Welford National Park

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian place Welford is a national park in Central West Queensland, Australia, 991 km west of Brisbane. It is located 30km to the South-east of Jundah. The park was established in 1994 to protect the biodiversity of the Mulga Lands, Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country bioregions.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The southern border is marked by the Barcoo River.<ref name=":0" />

The name of the park comes from the original owner of the grazing station, Richard Welford, who established the property around 1870 and called it Walton, but it was changed to Welford Downs after his death.<ref name="herqldout">Template:Cite book</ref>

Richard Welford and his stationhand were killed in 1872 by an Aboriginal man known as Kangaroo or Jiu-Jiu who had deserted from the Native Police. Subsequent punitive expeditions were conducted by Native Police detachments and local pastoralists such as Charles Lumley Hill which resulted in many of the local Aboriginal population being shot at Welford's station, along the Barcoo River and in the Cheviot Range around what is now Hell Hole Gorge National Park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Welford Homestead (2005).jpg

Welford Homestead, 2005

The rare yellow-footed rock-wallaby is found in the park as are aboriginal stone arrangements and water wells.<ref name="herqldout"/> Welford Homestead is heritage-listed homestead built in the early 1880s.<ref name=qhr>Template:Cite QHR</ref>

Camping with a permit is allowed at one site along the Barcoo River.<ref name="aw">Template:Cite web</ref>

Recreational activities are centred on the permanent waterholes along the Barcoo where visitors can enjoy fishing, canoeing and kayaking.<ref name="aw" /> There are also three tourist drives that cover the river, sand dune and mulga escarpment ecosystems found in the park and totalling more than 100 kilometres.<ref name="aw" />

See also

• Protected areas of Queensland
• Lochern National Park
• Idalia National Park

References

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