Poona National ParkLow-lying coastal plains and two small islands in the Great Sandy Strait are protected in this park between the Mary River estuary and Great Sandy Strait. Poona National Park conserves valuable remnants of the wallum heath communities which flourished in the Maryborough-Hervey Bay area before settlement and land clearing. Paperbark forests and woodlands, mangroves, and banksia and blue gum woodlands also grow in the park. Rare and threatened plants include Boronia keysii and Macrozamia pauli-guilielimi. The park contains one of the most southerly stands of the broad-leafed paperbark Melaleuca viridiflora. Poona National Park is an important wildlife refuge. The endangered ground parrot lives in the park's wallum heath. The park also protects part of the Kalah Creek catchment. Poona National Park is the traditional country of the Butchulla people who also lived on nearby Fraser Island. Exploring Poona This is a great place for low-key nature-based activities such as photography and birdwatching. No facilities are provided and camping is not allowed in the National Park. See spectacular wildflower displays in spring and summer. You can fish from the Kalah Creek area only. Camping is not allowed in the National Park. Walking The park has no designated walking tracks but you can explore the bush with care. Getting there Poona is just 6km south-east of Maryborough on the northern side of the Maryborough-Cooloola and Boonooroo Road. Access is possible by four-wheel-drive vehicle, boat or walking. The roads inside the park are not signposted and become boggy when wet. |
