The Mooloolah River National Park is a nationally protected area located on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It covers an area of 830.9 hectares and is bordered by the Mooloolah River to the east, Claymore and Dixon Roads to the west, and the Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve to the south. It is bisected by the Sunshine Motorway with the northern, 161.93 hectare component of the Park being a later addition. The Park was initially vacant crown land prior to national park designation in 1960. Surrounding land uses include livestock grazing, urban development and the campus of the University of the Sunshine Coast. It is the second largest mainland park on the coastal lowlands in South East Queensland after Noosa National Park and represents an example of low-lying coastal floodplain distinctive of the region.Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 1999. Mooloolah River National Park Management Plan. South East Queensland Biogeographic Region November 1999.

The Jowarra section of the Park is located at the north western corner of the intersection of Steve Irwin Way (formerly Glasshouse Mountains Road) and the Bruce Highway. It is a remnant of coastal rainforest and cut off from the main body of the Park with the only connection via the Mooloolah River itself. The Park is used for conservation and study purposes and recreationally by bushwalkers and bird watchers.The Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing. 2012. Mooloolah River National Park. Retrieved on 8 May 2016 from: http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/mooloolah-river/about.html#management

Ecology The Park provides important habitat for numerous species endemic to eastern Australia and south east Queensland, owing its species diversity to varied ecosystem types and ecotones.Etherington, R. A. Shapcott. 2014. Do habitat fragmentation and fire influence variation of plant species composition, structure and diversity within three regional ecosystems on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia? Australian Journal of Botany. 62: 36–47. It represents an important remnant of coastal heathland once common in the region and a refuge for the associated flora and fauna. Almost half the area of the Park is coastal and sub-coastal floodplain wet heath swamp and approximately one third coastal and sub-coastal floodplain tree swamp containing Melaleuca and Eucalyptus species in the Park's wetland areas.Mooloolah River National Park — facts and maps, WetlandInfo, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, viewed 20 May 2016, http://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/national-park-mooloolah-river/.

Seven of the 10 vegetative communities in the Park are regionally significant. The forest red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) along with the blackbutt-tallowwood (Eucalyptus pilularis-E. microcorys) are classed as endangered regional ecosystems under Schedule 1 of the Vegetation Management Regulation 2012 (VMR 2012). Five other regional ecosystems present in the Park are listed as of concern in Schedule 2 of the VMR 2012 including the paperbark teatree (Melaleuca quinquenervia) open forest/woodland, wallum banksia (Banksia aemula) woodland, scribbly gum (Eucalyptus racemosa) open forest, sedgelands and closed heath.Queensland Government. Vegetation Management Regulation 2012.

Flora

With a variety ecosystem types and communities the Park is home to a wide array of endemic flora types, a number of which are threatened regionally. The Park contains three examples of flora listed as endangered under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act) and/or the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and two species listed as vulnerable under both Acts. The Mt Emu Sheoak (Allocasuarina emuina) is listed both under the NC Act and the EPBC Act as endangered.Queensland Government. 2016. Wildlife Online Extract: Species list for the Mooloolah River National Park. A wind-pollinated shrub it is restricted to the coastal heaths of south east Queensland and was likely more widespread prior to encroaching primary production industries and urbanisation. The species is also highly reliant on fire regimes which have been altered due to urbanisation.Lamont, R. W., R. L. Stokoe, A. Shapcott. 2012. Ecological genetics of the wind-pollinated, tetraploid, Allocasuarina emuina L. Johnson (Casuarinaceae) from southeast Queensland reveals montane refugia for coastal heath during the last interglacial. Australian Journal of Botany. 60: 718–734.

The swamp stringybark (Eucalyptus conglomerata) is endangered under both the NC Act and the EPBC Act. The species grows in the margin between open forest and heathland in sandy acidic soils which are at times waterlogged.Department of the Environment. 2008. Approved conservation advice for the Swamp Stringybark (Eucalyptus conglomerata). Located on 17 May 2016 from: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/3160-conservation-advice.pdf The Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) plant is listed as endangered under the NC Act and is located in sandy acidic soils of damp heathland and sedgeland.Ramsey, M. 1993. Floral Morphology, biology and sex allocation in disjunct populations of Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora, Liliaceae) with different breeding systems. Australian Journal of Botany. 41: 749-62

The Acacia attenuata is listed as vulnerable under both the NC Act and the EPBC Act and is endemic to South East Queensland. Populations persist close to the coast in the ecotone between wet heathland and open eucalypt forests within the Park. It relies on disturbance such as fire events for seed recruitment. The species can tolerate disturbed environments and has been observed in man made disturbed areas, easements and road reserves.Brownlie, H., J. Playford, H. Wallace, A. Shapcott. 2009. Population ecology and genetics of the vulnerable Acacia attenuata (Mimosaceae) and their significance for its conservation, recovery and translocation. Australian Journal of Botany. 57: 675–687.,Brownlie, H. 2007. National Recovery Plan for Acacia attenuata. Report to Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane. The tiny wattle (Acacia bauera subsp. baueri) can be located in the Park and is listed as vulnerable under the NC Act.

Fauna

Mammals There are 19 species of mammals recorded in the Park. Macropod species include the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus gignateus) and the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) with both also using the buffer zones around the Park.Stringybark Consulting. 2012. Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve Vegetation Management Plan (Revegetation and Rehabilitation) Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve Lot 37 C3147, 1 RP27759 & 2 RP27760 Claymore Road, Palmview, Queensland. Other species include the short beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), the eastern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis) the little bent-winged bat (Miniopterus australis), four kinds of native rats, brush and ringtail possums, and flying foxes. Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) have been recorded in the area and although listed as occurring within the Park in Queensland Government records, a viable population is not believed to be present in the Park apart from anecdotal records mentioning a population in the section north of the Sunshine Motorway.,

Amphibians The Park is home to ten species of frogs including threatened ‘acid frogs’ termed as such by having the ability to inhabit acidic water bodies. Their preferred habitat is wet coastal heathlands with acidic waters (pH less than 5). Significant threats include the destruction of coastal wetlands and changes in water quality and availability.Faulkner, C. 2005. Wallum froglet. Nature Australia. 28:5. 22-23. These species include the wallum froglet (Crinnia tinnula) listed as vulnerable in the NC Act, the wallum sedge frog (Litoria olongburensis) listed in the EPBC Act and NC Act as vulnerable, and the wallum rocketfrog (Litoria freycineti) listed as vulnerable in the NC Act. These three frogs are also recorded outside the Park in the Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve which provides a buffer zone and extension of habitat. Acid frogs can tolerate fire events as long as suitable water sources are available.Lowe, K., J. G. Castley, J. Hero. 2013. Acid frogs can stand the heat: amphibian resilience to wildfire in coastal wetlands of eastern Australia. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 22: 947–958. The introduced cane toad (Rhinella marina), prevalent across south east Queensland, is also recorded in the park.

Birds The Park contains a wide assortment of bird species and up to 136 different species are listed. Significant species include eastern grass owl, sea eagles, various parrot species, goshawks, kites, the white-throated needle tail, egrets, herons, wedge-tailed eagles and wrens. The nutmeg mannikin, also known as the scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata), is an introduced finch species native to tropical Asia. It is able to tolerate disturbed environments and may pose a threat to native finches through competition.Woodall, P. 1987. Sparrows and finches (Fam: Fringillidae, Passeridae and Ploceidae) in the Brisbane region, 1972–1983: Relative numbers, distribution and species interaction. Sunbird: Journal of the Queensland Ornithological Society. 17:3. 37-51. The Park is recorded habitat for the ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus wallicus) listed as vulnerable under the NC Act. It is confined to heathlands and sedgelands and has numerous predators including the eastern grass owl, feral cat, brown falcons (Falco berigora) and snakes.Macfarland, D. 1991. The biology of the ground parrot, Pezoporus wallicus, in Queensland. III. Distribution and abundance. Wildlife Research 18:2 199-213.

Reptiles The Park is home for nine reptile species including the lace monitor (Varanus varius), eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), freshwater snake (Tropidonophis mairii) and the golden crowned snake (Cacophis squamulosus).

Insects The park contains five species of butterfly – the common evening brown (Melanitis leda bankia), the monarch (Danaus plexippus plexippus), the Richmond birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia), and two types of jezebel (Delias sp.) one being the black jezebel (Delias nigrina).

The vulnerable Richmond birdwing butterfly, occurring only in subtropical northern NSW and South East Queensland, is under threat from the removal of its already fragmented rainforest habitat.Sands, D. 2008. Conserving the Richmond birdwing butterfly over the next two decades. Where to next? Ecological Management and Restoration. 9:1. 4-16. Its exclusive host plant, the Richmond birdwing butterfly vine (Aristolochia praevenosa), listed as near threatened itself, is recorded both inside the Park and outside in areas to the south., The vine is under competition from other invasive weed species and outside the Park is affected by land and road side reserve clearing. The introduced Dutchman's pipe vine is poisonous to the larvae of the Richmond birdwing is a considerable regional threat, though not recorded in the Park as yet.,Queensland Museum. 2007. Wildlife of Greater Brisbane.

Environmental threats