Border Ranges National Park

Border Ranges National Park
New South Wales
Border Ranges National Park; New South Wales
IUCN category II (national park)
	Brindle Creek in the Border Ranges National Park is an impressive rainforest stream.
	Border Ranges National Park
Nearest town or city	Kyogle
Coordinates	28°21′35″S 152°59′10″E / 28.35972°S 152.98611°E
Established	8 June 1979
Area	317.29 km2 (122.5 sq mi)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
Website	Border Ranges National Park
See also	Protected areas of; New South Wales

The Border Ranges National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. A small portion of the national park is also located in South East Queensland. The 31,729-hectare (78,400-acre) park is situated approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Brisbane, north of Kyogle.^[1]

The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986^[3] and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.^[4]

Geology

The Border Ranges region, which includes the McPherson Range, Tweed Range, Lamington Plateau and Levers Plateau, were formed from the erosion of the Tweed Volcano over many years. A number of volcanic plugs remain in the Border Ranges National Park.^[5] Notable for extensive stands of Nothofagus moorei (Antarctic beech), the park offers a 64 kilometres (40 mi) gravel road circuit through sub tropical, cool and warm temperate rainforest types. The area was extensively logged during the 20th century, providing timber to a number of nearby sawmills.^[5] The Lions Road and the Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor pass through the park at its narrow middle section.

Flora and fauna

Border Ranges and Lamington National Park are recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, containing a mixture of northern and southern flora species (the McPherson-Macleay overlap) with a number of endemic, rare and endangered species. Fauna is similarly diverse and species like the Hastings River mouse, have been rediscovered in the park in recent years.^[6]

Lower areas of the park contain eucalypt forests that provide habitat for eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies and koalas.^[5] Pademelons and potoroo are also found in the park as well as a diverse array of birdlife including the rare Albert's lyrebird.^[5] The park is part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of several species of threatened birds.^[7]

The Border Ranges contains one of Australia's most diverse range of spider species within its montane rainforests.^[8]

Facilities

Two camp grounds (car/camper and walk-in tent camping only) and a number of picnic areas, some with shelters, water and composting toilets, are available at various points in the rainforest adjacent to the road, and one picnic spot at Blackbutts Lookout, has extensive views to Mount Warning, and of the Tweed Valley, an erosion caldera which, while broken by the sea on its eastern flank, is considered larger in size than the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.