Nature, culture and history
Natural environment
Young adult green python. Photo: Lyall Naylor.
Palm cockatoo. Photo: Daryn Storch.
KULLA (McIlwraith Range) National Park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land) is an area of outstanding beauty and biological richness. Spectacular escarpments, gorges, waterfalls and rainforests are some of the many special features of this area.
The McIlwraith Range, the dominant feature of the landscape, is part of the Great Dividing Range, a chain of low mountains that lies parallel to the east coast of Cape York Peninsula, extending about 80 km north to south. Most of the range is about 450 m above sea level and reaches its highest elevation at 824 m, just north-east of Coen. The park receives high annual rainfall of about 1500 mm.
This magnificent granite range is a remote scenic wilderness with striking landforms including rugged mountains, steep escarpments and gorges, particularly on the eastern coastal face. Clear, mountain streams cascade into the valleys and flow out onto the surrounding plains.
Cloaking much of the mountain range is tall, tropical rainforest, considered to be the largest undisturbed tropical rainforest area in Australia. It is also the most elevated and wettest rainforest on Cape York Peninsula. Tall riverine rainforest lines many of the streams. More than half of Cape York Peninsula's tall riverine rainforest occurs in this region.
Other significant plant communities in the McIlwraith Range area include wet sclerophyll forest, which grows along the fringes of the rainforest, and a special mix of eucalyptus and Melaleuca viridiflora woodland that occurs on the plains and drier mountain ridges and slopes. Outstanding paperbark forests line the many rivers and creeks, but of particular significance are areas of hoop pine, considered to be the largest remaining, undisturbed stands in the world.
The McIlwraith Range is the southernmost extent of some tropical rainforest plants and animals from New Guinea. This range and adjacent rainforests form a large refuge that is important for the continued survival of species of recent New Guinea origin, as well as many older Australian species. Some rainforest animals shared with New Guinea include the common spotted cuscus Phalanger maculatus, the magnificent riflebird Ptiloris magnificus and the trumpet manucode Manucodia keraudrenii.
The region is high in biological richness with numerous endemic, near threatened (rare) and threatened species. It boasts at least 16 plant species known only to the McIlwraith Range area. Of all the plant families in Australia, 72 per cent are found in the McIlwraith Range area. There are 92 plant species listed as near threatened (rare) or threatened, making this region one of Queensland's four most important areas for plant conservation. Near threatened (rare) or threatened species include the brown antelope orchid Dendrobium johannis and the climbing wattle Acacia albizioides.
In the McIlwraith Range area there are 56 animal species that within Australia are entirely restricted to Cape York Peninsula with 28 listed as near threatened (rare) or threatened. These include the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus gracilis, grey cuscus Phalanger mimicus, cassowary Casuarius casuarius johnsonii and palm cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus. The spectacular green python Python viridis and growling green eyed frog Litoria eucnemis are also known inhabitants of the area.
Culture and history
Aboriginal people have occupied and used the McIlwraith Range area for thousands of years. The area is a cultural landscape rich in history, stories and significant sites.
The Aboriginal Traditional Owners for this country belong to four clan groups: Kaanju, Umpila, Lama Lama and Ayapathu. The park name is an acronym for these groups' names.
The park is jointly managed by the Kulla Land Trust and the Queensland Government, in accordance with an Indigenous Management Agreement.
- Read more about joint management of Cape York Peninsula national parks
- KULLA (McIlwraith Range) National Park (CYPAL) map (PDF, 240K)*
* Requires Adobe Reader
Last updated 25 July 2011