Yuwi Paree Toolkoon National Park, Nature reserve in Mackay Regional, Australia
Yuwi Paree Toolkoon National Park, formerly Round Top Island National Park, protects Round Top Island, a 600 m by 600 m continental island 9 km east of Mackay. Its southeast side is covered in grassland, while semi-evergreen rainforest and scrub grow on the northwest; apart from a small gravel beach in the west, the coast is rocky. The park covers 34.1 ha and belongs to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
The protected area was established in November 2010 to safeguard the coastal ecosystems and animal populations found here. This designation marked an important step in preserving the region's natural environments.
The island lies nine kilometres east of Mackay, in the country of the Yuwi people, and its present name, Yuwi Paree Toolkoon, was given to the former Round Top Island National Park. The park is part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and the surrounding waters hold small seagrass beds.
Round Top Island lies 9 km east of Mackay and is reached only by boat; there are no walking trails or visitor facilities on the island. The coast is rocky apart from a small gravel beach on the west side, so landing depends on sea conditions. The 600 m by 600 m island has grassland on its south-east side and semi-evergreen rainforest on the north-west.
Round Top Island is continental in origin, unlike the coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef lying 180 km to the east. The Australian gecko Heteronotia binoei lives here, one of the few vertebrates that reproduces by parthenogenesis, so populations can consist entirely of females.
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