144!30'E 145!E15

!S

14!

30'S

CAPEMELVILLENATIONAL

PARK

KALPOWARABORIGINAL

LAND

JACK RIVER NATIONAL PARK

LAKEFIELD NATIONAL PARK

Cape Melville

Barrow Point

Cape Bowen

Bathurst Head

Birthday Ck

Beatti

e Ck

Jack RiverCat"sh Ck

Battle Camp

Mount JackNew Laura

Lakefield

Kalpowar

BreezaPlains

Bizant Flat Top Hill

AbbeyPeak

Munburra

Wakooka

WAKOOKAABORIGINAL

LAND

KALPOWARABORIGINAL

LAND

RECREATION

RESERVE

Aboriginal and RecreationPurposes Reserve

Reserve for Aboriginal, Environment and Beach Protection Purposes

Aboriginal freehold land

National park

Boundary

Road

Legend

KALPOWAR ABORIGINAL LAND AREA

N

RINYIRRU(LAKEFIELD) NATIONAL

PARK(CYPAL)

KALPOWARABORIGINAL

LAND

CA

PE M

ELVI

LLE

NAT

ION

AL

PARK

BathurstBay

PrincessCharlotte

Bay

RECREATION

RESERVE

Marrett RiverNorm

anby River

CAMPING AREASON THERECREATIONALRESERVE

Estuarine crocodiles live in the waterways, along the coast and offshore of the Kalpowar area. Visitors are asked to avoid and respect crocodiles and report any sighting of large crocodiles to 1300 130 372. Crocodiles are potentially dangerous to people.

Be croc wise in croc country!rocodile warning signs. They are there for

your safety and protection.ver swim in water where crocodiles may live

even if there is no warning sign present.res back

from the water’s edge and never stand on logs or branches overhanging the water.

ver clean fish or discard fish scraps near the water’s edge or at boat ramps.

Stay well back from any crocodile slide marks. Crocodiles may still be close by and may approach people and boats.

ver dangle your arms or legs over the side of a boat. If you fall out of a boat, get out of the water as quickly as possible.

ver provoke, harass or interfere with crocodiles, even small ones.

ver feed crocodiles — it is illegal and dangerous.

repare food, wash dishes, or pursue any other activities near the water’s edge or adjacent sloping banks.

re aware of crocodiles at night and during the breeding season, September to April.

Croc warning!

The Traditional Owners of this area

welcome you to their country.

Alka Bawar

(Kalpowar)

In December 2005,

the Alka Bawar

(Kalpowar area),

once made up of four

pastoral holdings, was

transferred to

Aboriginal freehold

land, national park and

reserves. As trustees,

the Kalpowar Land

Trust manages the

Aboriginal land while

the Queensland Parks

and Wildlife Service,

under the Nature

Conservation Act 1992,

manages the national

park.

Kalpowar Recreation

ReserveThe Kalpowar Recreation Reserve consists of an approximately 60m wide strip along the road to the coast which is approximately 40km long. The Reserve provides for public access and camping as well as Aboriginal use. Designated campsites are located within the Reserve as indicated on the map overleaf. The Reserve and camp sites are managed in accordance with a management plan which has been prepared by the trustees and endorsed by the Queensland Government.

Aboriginal Freehold LandThe lands adjacent to the Kalpowar Recreation Reserve are Aboriginal freehold land owned by the Kalpowar Aboriginal Land Trust. Part of the Aboriginal freehold land around the Bathurst Heads area is designated as a nature refuge. A nature refuge is a class of protected area under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. There is currently no right of public access to this private land and trespassing is prohibited.

Large numbers of non-­Indigenous people arrived in the area in the early 1870s upon the discovery of gold on the Palmer River. Cattle were introduced to provide fresh meat to miners and although the gold-­era was short-­lived, the introduction of cattle led to the growth of the Peninsula’s pastoral industry. Traditional Owners played a major role in the cattle industry and their involvement was critical to the success of the industry.

The LandscapeThe Alka Bawar (Kalpowar area) is located on the eastern fringe of the Laura Basin, a geological depression which was once an inland sea. For millions of years, layers of sediment were deposited into the basin. These layers hardened under pressure to form the distinctive sandstone featured across much of the Alka Bawar landscape. Basalt and granite outcrops also occur particularly in the low-­lying hills to the east, south of Bathurst Heads.

This country encompasses the Normanby and Marrett rivers which drain northwards into Princess Charlotte Bay. Towards the mouth of the Marrett River, spectacular chenier ridges run parallel to the coast. These ridges are made up of shell grit deposited during cyclonic storms.

To the north, Bathurst Heads offers views over the Flinders Group National Park while to the south-­west, adjacent to Cape Melville National Park, is the Jeannie River catchment. In the south is the large wilderness area of the Jack River, which includes the permanent and seasonal lagoons of Jack Lakes and Barneys Lake.

Much of the Alka Bawar (Kalpowar area) is bordered by national park and shares significant plant communities such as corypha palm woodlands, rainforest, grasslands, extensive wetlands and riparian forest, which line the rivers. The endangered star and crimson finches, along with the Australian bustard (plains turkey) are found in the grasslands while the extensive wetlands and coastal plains provide habitat and are feeding grounds to migratory waders and the threatened beach stone-­curlew.

CampingCamping is permitted only within the recreation reserve at four camping areas;; adjacent to Marrett River and south of Bathurst Heads – see map inset. Access is not permitted beyond the most northern camping area.

Management arrangements for the Kalpowar Reserve and the adjoining Aboriginal freehold land are being reviewed and you are encouraged to obtain the latest information regarding access and camping before each dry season.

For up-­to-­date information, please contact the Kalpowar Land Trust and Corporation C/O Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation via www.balkanu.com.au or PO Box 7573, Cairns QLD 4870.

AccessAccess to the Kalpowar Recreation Reserve is either via Lakefield National Park at Kalpowar Crossing on the Normanby River or via Wakooka, en route to Cape Melville National Park and Cooktown. Driving off designated roads or on restricted access tracks is prohibited on Aboriginal Freehold land and trespassers may be prosecuted. There are no sealed roads in the Kalpowar area and access is only by 4WD. Road conditions can be rough and impassable following seasonal storms or wet weather conditions. Boat access is permitted along the coast.

WeatherThe Kalpowar area is best visited during the dry season, April to October, when maximum temperatures range from 27 to 33celcius deg. During April and May late rain can occur and travel may be restricted by boggy conditions. Please observe road closure signs.

FishingRecreational fishing is permitted at camping areas. Barramundi is the most popular fish and can be caught in the rivers and along coastal areas. Before you go fishing, please ensure you obtain the latest recreational fishing regulations from the QLD Government – at time of printing this is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Caring for countryPlease assist in protecting the natural and cultural values of the area.

fences, gates, bores, windmills, yards and buildings.

prohibited.

camps and watercourses.

dead.

Please take note of all on-­site management and safety signs.