About Wiliyan-ngurru National Park
Wiliyan-ngurru National Park, formerly Camooweal Caves National Park, is a remote karst national park 15 kilometres south-east of Camooweal and about 180 kilometres north-west of Mount Isa in north-west Queensland. Notable for its extensive limestone sinkholes, dolines and cave systems including Great Nowranie Cave, the park protects a semi-arid Mitchell grass and eucalypt landscape on the Barkly Tableland near the Queensland–Northern Territory border.
Visitors guide
Visitors can expect a remote, undeveloped outback park characterised by flat Mitchell grass plains dotted with dramatic limestone sinkholes, dolines and cave entrances. There are no marked walking tracks or visitor facilities. Access is via rough, unsealed 4WD tracks. Visitors can view sinkholes and cave entrances from the surface, observe semi-arid woodland and grassland, and experience birdwatching and photography in a stark, isolated karst landscape. Caves are not developed for tourism and entry is hazardous.
Key highlights
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Extensive limestone karst system with sinkholes and dolines
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Great Nowranie Cave - one of the longest cave systems in Queensland
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Semi-arid Barkly Tableland landscape with Mitchell grass plains and eucalypt woodland
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Birdwatching and wildlife observation in remote outback setting
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Dark sky and solitude due to remote location near Queensland-Northern Territory border
History of Wiliyan-ngurru National Park
Gazetted as Camooweal Caves National Park in 1988 to protect the Camooweal karst system and Great Nowranie Cave. Renamed Wiliyan-ngurru National Park in 2023 in recognition of the Indjalandji-Dhidhanu Traditional Owners. The limestone karst formed from Cambrian carbonate rocks and contains significant geological and hydrological features of the Barkly Tableland.
Culture & Context
The park lies within the traditional lands of the Indjalandji-Dhidhanu people. The name Wiliyan-ngurru reflects Traditional Owner language and connection to Country. The karst landscape and waterholes hold cultural significance for Traditional Owners.
Route
| By air |
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