ...

, 4

conifers Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extan ...

, 92

ferns A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except th ...

, 299 dicots and 54

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

s are recorded as occurring in the National Park.Queensland Government. 2015. Wildlife Online Extract for Eungella National Park. Much of the rainforest in the National Park is complex mesophyll vine forest with pockets of simple and complex notophyll vine forests on poorer soils. Many of the vegetation communities including rainforests, vine thickets and vine forests are considered fire sensitive.

Dicots

Elaeocarpus ''Elaeocarpus'' is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus ''Elaeocarpus'' are trees or shrub ...

largiflorens'' is a rainforest tree reaching 30 m in height which occurs in the wet tropics from sea level to 1200 m elevation and is at the southern limit of its natural range at Eungella.Rossetto, M., D. Crayn, A. Ford, P. Ridgeway, and P. Rymer. 2007. The comparative study of range-wide genetic structure across related, co-distributed rainforest trees reveals contrasting evolutionary histories. Australian Journal of Botany 55:416-424. It produces 20 mm long fruits that are eaten and dispersed by a range of frugivorous vertebrates. The Eungella hairy daisy ('' Ozothamnus eriocephalus'') is a shrub species with very limited range, currently listed as vulnerable at both state and federal levels.Low, T. 2011. Climate change and terrestrial biodiversity in Queensland. Department of Environment and Resource Management, Queensland Government., Brisbane. ''

Omphalea ''Omphalea'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1759. It is native to tropical parts of the Americas, the West Indies, Asia, Australia, and Africa (including Madagascar). ''Omphalea'' has monoecious, apet ...

celata'' is a small tree currently listed as vulnerable at a state and federal level, which was first described in 1994 and is found at Hazlewood Gorge within the park. It is a host plant for the zodiac moth (''

Alcides metaurus ''Alcides metaurus'' is a moth of the family Uraniidae. It is known from the tropical north of Queensland, Australia.Angiopteris evecta ''Angiopteris evecta'', commonly known as the king fern, giant fern, elephant fern, oriental vessel fern, Madagascar tree fern, or mule's Foot fern, is a very large rainforest fern in the family Marattiaceae native to most parts of Southeast Asi ...

'') is found in only four widely spaced sites, including Eungella, which may indicate a past wider distribution when Queensland was much wetter. This species needs a highly-reliable water supply and high humidity to sustain its enormous fronds. The vulnerable ''

Dryopteris :''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta. ''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to ''Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...

sparsa'' is also found in the park.

Fauna

Over 175 species of

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

and

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

have been recorded in the park.

Birds

111 species of birds have been recorded in Eungella National Park. The Eungella honeyeater (''Lichenostomus hindwoodi'') is endemic to the highland rainforest of the Clarke Range, including the park.Longmore, N. W., and W. E. Boles. 1983. Description and systematics of the Eungella Honeyeater ''Meliphaga hindwoodi'' . A new species of Honeyeater from Central Eastern Queensland, Australia. ''Emu'' 83:59-65. It can be distinguished from it is close relative and sister species the bridled honeyeater (''Lichenostomus frenata'') by its plumage colour and markings, size, bill colour and calls.Nyari, A. S., and L. Joseph. 2011. Systematic dismantlement of Lichenostomus improves the basis for understanding relationships within the honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) and the historical development of Australo-Papuan bird communities. ''Emu'' 111. It was first collected in 1975 and described in 1983, making it the most recently described Australian bird species. It occurs in the park, and also feeds in adjacent eucalypt woodlands. The

red-necked crake The red-necked crake (''Rallina tricolor'') is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae. Description The red-necked crake is a large crake (length 25 cm, wingspan 40 cm, weight 200 g). Its head, neck and breast are red-brown, ...

(''Rallina tricolor''), previously thought to only occur as far south as

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

, was first observed in the park in 1981. The

buff-breasted paradise kingfisher The buff-breasted paradise kingfisher (''Tanysiptera sylvia'') is a bird in the tree kingfisher subfamily, Halcyoninae. It is native to Australia and New Guinea. It migrates in November from New Guinea to its breeding grounds in the rainforest ...

(''Tanysiptera sylvia'') and the

white-browed robin The white-browed robin (''Poecilodryas superciliosa'') is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. It is endemic to north-eastern Australia. Its natural habitats are forest, woodland and scrub, often near water. It formerly included the buf ...

(''Poecilodryas superciliosa'') are at the southern extent of their distribution at Eungella. The

regent bowerbird The regent bowerbird (''Sericulus chrysocephalus'') is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow Beak, bill, ...

(''Sericulus chrysocephalus'') occurs at its northern limit in the park and surrounding area,Bristowe, E. K., H. Laybourne-Smith, and A. Lendon. 1972. Records from an ornithological tour of Queensland. ''The Sunbird'' 3:67-75Chisholm, A. H. 1965. Bird-notes from Eungella. ''Emu'' 65:164. as do the brown thornbill (''Acanthiza pusilla'') and the

glossy black cockatoo The glossy black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus lathami''), is the smallest member of the subfamily Calyptorhynchinae found in eastern Australia. Adult glossy black cockatoos may reach in length. They are sexually dimorphic. Males are blackish br ...

(''Calyptorhynchus lathami''). Australian swiftlets (''Aerodramus terraereginae'') breed in caves in the Finch Hatton Creek area, and one of the few Australian records of

glossy swiftlet The glossy swiftlet (''Collocalia esculenta'') is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and eastwards to New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. Taxonomy The glossy s ...

(''Collocalia esculenta'') was in the park.

Amphibians

A total of 16 amphibian species have been recorded in the park. Globally, amphibians have undergone rapid and extensive decline in recent decades, due in part to habitat loss and pollution, but unknown factors threaten almost half the species in decline.Stuart, S. N., J. S. Chanson, N. A. Cox, B. E. Young, A. S. L. Rodrigues, D. L. Fischman, and R. W. Waller. 2004. Status and trends of amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. Science 306:1783-1786. Amphibians are more threatened and are declining more rapidly than either birds or mammals. An exotic and highly-virulent

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

may be contributing to the decline of rainforest frog species in eastern Australia. The causative agent may be the

chytrid fungus Chytridiomycota are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased zoöspores. Chytrid ...

''Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'', although this has not as yet been detected in stream-dwelling frogs in the park.Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. 2000. Recovery plan for the stream-dwelling frogs of the Eungella region of mid eastern Queensland 2000-2004 Eungella National Park is recognised as one of eleven areas with high levels of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

endemism. Of the three endemic frog species endemic, two are still believed to exist today, the Eungella dayfrog and the Eungella tinker frog, while one species, the northern gastric brooding frog, is believed extinct.Clarke, J. M. 2006. Habitat, microhabitat and calling behavior of ''Taudactylus pleione'' Czechura (Anura: Myobatrachidae) a critically endangered frog from central Queensland, Australia. Centre for Environmental Management. Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland. All three species are ground dwelling and their distribution is restricted to streams or areas close to streams in mid to high elevation rainforests. The Eungella dayfrog was previously more common, but has declined in number and distribution in recent decades, and is now considered endangered at a state and federal level. The peak breeding period for this species is between January and May, but tadpoles at all sizes and developmental stages can be found throughout the year. This frog is one of only two species known to use body language, including small hops and movements of the arms and legs, to attract the attention of other frogs; a behaviour which may have evolved due to the noise of mountain streams rushing over rocks in its habitat making calling a less effective means of communication. The Eungella tinkerfrog is considered near threatened in Queensland. It occurs between 180 and 1250m elevation, but is sparsely distributed and rarely seen.Hero, J., R. Alford, M. Cunningham, K. McDonald, J. Clarke, and R. Retallick. 2004. ''Taudactylus liemi''. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Potential threats to this species include forest grazing, trampling by livestock, introduced species such as the

cane toad The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...

(''Rhinella marina'') and the

. The northern gastric brooding frog (''Rheobatrachus vitellinus'') was discovered in January 1984, but has not been seen since March 1985 and is believed to be extinct. It is one of only two species in the world known to brood its young in its stomach, with the mother swallowing fertilised eggs or early larval stages, before 'giving birth' through the mouth. Its distribution was exclusively undisturbed rainforest within Eungella National Park at altitudes of 400-1000m, before it underwent a sudden range contraction and disappeared.

Mammals

28 species of mammals have been recorded in the park. This includes several bat species including the

little bent-wing bat The little bent-wing bat or little long-fingered bat (''Miniopterus australis'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Miniopteridae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vanuatu. Taxonomy The species was first descri ...

(''Miniopterus australis''),

eastern horseshoe bat The smaller horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus megaphyllus'') is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Taxonomy A species was first described by John Edward Gray in 1834, using a specimen prov ...

(''Rhinolophus megaphyllus''), common blossom bat (''Syconycteris australis''), eastern forest bat (''Vespadelus pumilus''),

eastern long-eared bat The eastern long-eared bat, species ''Nyctophilus bifax'', is a small flying mammal, a vespertilionid bat. It is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea. Taxonomy The first description of the species was published in 1915 by Oldfield T ...

(''Nyctophilus bifax'') and

grey-headed flying-fox The grey-headed flying fox (''Pteropus poliocephalus'') is a megabat native to Australia. The species shares mainland Australia with three other members of the genus ''Pteropus'': the little red '' P. scapulatus'', spectacled '' P. conspicilla ...

(''Pteropus poliocephalus'').

Platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...

(''Ornithorhynchus anatinus'') are often seen at the viewing platform at Broken River which is the most visited location in the park.Lindberg, K., and J. Denstadli, M. 2004. The impact of national park visitation on rural economies and government revenue in Queensland: examples of Girraween, Eungella, Daintree and Carnarvon. CRC for Sustainable Tourism, Pty, Ltd., Gold Coast, Queensland. They have an unusual foraging behaviour and are the only mammal known to use electrolocation for detecting prey. Platypus are generally found in slow-moving rivers and small pools and are highly adapted to a semi-aquatic life.Kruuk, H. 1993. The diving behaviour of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in waters with different trophic status. Journal of Applied Ecology 30:592-598. They have extremely dense fur, large webs on their feet extending well beyond the toenails, a broad, flat tail and excellent swimming ability, paddling with their forelegs in alternating strokes, with their hindlegs and tail trailing behind. When foraging, captured prey is stored in two cheek pouches and later masticated and swallowed when the platypus surfaces. An apparent feeding association has been noted between the

azure kingfisher The azure kingfisher (''Ceyx azureus'') is a small kingfisher in the river kingfisher subfamily, Alcedininae.Pizzey, Graham and Doyle, Roy. (1980) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.'' Collins Publishers, Sydney. Description The azure ...

(''Ceyx azureus'') and the platypus at Eungella National Park, where the birds have been observed watching for fish disturbed by the platypus, before diving into the water in search of prey.

Reptiles

20 species of reptiles occur in the park. Three species of leaf-tailed geckos (''Phyllurus ossa, P. isis'' and ''P. nepthys'') occur in small rainforest patches in and around the park.Stuart-Fox, D. M., C. J. Schneider, C. Moritz, and P. J. Couper. 2001. Comparative phylogeography of three rainforest-restricted lizards from mid-east Queensland. Australian Journal of Zoology 49:119-127. ''P. nepthys'' is endemic to the Clarke Range. The recently discovered orange-sided rainforest skink (''Tumbunascincus luteilateralis'') is endemic to the area, and is restricted to upland rainforest above 900m in moist areas which contain rotting logs and palm fronds. The skink species ''Lampropholis basiliscus'' reaches its southern limit at Eungella.

Insects

There are several endemic or range-restricted insect species found in Eungella National Park. A study of the order

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

(flies) in seven rainforest locations found that the long-isolated, high elevation, rain-forested massif at Eungella were a unique entity in the analyses, characterized by high numbers of Chironomidae, Psychodidae, Tipulidae and Empididae. Flies in the genus ''Cyamops'' including; ''C. pectinatus, C. dayi, C. delta'' and ''C. pectiatus'' have been collected in damp areas in the park including near streams, waterfalls and marshes. The fly species Drosophila birchii is restricted to patches of warm, wet tropical rainforest between New Guinea and Eungella. The katydid '' Phricta zwicka'' has been collected from Eungella National Park. The Megalopteran ''Protochauliodes eungella'' is known only from the Eungella area. Two new species from the order Odonata were collected in the Eungella area; ''Austroaeschna christine'' and ''A. eungella''. A survey of butterflies in the park undertaken in 1993 recorded 37 species with an additional 15 species known from museum and private records.

Crustaceans

The Eungella spiny crayfish is unique to the creeks on the Clarke Range. It is listed as critically endangered due to its limited range, fragmented distribution, habitat decline due to exotic species, such as feral pigs (''Sus scrofa''), red foxes (''Vulpes vulpes''), feral cats (''Felis catus'') and cane toads, and its

vulnerability to climate change Climate change vulnerability (or climate vulnerability or climate risk vulnerability) is defined as the " propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected" by climate change. It can apply to humans but also to natural systems (ecosystems). H ...

Environmental threats

Threats to the biodiversity of Eungella National Park include habitat fragmentation, the effects of introduced species, fire and human impacts.

Pest plants and animals

Many introduced animals have been recorded in the park including the

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

(''Oryctolagus cuniculus''),

black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

(''Rattus rattus''),

house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...

(''Mus musculus''), and feral pig. Pigs disturb the ground, promoting the spread of weeds, remove natural recruitment of flora and fauna and can be vectors for pathogens such as cinnamon fungus (''Phytopthera cinnamomi''). Cinnamon fungus has been found on the Clarke Range, including in one area of Dalrymple Heights, where approximately 20% of the rainforest has died. Cats, foxes and feral dogs (''Canis familiaris'') can threaten native fauna through predation, competition for resources and transmission of disease.May, S. A., and T. W. Norton. 1996. Influence of fragmentation and disturbance on the potential impact of feral

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s on native fauna in Australian forest ecosystems. Wildlife Research 23:387-400. In Australia, cats are known to prey on 186 native bird species, 64 mammal species, 87 species of reptile, 10 species of amphibians and numerous invertebrates. Foxes prey on possums, small dasyurids, native rats, and other mammals, birds and insects. Feral dogs hunt alone or in packs and can prey on larger mammals such as wallabies. Road construction and fragmentation of habitat can expose local populations of native animals to predation by exotic predators that may otherwise have difficulties penetrating dense forest environments. Much of Eungella National Park is accessible only by walking tracks, which may limit feral animal spread, but may make control more difficult. Weeds including

lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in ...

(''Lantana camara''), blue morning glory (''Ipomoea indica'') and red Natal grass (''Melinis repens'') are common on the disturbed edges of the park and roadsides. Lantana is a Class 3 Pest in the state of Queensland, and is recognised as a weed of national significanceMackay Regional Pest Management Group 2013. Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region. Mackay Regional Pest Management Group., Mackay, QLD. (Mackay Regional Pest Management Group 2013). Other highly-flammable weeds common in the park include guinea grass (''Megathyrsus maximus''), rat's tail grasses (''Sporobolus'' spp.), para grass (''Urochloa mutica'') and molasses grass (''Melinis minutiflora'').Ball, D. 2013. 3.1 Clarke Connors Range. State of the region report Mackay Whitsunday Issac. Reef Catchments, Mackay.

Fire

Fire is a key disturbing pressure on the rainforests of Eungella National Park, and can result in fragmentation of the rainforest into smaller areas less capable of maintaining the present complexity of plants and animals and increasing edge effects. The rainforest, vine thicket, vine forest and riparian communities found in the park do not require fire for regeneration, and it may irreversibly alter the species composition and community structure, simplifying ecosystems and reducing floristic and structural diversity. Fire can also reduce litter, fallen logs and hollow-bearing trees which provide critical habitat for some species.

Management

Eungella National Park is managed by the Queensland Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing. There is currently no management plan for the park. National Parks are managed to provide for the permanent preservation of the area's natural condition and the protection of the area's cultural resources and values.Department of National Parks Sport and Racing. 2015. Managing protected areas - Principles. www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/principles/index.html. Other management principles for National Parks are to present the park's cultural and natural resources and their values and to ensure that park use is nature based and ecologically sustainable.

Economic benefits

National parks and other protected areas have traditionally been created and funded primarily to provide conservation benefits, but they can also provide economic benefits, particularly in rural and regional areas, through job creation and visitor spending. A visitor survey conducted in 2001 estimated that visitors to Eungella National Park spend $10.9 million in the local region annually.

Facilities

Camping is permitted at Fern Flat campground, which is accessible by walking only. The Broken River picnic area has facilities for day visitors. There are more than 20 km of bushwalking tracks, some with scenic lookouts. A platform on the Broken River provides good viewing of

, eels and turtles.

References

External links

Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing
{{authority control National parks of Queensland Protected areas established in 1936 North Queensland 1936 establishments in Australia