Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary is a 1700 km² nature reserve
on the Cape York Peninsula
of Far North Queensland
, Australia
. A former cattle station
adjacent to Mungkan Kandju National Park
, it is managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
(AWC). It is jointly owned by The Tony and Lisette Lewis Foundation and the AWC, by which it was purchased in 2008.
land forms a habitat corridor that helps link the east and west coasts of the Peninsula. The property contains several diverse ecosystems such as gallery rainforest
, tropical grass
lands, wetland
s and floodplain
s. The Archer
and Wenlock Rivers flow through the property. The climate is tropical monsoon
al, with most rain falling in the wet season
, December to April. Rainfall averages 1600 mm annually.
, Trumpet Manucode
, Yellow-billed Kingfisher
, Magnificent Riflebird
and Spotted Cuscus.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
on the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
of Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. A former cattle station
Cattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
adjacent to Mungkan Kandju National Park
Mungkan Kandju National Park
Mungkan Kandju, formerly Archer Bend National Park, is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1914 km northwest of Brisbane.-See also:* Protected areas of Queensland* Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen...
, it is managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy is an Australian independent, non-profit organisation, working to conserve threatened wildlife and ecosystems in Australia, principally through the acquisition of extensive areas of land on which to establish conservation reserves . These sanctuaries are...
(AWC). It is jointly owned by The Tony and Lisette Lewis Foundation and the AWC, by which it was purchased in 2008.
Landscape and climate
The location of Piccaninny Plains in the middle of the Cape York Peninsula between national park and AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
land forms a habitat corridor that helps link the east and west coasts of the Peninsula. The property contains several diverse ecosystems such as gallery rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, tropical grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
lands, wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s and floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s. The Archer
Archer River
The Archer River is a major river of the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland, Australia. It rises in the McIlwraith Range, traverses tropical savanna plains and wetlands, flowing through Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary and Mungkan Kandju National Park, and enters the Gulf of Carpentaria on the...
and Wenlock Rivers flow through the property. The climate is tropical monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
al, with most rain falling in the wet season
Wet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
, December to April. Rainfall averages 1600 mm annually.
Fauna
Animals found on Piccaninny Plains include the Palm CockatooPalm Cockatoo
The Palm Cockatoo , also known as the Goliath Cockatoo, is a large smoky-grey or black parrot of the cockatoo family. It is the only member in subfamily Microglossinae and the only member of the monotypic genus, Probosciger...
, Trumpet Manucode
Trumpet Manucode
The Trumpet Manucode is species of medium-sized, approximately 31 cm long, bird in the family Paradisaeidae. It has elongated horn-like head tufts and loose neck feathers. The plumage is of blackish glossed blue, green and purple. It has a red iris, long coiled trachea, and blackish bill,...
, Yellow-billed Kingfisher
Yellow-billed Kingfisher
The Yellow-billed Kingfisher is a medium-sized tree kingfisher. Its colouring is distinctive; it has an orange head and neck with a black nape patch and white throat. Adult females also have a black crown patch. The upper mantle is blackish grading to olive green on the back, blue-green on...
, Magnificent Riflebird
Magnificent Riflebird
The Magnificent Riflebird, Ptiloris magnificus, is a medium-sized passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is velvet-black bird of paradise with elongated black filamental flank plumes, an iridescent blue-green crown, a wide, triangle-shaped breast shield, and on central tail feathers...
and Spotted Cuscus.