| Kroombit Tops National Park Queensland | |
|---|---|
 Griffiths Creek Campground, Kroombit Tops National Park | |
  Kroombit Tops National Park | |
| Nearest town or city | Biloela |
| Coordinates | 24°24′03″S150°57′30″E / 24.40083°S 150.95833°E /-24.40083; 150.95833 |
| Established | 1974 |
| Area | 74.6 km2 (28.8 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Kroombit Tops National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of Queensland |
Kroombit Tops is a national park inCentral Queensland, Australia.[1] It is betweenMonto andCalliope. It is two parts. The largest part is within thelocalities ofTablelands,Valentine Plains,Cania andBoyne Valley, while the smaller part is in the locality ofMount Alma.[2] It is 399 km northwest ofBrisbane.Cania Gorge National Park is located approximately 25 km to the south.
In February 1945, an American Liberator Bomber, "Beautiful Betsy", crashed into what is now Kroombit Tops National Park.[3] The wreckage was discovered on 2 August 1994.[3]
Recreational activities conducted in the park include birdwatching, off-road driving and bushwalking.[4] Camping is permitted.
The park provides refuge for theKroombit tinker frog, which has only been found within the park.[4] The species is so rare that estimates of their number only range in the hundreds;[5] as of November 2020[update], it was estimated fewer than 200 remained in the wild, all in various discrete areas in the rainforest. However, in the same month, the firstfroglet of this species was bred in captivity atCurrumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, raising hopes that it may be saved from extinction.[6]
In 2013, a new species ofmarsupial, thesilver-headed antechinus, was described, also only found in the national park.[7]
A small population ofbrumbies roams the park; they are sometimesmustered to reduce numbers.[8]
Abundant in the park is theKroombit Tops Assassin Spider (Austrarchaea alani).[9]
On 2 August 1994, the wreckage of a United States Army Air ForcesConsolidated B-24D Liberator,Beautiful Betsy, was discovered in the park. The aircraft had gone missing in stormy weather on 26 February 1945 while on a "Fat Cat" run from Darwin to Brisbane - transporting men and supplies as part of a regular flight.[10] Eight servicemen lost their lives; six of the men were American aviators and two were British Royal Air Force Spitfire pilots. The crash site is well-presented, with a plaque erected by National Parks (approx24°27′52″S150°54′51″E / 24.46441°S 150.91426°E /-24.46441; 150.91426 (Wreck site of Beautiful Betsy)).[11][12][13][14][15]
