Currawinya National Park, Wetland conservation park in Southwest Queensland, Australia
Currawinya National Park lies 828 km west of Brisbane, next to Hungerford on the New South Wales border. It is dry sandy plain in the Mulga Lands bioregion, with small trees and shrubs, and the Paroo River runs through its eastern part. Lakes Numalla, freshwater, and Wyara, saline, lie within the park.
The park was established in 1991 when the Queensland government purchased the Currawinya and Caiwarro Homestead properties and significantly expanded the protected area. A second major expansion occurred in 2015 with the addition of further land to strengthen conservation efforts.
The park holds many Aboriginal sites that show long occupation and use of the wetlands; the sources do not name a specific group or country. Visitors can also see remains of the former pastoral era: the Caiwarro homestead, old machinery and a levee bank, bought by the Queensland government with Currawinya in 1991.
A four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to access the park because of its remote location and limited road infrastructure. Visitors should bring their own fuel, food, and drinking water as there are no facilities or services available within the area.
Lake Numalla is freshwater and Lake Wyara is saline, and both are listed as Ramsar wetlands of international importance. In drought they hold waterbirds, and they serve migrating waders crossing inland Australia. Most of the park lies in the Paroo Floodplain and Currawinya Important Bird Area, identified by BirdLife International.
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