Lochern is a national park in
Longreach
Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford s ...
,
Central West Queensland
Central West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers 396,650.2 km2. The region lies to the north of South West Queensland and south of the Gulf Country. It has a population of approximately 12,387 peo ...
, Australia, 1,047 km west 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 ...
. Eastern parts of the national park are interspersed with numerous channels of the
Thomson River. The park is sprawled over an area of 24,300 hectares. This area forms important habitats for numerous species. Several lagoons and waterholes within the park provide important refuges for birds and other wildlife.
History
The diverse climate of Lochern was a boon for the aboriginal people, who learned to utilize the dry and wet spells. They adapted to the seasonal transformation of land, reaping its bounties.
Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...
with the help of dams was done by pastoralists in the area.
Camping
Camping facilities are available at the park. The park's camping site, which is located some five kilometres from the park's eastern limit, is surrounded by
mulga and
gidgee woodlands. The camping area is accessible on vehicles, although the dirt road can be sometimes hard to tackle for normal vehicles. Hence,
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
is a better option. The park is notorious for abrupt weather changes. Minor showers can often lead to floods, irrespective of the time of year.
See also
*
Protected areas of Queensland
Queensland is the second largest state in Australia. It contains around 500 separate protected areas. In 2020, it was estimated a total of 14.2 million hectares or 8.25% of Queensland's landmass was protected.
List of terrestrial protected are ...
References
National parks of Queensland
Protected areas established in 1994
Central West Queensland
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