Poona National Park, Nature reserve in Fraser Coast Region, Australia
Poona National Park is a nature reserve on Queensland's coast that sits between river mouths and the sea. The landscape features wetlands and forests that support diverse habitats for native plants and animals.
Poona National Park was gazetted on 28 March 2008, bringing the wallum heathland between the Mary River estuary and the Great Sandy Strait under Queensland government protection. The park also takes in two small islands and stands of mangroves, myrtaceous heath and open forest. Its listing recognised coastal wallum, once widespread along this coast before European settlement and now scarce, as worth conserving.
The name Poona comes from the nearby settlement of Poona, one of three small towns — with Maaroom and Boonooroo — that sit beside the park and each have a camping area. The park itself has no camping, so these towns are where visitors stay. Fishing is allowed in a designated area at Kalah Creek, a local activity the park permits.
Visitors can fish at certain spots like Kalah Creek, but overnight camping is not permitted within the park. Most activities focus on day visits to explore the different habitats and landscapes.
The park also takes in two small islands, and its wallum heathland once covered the whole coastal region before European settlement; today it is rare. Look for Boronia keysii and the cycad Macrozamia pauli-guilielmi, both endangered plants.
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