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Scenic Rim

Coordinates: 28°07′22″S 153°11′22″E / 28.12278°S 153.18944°E / -28.12278; 153.18944
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This article is about the geographic features. For local government administration of this area, see Scenic Rim Region. For the Queensland electorate, see Electoral district of Scenic Rim.

Lake Moogerah lies between the Moogerah Peaks and the Scenic Rim.
Numinbah Valley and surrounding plateaus form part of the eastern rim.

The Scenic Rim is a group of forested mountain ranges of the Great Dividing Range, located south of Brisbane agglomeration, straddling the border between south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.[1] In 2021, the Scenic Rim was named as a Lonely Planet top destination for 2022.[2]

History

Yugarabul (also known as Ugarapul and Yuggerabul) and Yugembah (also known as Yugumbir, Jugambel, Jugambeir, Jugumbir, Jukam, Jukamba) are Australian Aboriginal languages of the Scenic Rim, South-East Queensland.The Yugarabul language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of Brisbane City Council, Ipswich City Council and the Scenic Rim Regional Council.[3] The Yugembah language areas include Gold Coast, Logan, Scenic Rim, Tweed River Valley, Albert River, Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Coolangatta, Coomera, Logan River, Pimpama and Tamborine, within the local government boundaries of the City of Gold Coast, City of Logan, Scenic Rim Regional Council and the Tweed River Valley.

Description

The Scenic Rim has been described as one of Queensland's great natural treasure troves.[4] The landscape is visually stunning.[4] The topography is varied and rainfall fairly high, especially in the east. In the west dryer conditions lead to distinct vegetation types, such as dry eucalyptus forest, dominating.[4] The Scenic Rim lies in a zone where tropical, temperate and western species overlap in a biodiversity hot spot.[4] Biologists refer to this region as the Macleay-McPherson Overlap.[4]

The mountainous landscape forms a quarter circle ridge positioned roughly from south of Toowoomba around to Springbrook. Tamborine Mountain, Lever's Plateau and the Lamington Plateau are part of the rim formation.[5] The scenic rim is considered part of the Gold Coast hinterland. Parts of the rim are well developed, crossed by highways with facilities for tourists like Cunninghams Gap, others are privately owned agricultural properties and rural villages such as Beechmont and Tamborine Mountain. Much of the rest is protected in national parks and nature reserves.

Ranges and Valleys

View north from Tamborine Mountain

The ranges include the Little Liverpool Range,[6] Main Range,[7] Mistake Mountains,[8] McPherson Range,[9] Teviot Range[10] and the Tweed Range.[11] Valleys of the Scenic Rim include Laidley Creek, Christmas Creek, Lockyer Valley, Fassifern Valley, Numinbah Valley, the Albert River, Logan River, Coomera River and the Bremer River.

Environment

The geology and landscape of the Scenic Rim is largely volcanic in origin, deriving from the prehistoric Tweed Volcano, including the Mount Warning shield volcano, and the Focal Peak and Main Range volcanic rocks. Some areas of sedimentary origin include parts of Mount Barney and eastern Lamington national parks. The deeply weathered, mainly basaltic, soils support rainforest and vine thicket ecosystems, as well as rare eucalypt and grassland communities. The area has a subtropical climate with (at the lowest altitudes) average minimum winter temperatures of 6 °C, average maximum summer temperatures of 29 °C, and average annual rainfall of 1555 mm.[12]

Protected areas

The treetops walk at Lamington National Park

Areas protected in national parks and other conservation reserves include the Border Ranges National Park, Glen Rock Regional Park, Koreelah National Park, Lamington National Park, Limpinwood Nature Reserve, Main Range National Park, Mebbin National Park, Moogerah Peaks National Park, Mount Barney National Park, Mount Chinghee National Park, Mount Clunie National Park, Mount Nothofagus National Park, Mount Warning National Park, Numinbah Nature Reserve and Springbrook National Park. Parts of the Scenic Rim, Gondwana Rainforests, are listed as a World Heritage Site,[13] and some are designated Wilderness Areas.[12]

Important Bird Area

A 1,351 km2 area encompassing the Scenic Rim has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of endangered eastern bristlebirds, black-breasted button-quails, rufous scrub-birds, Albert's lyrebirds, pale-yellow robins, paradise riflebirds, green catbirds, regent bowerbirds and Australian logrunners.[14] There are also historical and recent sight records of the critically endangered Coxen's fig parrot.[12] Migratory cuckoos can be seen and heard from Spring to Summer.[4]

Tourism

There are many recreational activities for day-trippers, rockclimbers, hikers and nature lovers on the ranges.[15] The concept of the Scenic Rim was first described by Arthur Groom and Romeo Lahey in the 1920s.[16] They were campaigning for the protection of the forests from Main Range to the Lamington Plateau. At about the same time the Binna Burra Lodge and O'Reilly's Guesthouse were established as the popularity of the area grew with tourists.

See also

References

  1. ^ Scenic Rim Regional Council. (2019). 2018-2019 Annual Report. p. 4.
  2. ^ "Scenic Rim named by Lonely Planet as top travel destination for 2022". 7news.com.au. Seven News. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  3. ^ This Wikipedia article incorporates CC BY 4.0 licensed text from: "Yugarabul". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Czechura, Gregory (2011). Wildlife of the Scenic Rim. South Brisbane, Queensland: Queensland Museum. p. 1,3,5,54. ISBN 978-0-9870555-8-3.
  5. ^ Rankin, Robert. (1992) Secrets of the Scenic Rim. Rankin Publishers ISBN 0-9592418-3-3
  6. ^ Land for Wildlife South East Queensland. "Little Liverpool Initiative". Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Main Range National Park Guide". Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Mistake Mountains". Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Lamington'". Tamborine Mountain & Beyond. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Teviot Range". Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  11. ^ "The Mountain Ranges of the Gold Coast Hinterland". Sightseeing Tours Australia. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  12. ^ a b c BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Scenic Rim. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-10-03.
  13. ^ UNESCO. Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. [1]. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  14. ^ "IBA: Scenic Rim". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  15. ^ Visit Scenic Rim. Scenic Rim. [2]. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  16. ^ Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 18. ISBN 0-7345-1008-X.

28°07′22″S 153°11′22″E / 28.12278°S 153.18944°E / -28.12278; 153.18944

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