Flood recovery boost for iconic Boodjamulla National Park

• The Albanese and Miles governments have committed $3.5 million to support additional environmental recovery works in the flood damaged Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land), in north west Queensland.
• Projects supported by the funding include repair works to tracks, trails, visitor site areas and camping areas in the Lawn Hill Gorge section, as well as maintaining the ecological values of the park.
• Additional sections of the park are expected to re-open in July 2025, weather permitting.

The ongoing recovery of Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land) from devastating flooding in 2023 has received a $3.5 million funding boost from the Albanese and Miles governments.

Environment Minister Leanne Linard visited the national park last week to receive an update from Traditional Owners and rangers on the recovery works.

The investment, jointly funded through Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), will help repair camping areas, walking tracks and trails, the Lawn Hill Gorge visitor centre and ranger residences.

It will also fund fire and pest management activities to aid the recovery of impacted riparian areas, as well as roads leading to and within the national park that were damaged.

The additional funding for Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land) builds on recovery works already carried out by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Waanyi People through the Boodjamulla Cooperative Management Council, including fence and track repairs and planned burns to reduce increased fuel loads.

In August 2023, southern sections of Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land) including the Riversleigh D Site, which is part of the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites World Heritage Area, and Miyumba camping area were re-opened to the public.

This followed months of hard work by rangers, in hot conditions, to allow visitors once again into the less damaged sections of the park. Further sections of the park are expected to re-open to the public next year.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Innovation, Leanne Linard:

“Boodjamulla National Park in north west Queensland is a truly spectacular part of Queensland, with stunning natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.

“In early 2023, unprecedented and devastating flooding severely impacted the park, with damage caused to roads, fire management lines, walking tracks and trails, natural and cultural landmarks, campgrounds and day-use areas.

“Because of the damage sustained, the park was closed to the public, with some areas re-opened as repair and recovery works were completed.

“I was pleased to be able to travel to the park last week to meet with Traditional Owners and QPWS rangers and to see some of the recovery works already completed and the work still to be undertaken.

“To support environmental recovery of the most heavily impacted areas, the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) consulted with State and local government organisations, relevant Natural Resource Management bodies and the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation to successfully secure joint Commonwealth-state financial assistance through the DRFA.

“This $3.5 million program will further support the exceptional work already carried out by QPWS and Ngumari Waanyi Rangers and will go a long way to supporting the recovery of Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land).”

Further information:

The funding is part of a larger $15 million DRFA Environmental Recovery Package to support long-term environmental recovery in areas impacted by the monsoonal event between December 2022 and April 2023 including:

• Environmental Investigations Program - $1.5m
• Clean Up and Invasive Species Management Program - $3m
• Biodiversity and Riverine Recovery Program - $7m
• National Park Recovery Program - $3.5m.

The rain event in March 2023 had a significant negative impact on communities across parts of the Southern Gulf in North Queensland, with more than 1.3 metres of rain falling in the region, including 553mm of rain between 8 and 9 March. This is almost 15 times the median rainfall for the entire month of March.

Floodwaters rose to 30 metres in Lawn Hill Gorge and the Gregory River rose to a record-breaking 18 metres at Riversleigh. This resulted in flooding in the Burke and Carpentaria Shire Councils and adjoining areas, particularly in the Gregory, Leichhardt, Cloncurry and Lower Flinders Rivers.

Learn more about the ongoing flood recovery of Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land) here: https://parks.desi.qld.gov.au/parks/boodjamulla-lawn-hill/about/boodjamulla-flood-recovery

ENDS

Media contact: Scott Chandler – (07) 3719 7339