About Blackdown Tableland

Park features

Rising dramatically above the surrounding plains, Blackdown Tableland features spectacular sandstone scenery with deep gorges, tranquil creeks and trickling cascades.

Located at the northeastern edge of the central Queensland sandstone belt, the national park supports diverse plant communities including heathlands, dry eucalypt forests and moist pockets of ferns, mosses, and orchids. Being elevated, the tableland is often cooler and moister than nearby plains. Its isolation means plants and animals that are found nowhere else thrive here. These include the Blackdown stringybark, a macrozamia, red bottlebrush, the Blackdown ‘monster’ (a type of underground cricket) and a Christmas beetle.

This is Ghungalu Country. The tableland’s varied landscapes are of great cultural significance to the Ghungulu people.

Learn more about the natural, cultural and historical significance of Blackdown.

Looking after the park

Everything in Blackdown Tableland National Park is protected including plants, animals, rocks, waterholes and springs, cultural sites and heritage places. Please appreciate, respect and help care for Blackdown Tableland’s outstanding natural and cultural values by leaving things as you find them, and encouraging others to do the same by following these guidelines.

Respect First Nation peoples' culture

Cultural sites represent thousands of years of connection to this landscape for the Ghungalu people. Cultural sites and places of special significance are irreplaceable and easily damaged. Stay on the designated walking tracks, keep out of waterholes of special significance, and travel lightly through Country.

Visit and camp softly

• Stop the spread of weeds, insect pests and pathogens. New introductions can spread and displace resident species and alter the local ecology. Soil from your vehicle, camping gear and boots can contain weed seeds, ants (and their eggs) and foreign plant pathogens. Before you arrive, clean all vehicles (especially the tyres and undercarriage), all camping equipment and walking gear. If available, use a washdown facility provided in a local town. Follow the Come clean, Go clean guidelines and learn more about pest plants and animals and pathogens.
• Keep food away from wildlife. Accidental or intentional feeding upsets the balance of nature and can make animals sick and/or aggressive. Never leave food or food scapes around your camp site or a day-use area.
• Camp fires and cooking. Camp fires are permitted in the fire rings provided at each camp site (except when QFD fire bans and restrictions or QPWS-imposed fire prohibitions (PDF, 763.6KB) apply). Bring your own clean firewood such as untreated, milled off cuts. Collecting firewood from the national park is prohibited. Extinguish your camp fire with water when you leave. It is recommended to use a fuel stove.
• Manage your waste. Take rubbish with you when you leave, bins are not provided. Secure rubbish in a sturdy rubbish bag in a sealable animal-proof container. Dispose of rubbish at off-park waste disposal facilities (Blackwater or Rockhampton) or take it home with you for disposal or recycling. If you pack it in, pack it out!
• Water is not provided. Bring enough for all your drinking, cooking and cleaning. Treat before drinking any water collected in the park

Venture down a series of steep steps and stairs to Gudda Gumoo Gorge.

Photo credit: John Augusteyn © Queensland Government