Kroombit Tops National Park

Kroombit Tops is a national park in Central Queensland, Australia.[1] It is between Monto and Calliope. It is two parts. The largest part is within the localities of Tablelands, Valentine Plains, Cania and Boyne Valley, while the smaller part is in the locality of Mount Alma.[2] It is 399 km northwest of Brisbane. Cania Gorge National Park is located approximately 25 km to the south.

Kroombit Tops National Park
Queensland
Griffiths Creek Campground, Kroombit Tops National Park
Kroombit Tops National Park is located in Queensland
Kroombit Tops National Park
Kroombit Tops National Park
Nearest town or cityBiloela
Coordinates24°24′03″S 150°57′30″E
Established1974
Area74.6 km2 (28.8 sq mi)
Managing authoritiesQueensland Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteKroombit Tops National Park
See alsoProtected areas of Queensland

In February 1945, an American Liberator Bomber, "Beautiful Betsy", crashed into what is now Kroombit Tops National Park.[3] The wreckage was discovered on 2 August 1994.[3]

Recreational activities conducted in the park include birdwatching, off-road driving and bushwalking.[4] Camping is permitted.

Fauna

The park provides refuge for the Kroombit tinker frog, which has only been found within the park.[4] The species is so rare that estimates of their number only range in the hundreds;[5] as of November 2020, it was estimated fewer than 200 remained in the wild, all in various discrete areas in the rainforest. However, in the same month, the first froglet of this species was bred in captivity at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, raising hopes that it may be saved from extinction.[6]

In 2013, a new species of marsupial, the silver-headed antechinus, was described, also only found in the national park.[7]

A small population of brumbies roams the park; they are sometimes mustered to reduce numbers.[8]

Abundant in the park is the Kroombit Tops Assassin Spider (Austrarchaea alani).[9]

Crash site
Wreckage of Beautiful Betsy, 2011

On 2 August 1994, the wreckage of a United States Army Air Forces Consolidated B-24D Liberator, Beautiful Betsy, was discovered in the park. The aircraft had gone missing in stormy weather on 26 February 1945 while on a "Fat Cat" run from Darwin to Brisbane - transporting men and supplies as part of a regular flight.[10] Eight servicemen lost their lives; six of the men were American aviators and two were British Royal Air Force Spitfire pilots. The crash site is well-presented, with a plaque erected by National Parks.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Kroombit Tops National Park". Parks and forests. Queensland Government. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  2. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  3. Dunn, Peter. "CRASH OF A B-24D LIBERATOR "BEAUTIFUL BETSY" KROOMBIT TOPS FOREST NEAR BILOELA ON 26 FEBRUARY 1945". www.ozatwar.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  4. "Kroombit Tops National Park". Tourism Queensland. Archived from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  5. Jacquie Mackay (17 February 2009). "Search for the Kroombit tinkerfrog". ABC Capricornia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  6. Stünzner, Inga (15 November 2020). "Endangered Kroombit tinker frog bred in captivity for first time after 20 years of trying". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  7. Baker, A. M.; Mutton, T. Y.; Hines, H. B. (2013). "A new dasyurid marsupial from Kroombit Tops, south-east Queensland, Australia". Zootaxa. 3746: 201–239. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3746.2.1. OCLC 49030618. PMID 25113476. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  8. "Minister denies Kroombit brumby shoot plans". ABC News Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 January 2003. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  9. Michael G Rix; Mark S Harvey (15 August 2011). "Australian Assassins, Part I: A review of the Assassin Spiders (Araneae, Archaeidae) of mid-eastern Australia". ZooKeys. 123 (123): 1–100. doi:10.3897/ZOOKEYS.123.1448. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 3175121. PMID 21998529. Wikidata Q21192137.
  10. Michael V. Nelmes Tocumwal to Tarakan : Australians and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator Belconnen. Banner Books, 1994.
  11. "Sad ending to Beautiful Betsy wartime mystery".
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