The Mooloolah River National Park is a nationally protected area located on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It covers an area of 830.9 hectares and is bordered by the Mooloolah River to the east, Claymore and Dixon Roads to the west, and the Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve to the south. It is bisected by the Sunshine Motorway with the northern, 161.93 hectare component of the Park being a later addition. The Park was initially vacant crown land prior to national park designation in 1960. Surrounding land uses include livestock grazing, urban development and the campus of the University of the Sunshine Coast. It is the second largest mainland park on the coastal lowlands in South East Queensland after Noosa National Park and represents an example of low-lying coastal floodplain distinctive of the region.
The Jowarra section of the Park is located at the north western corner of the intersection of Steve Irwin Way (formerly Glasshouse Mountains Road) and the Bruce Highway. It is a remnant of coastal rainforest and cut off from the main body of the Park with the only connection via the Mooloolah River itself. The Park is used for conservation and study purposes and recreationally by bushwalkers and bird watchers.
Ecology
The Park provides important habitat for numerous species endemic to eastern Australia and south east Queensland, owing its species diversity to varied ecosystem types and ecotones. It represents an important remnant of coastal heathland once common in the region and a refuge for the associated flora and fauna. Almost half the area of the Park is coastal and sub-coastal floodplain wet heath swamp and approximately one third coastal and sub-coastal floodplain tree swamp containing Melaleuca and Eucalyptus species in the Park's wetland areas.
Seven of the 10 vegetative communities in the Park are regionally significant.
Flora
thumb|left|Park vegetation, 2014
With a variety ecosystem types and communities the Park is home to a wide array of endemic flora types, a number of which are threatened regionally. The Park contains three examples of flora listed as endangered under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act) and/or the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and two species listed as vulnerable under both Acts. The Mt Emu Sheoak (Allocasuarina emuina) is listed both under the NC Act and the EPBC Act as endangered. A wind-pollinated shrub it is restricted to the coastal heaths of south east Queensland and was likely more widespread prior to encroaching primary production industries and urbanisation. The species is also highly reliant on fire regimes which have been altered due to urbanisation.
The swamp stringybark (Eucalyptus conglomerata) is endangered under both the NC Act and the EPBC Act. The Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) plant is listed as endangered under the NC Act and is located in sandy acidic soils of damp heathland and sedgeland.
The Acacia attenuata is listed as vulnerable under both the NC Act and the EPBC Act and is endemic to South East Queensland. Populations persist close to the coast in the ecotone between wet heathland and open eucalypt forests within the Park. It relies on disturbance such as fire events for seed recruitment. The species can tolerate disturbed environments and has been observed in man made disturbed areas, easements and road reserves.<sup>,</sup> The tiny wattle (Acacia bauera subsp. baueri) can be located in the Park and is listed as vulnerable under the NC Act. Other species include the short beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), the eastern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis) the little bent-winged bat (Miniopterus australis), four kinds of native rats, brush and ringtail possums, and flying foxes. These species include the wallum froglet (Crinnia tinnula) listed as vulnerable in the NC Act, the wallum sedge frog (Litoria olongburensis) listed in the EPBC Act and NC Act as vulnerable, and the wallum rocketfrog (Litoria freycineti) listed as vulnerable in the NC Act. These three frogs are also recorded outside the Park in the Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve which provides a buffer zone and extension of habitat. The introduced cane toad (Rhinella marina), prevalent across south east Queensland, is also recorded in the park. The Park is recorded habitat for the ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus wallicus) listed as vulnerable under the NC Act. It is confined to heathlands and sedgelands and has numerous predators including the eastern grass owl, feral cat, brown falcons (Falco berigora) and snakes.
Reptiles
The Park is home for nine reptile species including the lace monitor (Varanus varius), eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), freshwater snake (Tropidonophis mairii) and the golden crowned snake (Cacophis squamulosus). Its exclusive host plant, the Richmond Birdwing butterfly vine (Aristolochia praevenosa), listed as near threatened itself, is recorded both inside the Park and outside in areas to the south.
Environmental threats
The Sunshine Coast region is experiencing rapid urban expansion adding to environmental pressures on the Park. Urban development is encroaching on native bushland and reducing the effectiveness of the Park's buffer zones making it more isolated from surrounding natural areas. The Park's southern bordering areas are used as pastureland and also support a number of introduced weed species. Altered burning frequencies resulting from the need to protect property and prevent a reduction in living amenity for nearby residents can have a detrimental effect on fire dependent species. The hydrological balance and water quality in the Park can be potentially altered by changes to surrounding drainage systems and for amphibians present in the Park this could put additional pressures for them in an environment that is already restricted, fragmented and in decline. The Acacia attenuata is also under threat from altered fire regimes, fragmentation and loss of habitat and, given its reliance on seasonally waterlogged areas, modified hydrological processes.
Invasive species
In addition to the cane toad, cats (Felis catus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are present in the Park. Cattle using grazing areas in the south access the Park's southern borders and effect on native seedlings and trample vegetation.
The Park itself is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
The management of the areas surrounding the Park is important as many species located in the park are also located in the Park's vegetated buffer zones. The species in these areas may face considerably more threats and less protection than what the Park affords but these areas provide a valuable buffer for the intra-park species and the benefits associated with a larger overall habitat. Undertaking management options in external areas, such as in the Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve, including weed removal, stock exclusion and controlled burnings will assist in protecting the Park's ecosystems and species.