| Welford National Park | |
|---|---|
  Welford National Park | |
| Location | Queensland |
| Nearest city | Jundah |
| Coordinates | 25°03′31″S143°26′02″E / 25.05861°S 143.43389°E /-25.05861; 143.43389 |
| Area | 1,240 km2 (480 sq mi) |
| Established | 1994 |
| Governing body | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Official website |
Welford is a national park inCentral West Queensland,Australia, 991 km west ofBrisbane. It is located 30km to the South-east ofJundah. The park was established in 1994 to protect the biodiversity of theMulga Lands,Mitchell Grass Downs andChannel Country bioregions.[1] The southern border is marked by theBarcoo River.[1]
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.[2]
Richard Welford and his stationhand were killed in 1872 by an Aboriginal man known asKangaroo orJiu-Jiu who had deserted from theNative Police. Subsequentpunitive expeditions were conducted by Native Police detachments and local pastoralists such asCharles 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 nowHell Hole Gorge National Park.[3][4][5][6]
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The rareyellow-footed rock-wallaby is found in the park as are aboriginalstone arrangements and water wells.[2]Welford Homestead is heritage-listed homestead built in the early 1880s.[7]
Camping with a permit is allowed at one site along the Barcoo River.[8]
Recreational activities are centred on the permanent waterholes along the Barcoo where visitors can enjoy fishing, canoeing and kayaking.[8] 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.[8]
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