Geology

Mount Barney is the product of a large volcano (the Focal Peak Volcano) that erupted about 24 million years ago. This developed as the Australian crust moved northwards over a ‘hot-spot’ in the Earth’s mantle below.

Initially there was an up-doming and tilting of the previous rocks of the district, namely sandstones and shales deposited by rivers in the Moreton Basin about 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. Their inclined strata can be seen along the road over Yellow Pinch. Then the first eruptions were of basalt lava, which flowed from a crater over the present Focal Peak, just west of Mount Barney itself.

Later the magma below changed to the composition of rhyolite, and a large mass accumulated at depth. Some of this began to cool to larger crystals, and suddenly a surge of pressure thrust this upwards 2400m or so to near the surface and inside a major ring fault—the Mount Barney Ring Fault—beside the volcano’s central vent. It cooled to a rock called granophyre—coarser grained than rhyolite but finer than granite. The pressure also dragged up some very old rocks from depth, namely marine sedimentary rocks laid down on the continental shelf about 320 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period. Some of these can be seen on the South Ridge summit route, and the junction between these soft sediments and the hard granophyre is obvious on the eastern slopes of the mountain.

Other rhyolite bodies were intruded outside the ring, but also in a roughly circular pattern, to cool quickly beneath the present mounts Ernest, Maroon, May and Philip, and also Minnages Mount (also known as Minnages Mountain).

Since those times, erosion has stripped away the softer surrounding and overlying sedimentary rocks, leaving the hard granophyre and rhyolite as the mountains we see today (Willmott).

Reference: Warwick Willmott, 2014 ‘Rocks and Landscapes of the National Parks of Southern Queensland 2nd Ed’ Geological Society of Australia Qld Div.

Flora and fauna

Mount Barney National Park is one of the largest areas of undisturbed natural vegetation remaining in South East Queensland. It is significant for nature conservation, with many rare and restricted plant species, especially on the higher peaks.

The park's numerous habitats provide homes for over 340 animal species and over 700 plant species. Nine animal species—including the eastern bristlebird and the Coxen's fig-parrot—along with four plant species are listed as endangered. There are roughly 30 plant and animal species regarded as threatened. This means that any major impact on their habitat will endanger the future of these species.

Much of the country is open eucalypt forest with some beautiful grassy slopes, with the lower country bearing tall, spreading eucalypts, brush boxes and angophoras. Kangaroos and wallabies are common, as are many species of birds.

The rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest of Mount Barney provide critical habitat for the plumed frogmouth Podargus ocellatus plumiferus. This primitive bird species is listed as vulnerable.

Creeks with cascades, deep pools and shallow sections flow through the park and are lined with river she oaks Casuarina cunninghamiana, red-flowering bottlebrushes Melaleuca viminalis, golden silky oaks Grevillea robusta and patches of rainforest. Rarely seen platypus swim in the creeks and nest in the creek banks; kingfishers swoop over the water and various honeyeaters and robins can be spied nearby.

Higher rocky slopes and depressions support patches of montane heath, some of which have spectacular wildflower displays in spring. Steep, rocky slopes are the habitat of brush-tailed rock-wallabies Petrogale penicillata, which are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

Vegetation of special significance includes Antarctic beech Nothofagus moorei and simple microphyll fern forest on Mount Ballow. Simple microphyll fern thicket with lillypilly satinash Acmena smithii grows on Mount Barney. Rock pavements with montane heaths and bell-fruited mallee Eucalyptus codonocarpa shrublands occur on Mount Maroon. On Mount Lindesay, tall forests of Banksia integrifolia subsp.monticola dominate.

The park joins Mount Clunie National Park, Mount Nothofagus National Park and Border Ranges National Park at the New South Wales border. These national parks share many of the plants and animals found within Mount Barney National Park. All these protected areas are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Culture and history

The peaks that make up Mount Barney National Park have special significance to Aboriginal people whose stories explain their connection with this country. Some names in the landscape have Aboriginal origins.

On a frosty August morning in 1828, the commandant of the Brisbane settlement, Captain Patrick Logan, and botanists Alan Cunningham and Charles Fraser set out from their camp to climb Mount Barney. This was the first recorded European ascent of the mountain. Fraser's journal graphically recounts the climb, describing the perils the group encountered. Logan was the only one to complete the climb to the summit, leaving both Cunningham and Fraser to turn back after finding the ascent too difficult.

It was during these early expeditions into the mountainous area of the scenic rim that many of the peaks were given European names. Mount Barney, Mount Lindesay and Mount Clunie were named after prominent engineers or soldiers of the early 1800s, while Mount Ballow took its name from David Keith Ballow, a Moreton Bay Government Medical Officer who died of typhus while caring for immigrants under quarantine at Dunwich in 1850. Some names were abbreviated from Aboriginal names; Mount Maroon was originally known as 'Wahlmoorum' (Yuggera language meaning 'sand goanna') (Steele).

Captain Logan and botanist Allan Cunningham paved the way for selectors and squatters to follow and settle the land. Government surveyors were sent to survey features such as rivers, creeks and ranges and to set out boundaries for land parcels. Many of the surveyed features later became the boundaries of parishes and counties.

By the 1840s, the surrounding foothills of Mount Barney were being opened up for cattle grazing. Logging also began in the late 1890s with red cedars and hoop pines being felled and later hauled to small, sawmills located in the district. Remnants of large, sawn stumps seen in parts of the park are a reminder of this time. Up until the late 1930s, many contract timber workers lived in tents in the scrubs surrounding Mount Barney, some with a wife and young children.

The unique qualities of this rugged area were recognised in 1947 when Mount Barney National Park and Mount Lindesay National Park were gazetted as separate parks. Mount Barney National Park was extended to include Mount May and Mount Maroon in 1950. Thirty years later, in 1980, the two parks were amalgamated to form the current Mount Barney National Park, named after the park's highest and most imposing peak.

In December 1994, the World Heritage Committee officially declared the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area over the Scenic Rim (including nearly all of Lamington and Springbrook national parks and most of Main Range and Mount Barney national parks) and the rainforests of northern and central New South Wales.

World Heritage status is a prestigious international recognition of the important conservation values of this area, especially its unique geology, subtropical and cool temperate rainforests and rare fauna.

Source: Queensland Government Parks & Forests, Department Of Environment & Science.

Tags:   rain forest rainforest creek creeks stream streamway water fall falls cascade spring springs mountain mountains rock rocks stone stones cliff cliffs field fields sky skies tree trees bird birds bug bugs animal animals marsupial marsupials breeze wind rains rainy cloud cloudy clouds nature natural native national park wilderness wild aboriginal indigenous history historic heritage cronan creek falls mount barney national park scenic rim queensland australia

© All Rights Reserved

Geology:

Mount Barney is the product of a large volcano (the Focal Peak Volcano) that erupted about 24 million years ago. This developed as the Australian crust moved northwards over a ‘hot-spot’ in the Earth’s mantle below.

Initially there was an up-doming and tilting of the previous rocks of the district, namely sandstones and shales deposited by rivers in the Moreton Basin about 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. Their inclined strata can be seen along the road over Yellow Pinch. Then the first eruptions were of basalt lava, which flowed from a crater over the present Focal Peak, just west of Mount Barney itself.

Later the magma below changed to the composition of rhyolite, and a large mass accumulated at depth. Some of this began to cool to larger crystals, and suddenly a surge of pressure thrust this upwards 2400m or so to near the surface and inside a major ring fault—the Mount Barney Ring Fault—beside the volcano’s central vent. It cooled to a rock called granophyre—coarser grained than rhyolite but finer than granite. The pressure also dragged up some very old rocks from depth, namely marine sedimentary rocks laid down on the continental shelf about 320 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period. Some of these can be seen on the South Ridge summit route, and the junction between these soft sediments and the hard granophyre is obvious on the eastern slopes of the mountain.

Other rhyolite bodies were intruded outside the ring, but also in a roughly circular pattern, to cool quickly beneath the present mounts Ernest, Maroon, May and Philip, and also Minnages Mount (also known as Minnages Mountain).

Since those times, erosion has stripped away the softer surrounding and overlying sedimentary rocks, leaving the hard granophyre and rhyolite as the mountains we see today (Willmott).

Reference: Warwick Willmott, 2014 ‘Rocks and Landscapes of the National Parks of Southern Queensland 2nd Ed’ Geological Society of Australia Qld Div.

Flora and fauna:

Mount Barney National Park is one of the largest areas of undisturbed natural vegetation remaining in South East Queensland. It is significant for nature conservation, with many rare and restricted plant species, especially on the higher peaks.

The park's numerous habitats provide homes for over 340 animal species and over 700 plant species. Nine animal species—including the eastern bristlebird and the Coxen's fig-parrot—along with four plant species are listed as endangered. There are roughly 30 plant and animal species regarded as threatened. This means that any major impact on their habitat will endanger the future of these species.

Much of the country is open eucalypt forest with some beautiful grassy slopes, with the lower country bearing tall, spreading eucalypts, brush boxes and angophoras. Kangaroos and wallabies are common, as are many species of birds.

The rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest of Mount Barney provide critical habitat for the plumed frogmouth Podargus ocellatus plumiferus. This primitive bird species is listed as vulnerable.

Creeks with cascades, deep pools and shallow sections flow through the park and are lined with river she oaks Casuarina cunninghamiana, red-flowering bottlebrushes Melaleuca viminalis, golden silky oaks Grevillea robusta and patches of rainforest. Rarely seen platypus swim in the creeks and nest in the creek banks; kingfishers swoop over the water and various honeyeaters and robins can be spied nearby.

Higher rocky slopes and depressions support patches of montane heath, some of which have spectacular wildflower displays in spring. Steep, rocky slopes are the habitat of brush-tailed rock-wallabies Petrogale penicillata, which are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

Vegetation of special significance includes Antarctic beech Nothofagus moorei and simple microphyll fern forest on Mount Ballow. Simple microphyll fern thicket with lillypilly satinash Acmena smithii grows on Mount Barney. Rock pavements with montane heaths and bell-fruited mallee Eucalyptus codonocarpa shrublands occur on Mount Maroon. On Mount Lindesay, tall forests of Banksia integrifolia subsp.monticola dominate.

The park joins Mount Clunie National Park, Mount Nothofagus National Park and Border Ranges National Park at the New South Wales border. These national parks share many of the plants and animals found within Mount Barney National Park. All these protected areas are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Culture and history:

The peaks that make up Mount Barney National Park have special significance to Aboriginal people whose stories explain their connection with this country. Some names in the landscape have Aboriginal origins.

On a frosty August morning in 1828, the commandant of the Brisbane settlement, Captain Patrick Logan, and botanists Alan Cunningham and Charles Fraser set out from their camp to climb Mount Barney. This was the first recorded European ascent of the mountain. Fraser's journal graphically recounts the climb, describing the perils the group encountered. Logan was the only one to complete the climb to the summit, leaving both Cunningham and Fraser to turn back after finding the ascent too difficult.

It was during these early expeditions into the mountainous area of the scenic rim that many of the peaks were given European names. Mount Barney, Mount Lindesay and Mount Clunie were named after prominent engineers or soldiers of the early 1800s, while Mount Ballow took its name from David Keith Ballow, a Moreton Bay Government Medical Officer who died of typhus while caring for immigrants under quarantine at Dunwich in 1850. Some names were abbreviated from Aboriginal names; Mount Maroon was originally known as 'Wahlmoorum' (Yuggera language meaning 'sand goanna') (Steele).

Captain Logan and botanist Allan Cunningham paved the way for selectors and squatters to follow and settle the land. Government surveyors were sent to survey features such as rivers, creeks and ranges and to set out boundaries for land parcels. Many of the surveyed features later became the boundaries of parishes and counties.

By the 1840s, the surrounding foothills of Mount Barney were being opened up for cattle grazing. Logging also began in the late 1890s with red cedars and hoop pines being felled and later hauled to small, sawmills located in the district. Remnants of large, sawn stumps seen in parts of the park are a reminder of this time. Up until the late 1930s, many contract timber workers lived in tents in the scrubs surrounding Mount Barney, some with a wife and young children.

The unique qualities of this rugged area were recognised in 1947 when Mount Barney National Park and Mount Lindesay National Park were gazetted as separate parks. Mount Barney National Park was extended to include Mount May and Mount Maroon in 1950. Thirty years later, in 1980, the two parks were amalgamated to form the current Mount Barney National Park, named after the park's highest and most imposing peak.

In December 1994, the World Heritage Committee officially declared the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area over the Scenic Rim (including nearly all of Lamington and Springbrook national parks and most of Main Range and Mount Barney national parks) and the rainforests of northern and central New South Wales.

World Heritage status is a prestigious international recognition of the important conservation values of this area, especially its unique geology, subtropical and cool temperate rainforests and rare fauna.

Source: Queensland Government Parks & Forests, Department Of Environment & Science.

Tags:   rain forest rainforest creek creeks stream streamway water fall falls cascade spring springs mountain mountains rock rocks stone stones cliff cliffs field fields sky skies tree trees bird birds bug bugs animal animals marsupial marsupials breeze wind rains rainy cloud cloudy clouds nature natural native national park wilderness wild aboriginal indigenous history historic heritage cronan creek falls mount barney national park scenic rim queensland australia

© All Rights Reserved

The aboriginal people of the Mt Barney area avoided climbing Mt Barney. They named the peak Bugera-Bugera or Baga-Baga, meaning "keep away". Later European surveyors assigned the Aboriginal names of Booarydin and Yahndaddan to the two peaks of Mt Barney.

Mt Barney was named after a colonial engineer, George Barney, by Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell. This was a name change from the original Mt Lindesay assigned by explorer Allan Cunningham. The Mt Lindesay moniker was assigned to another nearby mountain that features prominantly in the view from Mt Barney.

The first European ascent of Mt Barney was made by Patrick Logan via Logan's Ridge in 1828. The expedition included Charles Fraser and Allan Cunningham, but only Logan reached the peak. He had previously attempted to climb the mountain in 1827. Interestingly, Logan mistakenly believed the mountain was Mt Warning as described by Captain James Cook in 1770. It wasn't until they spied Mt Warning during the climb that Logan accepted his was wrong.

A hut was first built in the saddle between the East and West Peaks of Mt Barney between 1954 and 1959 by members of the University of Queensland Bushwalking and Brisbane Bushwalkers clubs. Over the years three huts were built on the same location however all that remains is a cleared area which may now be used as a camping ground.

Geology

Mount Barney is the product of a large volcano (the Focal Peak Volcano) that erupted about 24 million years ago. This developed as the Australian crust moved northwards over a ‘hot-spot’ in the Earth’s mantle below.

Initially there was an up-doming and tilting of the previous rocks of the district, namely sandstones and shales deposited by rivers in the Moreton Basin about 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. Their inclined strata can be seen along the road over Yellow Pinch. Then the first eruptions were of basalt lava, which flowed from a crater over the present Focal Peak, just west of Mount Barney itself.

Later the magma below changed to the composition of rhyolite, and a large mass accumulated at depth. Some of this began to cool to larger crystals, and suddenly a surge of pressure thrust this upwards 2400m or so to near the surface and inside a major ring fault—the Mount Barney Ring Fault—beside the volcano’s central vent. It cooled to a rock called granophyre—coarser grained than rhyolite but finer than granite. The pressure also dragged up some very old rocks from depth, namely marine sedimentary rocks laid down on the continental shelf about 320 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period. Some of these can be seen on the South Ridge summit route, and the junction between these soft sediments and the hard granophyre is obvious on the eastern slopes of the mountain.

Other rhyolite bodies were intruded outside the ring, but also in a roughly circular pattern, to cool quickly beneath the present mounts Ernest, Maroon, May and Philip, and also Minnages Mount (also known as Minnages Mountain).

Since those times, erosion has stripped away the softer surrounding and overlying sedimentary rocks, leaving the hard granophyre and rhyolite as the mountains we see today (Willmott).

Reference: Warwick Willmott, 2014 ‘Rocks and Landscapes of the National Parks of Southern Queensland 2nd Ed’ Geological Society of Australia Qld Div.

Flora and fauna

Mount Barney National Park is one of the largest areas of undisturbed natural vegetation remaining in South East Queensland. It is significant for nature conservation, with many rare and restricted plant species, especially on the higher peaks.

The park's numerous habitats provide homes for over 340 animal species and over 700 plant species. Nine animal species—including the eastern bristlebird and the Coxen's fig-parrot—along with four plant species are listed as endangered. There are roughly 30 plant and animal species regarded as threatened. This means that any major impact on their habitat will endanger the future of these species.

Much of the country is open eucalypt forest with some beautiful grassy slopes, with the lower country bearing tall, spreading eucalypts, brush boxes and angophoras. Kangaroos and wallabies are common, as are many species of birds.

The rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest of Mount Barney provide critical habitat for the plumed frogmouth Podargus ocellatus plumiferus. This primitive bird species is listed as vulnerable.

Creeks with cascades, deep pools and shallow sections flow through the park and are lined with river she oaks Casuarina cunninghamiana, red-flowering bottlebrushes Melaleuca viminalis, golden silky oaks Grevillea robusta and patches of rainforest. Rarely seen platypus swim in the creeks and nest in the creek banks; kingfishers swoop over the water and various honeyeaters and robins can be spied nearby.

Higher rocky slopes and depressions support patches of montane heath, some of which have spectacular wildflower displays in spring. Steep, rocky slopes are the habitat of brush-tailed rock-wallabies Petrogale penicillata, which are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

Vegetation of special significance includes Antarctic beech Nothofagus moorei and simple microphyll fern forest on Mount Ballow. Simple microphyll fern thicket with lillypilly satinash Acmena smithii grows on Mount Barney. Rock pavements with montane heaths and bell-fruited mallee Eucalyptus codonocarpa shrublands occur on Mount Maroon. On Mount Lindesay, tall forests of Banksia integrifolia subsp.monticola dominate.

The park joins Mount Clunie National Park, Mount Nothofagus National Park and Border Ranges National Park at the New South Wales border. These national parks share many of the plants and animals found within Mount Barney National Park. All these protected areas are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Culture and history:

The peaks that make up Mount Barney National Park have special significance to Aboriginal people whose stories explain their connection with this country. Some names in the landscape have Aboriginal origins.

On a frosty August morning in 1828, the commandant of the Brisbane settlement, Captain Patrick Logan, and botanists Alan Cunningham and Charles Fraser set out from their camp to climb Mount Barney. This was the first recorded European ascent of the mountain. Fraser's journal graphically recounts the climb, describing the perils the group encountered. Logan was the only one to complete the climb to the summit, leaving both Cunningham and Fraser to turn back after finding the ascent too difficult.

It was during these early expeditions into the mountainous area of the scenic rim that many of the peaks were given European names. Mount Barney, Mount Lindesay and Mount Clunie were named after prominent engineers or soldiers of the early 1800s, while Mount Ballow took its name from David Keith Ballow, a Moreton Bay Government Medical Officer who died of typhus while caring for immigrants under quarantine at Dunwich in 1850. Some names were abbreviated from Aboriginal names; Mount Maroon was originally known as 'Wahlmoorum' (Yuggera language meaning 'sand goanna') (Steele).

Captain Logan and botanist Allan Cunningham paved the way for selectors and squatters to follow and settle the land. Government surveyors were sent to survey features such as rivers, creeks and ranges and to set out boundaries for land parcels. Many of the surveyed features later became the boundaries of parishes and counties.

By the 1840s, the surrounding foothills of Mount Barney were being opened up for cattle grazing. Logging also began in the late 1890s with red cedars and hoop pines being felled and later hauled to small, sawmills located in the district. Remnants of large, sawn stumps seen in parts of the park are a reminder of this time. Up until the late 1930s, many contract timber workers lived in tents in the scrubs surrounding Mount Barney, some with a wife and young children.

The unique qualities of this rugged area were recognised in 1947 when Mount Barney National Park and Mount Lindesay National Park were gazetted as separate parks. Mount Barney National Park was extended to include Mount May and Mount Maroon in 1950. Thirty years later, in 1980, the two parks were amalgamated to form the current Mount Barney National Park, named after the park's highest and most imposing peak.

In December 1994, the World Heritage Committee officially declared the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area over the Scenic Rim (including nearly all of Lamington and Springbrook national parks and most of Main Range and Mount Barney national parks) and the rainforests of northern and central New South Wales.

World Heritage status is a prestigious international recognition of the important conservation values of this area, especially its unique geology, subtropical and cool temperate rainforests and rare fauna.

Source: Queensland Government Parks & Forests, Department Of Environment & Science, Aussie Bushwalking.

Tags:   rain forest rainforest creek creeks stream streamway water fall falls cascade spring springs mountain mountains rock rocks stone stones cliff cliffs field fields sky skies tree trees bird birds bug bugs animal animals marsupial marsupials breeze wind rains rainy cloud cloudy clouds nature natural native national park wilderness wild aboriginal indigenous history historic heritage mount barney national park scenic rim queensland australia

© All Rights Reserved

The aboriginal people of the Mt Barney area avoided climbing Mt Barney. They named the peak Bugera-Bugera or Baga-Baga, meaning "keep away". Later European surveyors assigned the Aboriginal names of Booarydin and Yahndaddan to the two peaks of Mt Barney.

Mt Barney was named after a colonial engineer, George Barney, by Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell. This was a name change from the original Mt Lindesay assigned by explorer Allan Cunningham. The Mt Lindesay moniker was assigned to another nearby mountain that features prominantly in the view from Mt Barney.

The first European ascent of Mt Barney was made by Patrick Logan via Logan's Ridge in 1828. The expedition included Charles Fraser and Allan Cunningham, but only Logan reached the peak. He had previously attempted to climb the mountain in 1827. Interestingly, Logan mistakenly believed the mountain was Mt Warning as described by Captain James Cook in 1770. It wasn't until they spied Mt Warning during the climb that Logan accepted his was wrong.

A hut was first built in the saddle between the East and West Peaks of Mt Barney between 1954 and 1959 by members of the University of Queensland Bushwalking and Brisbane Bushwalkers clubs. Over the years three huts were built on the same location however all that remains is a cleared area which may now be used as a camping ground.

Geology

Mount Barney is the product of a large volcano (the Focal Peak Volcano) that erupted about 24 million years ago. This developed as the Australian crust moved northwards over a ‘hot-spot’ in the Earth’s mantle below.

Initially there was an up-doming and tilting of the previous rocks of the district, namely sandstones and shales deposited by rivers in the Moreton Basin about 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic period. Their inclined strata can be seen along the road over Yellow Pinch. Then the first eruptions were of basalt lava, which flowed from a crater over the present Focal Peak, just west of Mount Barney itself.

Later the magma below changed to the composition of rhyolite, and a large mass accumulated at depth. Some of this began to cool to larger crystals, and suddenly a surge of pressure thrust this upwards 2400m or so to near the surface and inside a major ring fault—the Mount Barney Ring Fault—beside the volcano’s central vent. It cooled to a rock called granophyre—coarser grained than rhyolite but finer than granite. The pressure also dragged up some very old rocks from depth, namely marine sedimentary rocks laid down on the continental shelf about 320 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period. Some of these can be seen on the South Ridge summit route, and the junction between these soft sediments and the hard granophyre is obvious on the eastern slopes of the mountain.

Other rhyolite bodies were intruded outside the ring, but also in a roughly circular pattern, to cool quickly beneath the present mounts Ernest, Maroon, May and Philip, and also Minnages Mount (also known as Minnages Mountain).

Since those times, erosion has stripped away the softer surrounding and overlying sedimentary rocks, leaving the hard granophyre and rhyolite as the mountains we see today (Willmott).

Reference: Warwick Willmott, 2014 ‘Rocks and Landscapes of the National Parks of Southern Queensland 2nd Ed’ Geological Society of Australia Qld Div.

Flora and fauna

Mount Barney National Park is one of the largest areas of undisturbed natural vegetation remaining in South East Queensland. It is significant for nature conservation, with many rare and restricted plant species, especially on the higher peaks.

The park's numerous habitats provide homes for over 340 animal species and over 700 plant species. Nine animal species—including the eastern bristlebird and the Coxen's fig-parrot—along with four plant species are listed as endangered. There are roughly 30 plant and animal species regarded as threatened. This means that any major impact on their habitat will endanger the future of these species.

Much of the country is open eucalypt forest with some beautiful grassy slopes, with the lower country bearing tall, spreading eucalypts, brush boxes and angophoras. Kangaroos and wallabies are common, as are many species of birds.

The rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest of Mount Barney provide critical habitat for the plumed frogmouth Podargus ocellatus plumiferus. This primitive bird species is listed as vulnerable.

Creeks with cascades, deep pools and shallow sections flow through the park and are lined with river she oaks Casuarina cunninghamiana, red-flowering bottlebrushes Melaleuca viminalis, golden silky oaks Grevillea robusta and patches of rainforest. Rarely seen platypus swim in the creeks and nest in the creek banks; kingfishers swoop over the water and various honeyeaters and robins can be spied nearby.

Higher rocky slopes and depressions support patches of montane heath, some of which have spectacular wildflower displays in spring. Steep, rocky slopes are the habitat of brush-tailed rock-wallabies Petrogale penicillata, which are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

Vegetation of special significance includes Antarctic beech Nothofagus moorei and simple microphyll fern forest on Mount Ballow. Simple microphyll fern thicket with lillypilly satinash Acmena smithii grows on Mount Barney. Rock pavements with montane heaths and bell-fruited mallee Eucalyptus codonocarpa shrublands occur on Mount Maroon. On Mount Lindesay, tall forests of Banksia integrifolia subsp.monticola dominate.

The park joins Mount Clunie National Park, Mount Nothofagus National Park and Border Ranges National Park at the New South Wales border. These national parks share many of the plants and animals found within Mount Barney National Park. All these protected areas are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Culture and history:

The peaks that make up Mount Barney National Park have special significance to Aboriginal people whose stories explain their connection with this country. Some names in the landscape have Aboriginal origins.

On a frosty August morning in 1828, the commandant of the Brisbane settlement, Captain Patrick Logan, and botanists Alan Cunningham and Charles Fraser set out from their camp to climb Mount Barney. This was the first recorded European ascent of the mountain. Fraser's journal graphically recounts the climb, describing the perils the group encountered. Logan was the only one to complete the climb to the summit, leaving both Cunningham and Fraser to turn back after finding the ascent too difficult.

It was during these early expeditions into the mountainous area of the scenic rim that many of the peaks were given European names. Mount Barney, Mount Lindesay and Mount Clunie were named after prominent engineers or soldiers of the early 1800s, while Mount Ballow took its name from David Keith Ballow, a Moreton Bay Government Medical Officer who died of typhus while caring for immigrants under quarantine at Dunwich in 1850. Some names were abbreviated from Aboriginal names; Mount Maroon was originally known as 'Wahlmoorum' (Yuggera language meaning 'sand goanna') (Steele).

Captain Logan and botanist Allan Cunningham paved the way for selectors and squatters to follow and settle the land. Government surveyors were sent to survey features such as rivers, creeks and ranges and to set out boundaries for land parcels. Many of the surveyed features later became the boundaries of parishes and counties.

By the 1840s, the surrounding foothills of Mount Barney were being opened up for cattle grazing. Logging also began in the late 1890s with red cedars and hoop pines being felled and later hauled to small, sawmills located in the district. Remnants of large, sawn stumps seen in parts of the park are a reminder of this time. Up until the late 1930s, many contract timber workers lived in tents in the scrubs surrounding Mount Barney, some with a wife and young children.

The unique qualities of this rugged area were recognised in 1947 when Mount Barney National Park and Mount Lindesay National Park were gazetted as separate parks. Mount Barney National Park was extended to include Mount May and Mount Maroon in 1950. Thirty years later, in 1980, the two parks were amalgamated to form the current Mount Barney National Park, named after the park's highest and most imposing peak.

In December 1994, the World Heritage Committee officially declared the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area over the Scenic Rim (including nearly all of Lamington and Springbrook national parks and most of Main Range and Mount Barney national parks) and the rainforests of northern and central New South Wales.

World Heritage status is a prestigious international recognition of the important conservation values of this area, especially its unique geology, subtropical and cool temperate rainforests and rare fauna.

Source: Queensland Government Parks & Forests, Department Of Environment & Science, Aussie Bushwalking.

Tags:   rain forest rainforest creek creeks stream streamway water fall falls cascade spring springs mountain mountains rock rocks stone stones cliff cliffs field fields sky skies tree trees bird birds bug bugs animal animals marsupial marsupials breeze wind rains rainy cloud cloudy clouds nature natural native national park wilderness wild aboriginal indigenous history historic heritage mount barney national park scenic rim queensland australia

© All Rights Reserved

The Scenic Rim is home to six National Parks. In December 1994 parts of the Main Range, Lamington, Springbrook and Mt Barney National Parks were included in the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves Australian World Heritage Listed Area.

Volcanic History:

It’s not until you investigate how the Scenic Rim came to be that you realise how significant this dense cluster of mountains is. The Scenic Rim Mountains and the Mt Warning area in northern NSW are known as the Green Cauldron and were once a volcanic hotspot, which over the years has grown into a lush landscape featuring six National Parks.

Scenic Rim geologist, Dr John Jackson, says the Scenic Rim was formed over a three million year period, more than 26 million years ago.

“As the heat intensified, volcanic activity erupted and the mountains formed from magmas and lavas that intruded from the hotspot,” Dr Jackson explains.

Mt Warning and Focal Point Mountains are known volcanoes and John says there were most probably others, but proving it is difficult.

“Australia was travelling north over a hotspot, then it changed direction and slowed down and that is the real reason for the Scenic Rim. The change in direction and the slower speed allowed for the build up of the dense mountain range.
To give you an idea of the speeds, when Peak Crossing to the Glass House Mountains was formed we were travelling about 70km/million years. That speed slowed to 26km/million years when the Scenic Rim was created and you get the effect of the mountains that are all stacked up together”.

“By the time we reached Mt Warning, Australia speeds up again and the mountains are more dispersed.”

Natural Flora And Fauna:

This early volcanic activity reveals itself in the region’s rich flora and fauna. The temperate climate and rich basalt soils have proven fertile grounds for rainforests to prosper.

“It all comes down to the chemistry of the rocks and the soil which leads to different vegetation and different birds and animals which feed on the different seeds,” says Dr Jackson.

“All of this comes from the rocks, that’s where it all begins.”

The Scenic Rim region is a treasure trove of unique plants, animals and distinctive vegetation types. The mountains preserve living links to Australia’s ancient past, while one of Australia’s two species of lyrebird inhabits the region’s rainforest and wet eucalypt forests. The stories, rituals and traditions of the indigenous inhabitants are woven around the natural environment and highlight their connection to a living landscape.

The varied landscape and natural beauty of the Scenic Rim made an indelible impression on the early settlers such as Logan, Cunningham and Fraser, who all commented on the beauty of the area.

The Scenic Rim has long attracted naturalists, scientists, artists and bushwalkers who are interested in studying and enjoying the area’s rich natural history. The region has had some fierce defenders of its natural heritage, Arthur Groom, Romeo Lahey and Judith Wright among the three most influential. Queensland’s first National Park was declared here in 1908.

As you move through the region you’ll notice a change in the vegetation. In Binna Burra and at O’Reilly’s see high altitude beech forests, including the moss-covered gnarled trunks of the Antarctic Beech. Tamborine Mountain and Binna Burra are home to sub-tropical rainforests. Dense dry vine rainforest scrub, with its tangled vines, can be found in the Mt Barney mountain area and in parts of the Mt Chinghee region.
Brigalow softwood scrub is found at Kalbar, while mountain Eucalypt forests are found in the higher rainfall areas of Spicer’s Gap and Tamborine Mountain.

You’ll see heath and orchids such as the Pink Rock Orchid and the King Orchid on the rocky outcrops of Mt French and Mt Greville.
Wyaralong and Kooralbyn are home to sandstone ridges forest, while the Logan Valley, Bremer and parts of Wyaralong are dominated by Blue Gum fringing forests.

Source: Visit Scenic Rim.

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