Mount Coolum National Park, Nature reserve on Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Mount Coolum is a nature reserve on the Sunshine Coast with a peak rising 208 meters above the surrounding landscape. The terrain features eucalyptus forests, paperbark wetlands, and montane heath vegetation that connect different ecosystems together.
The protected area was established in 2001 by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science to safeguard the natural ecosystems of the Sunshine Coast. This protection status allowed rare plant communities on the mountain to be preserved from further damage.
About 140 people climb to the summit each day, mostly local residents using the 1.6 km track from the Tanah Street West carpark for exercise. The mountain's name is shared with the suburb of Mount Coolum that surrounds it.
The track starts at a carpark on Tanah Street West, off David Low Way, and runs 1.6 km to the summit. The lower section is gentle and well formed, then turns very steep, rough and slippery when wet. Allow 30–40 minutes for the walk up and back, and do not start in rain, storms or near dusk.
More than 700 plant species have been recorded in the park, which covers eucalypt forest, coastal wallum, paperbark wetland, rare coastal montane heath and some rainforest. A pair of peregrine falcons is reported to nest on the southern cliffs.
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