"Amama State Forest Park" Along the "Bird Trails of Cooloola"
About “Amama State Forest Park”
Situated in Amamoor State Forest within the beautiful Mary Valley, “Amama State Forest Park” and adjacent “Amama Picnic Grounds” are 6km from Amamoor along the Amamoor Creek Road.
“Amama Picnic Grounds”, set beside Amamoor Creek, is a Day Use area managed by the “Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing”.
The entrance to “Amamoor State Forest Park” is opposite these Picnic Grounds across Amamoor Creek Road, near where the Site of the *"Forest Station State School" once stood.
The parks' system of Walking Tracks caters for visitors with varying degrees of experience and inclination, offering an opportunity for all to explore the beauty and wonder of our State Forests.
Well managed grounds, Barbecue facilities, Shelter Sheds and Toilets make “Amama Picnic Grounds” ideal for family groups wishing to enjoy a picnic or barbecue followed by a leisurely stroll along the “Platypus Walk”, (along Amamoor Creek), or the more gentle sections of the “Cascades Walk” (in “Amama State Forest Park” opposite).
More experienced Bushwalkers may wish to continue further along the “Cascades” beyond the first creek crossing, or explore the “Hiking Trail”.
Please Note – Before visiting “Amama” & other State Forest Parks, please visit “Park Alerts, Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing”,as weather conditions may limit access to facilities & entrance of these.
(*For a History of "Forest Station State School" Click here)
(Extract from "Amamoor State School 75th Anniversary Celebration Book" - (ISBN o 646 283960) - Available for loan Gympie Regional Library)
(Courtesy of Local Historian Dr Elaine Brown - Permission for use kindly granted by Author Ms Lenore Tonks)
Wish to stay in the Mary Valley?
For Accommodation Options Click on Highlighted Text Below
(For Origin of Place Name “Amama/Amamoor, Mary Valley/Mary River” & others, Click on Highlighted Text) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your Birding Experience -
While Picnicking or enjoying your Barbecue, watch for Eastern Yellow Robin and Grey Fantail in the Picnic Grounds; White-browed Scrubwren, Golden Whistler and Varied Triller along its’ forest edges.
You may even be lucky enough to see a Crested Shriketit foraging for insects among the bark of the Eucalypt trees!
Along the “Platypus Walk”, watch for Azure Kingfisher, (you may even see the Platypus!)
As you “Bird” the “Cascade Walk”, watch for Australian Logrunner, Eastern Whipbird and Emerald Dove.
To Print Out the Brochure “Birds of Amama State Forest Park” – Click here
(All species listed recorded within Amama Picnic Grounds, its’ immediate surrounds, & along the Amama Walking Track to the Cascades)
Please follow “Birdwatching Ethics” as you enjoy your stay! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Road Conditions – Access to "Amama State Forest Park" is via the well sealed Mary Valley Road to - Exit Right into Blackgate Road – Blackgate Road is sealed – (Take care – blind corners exist in carriageway that may limit visibility; some steep descents)
Exit Right into Busby Street - Busby Street is sealed
Busby Street continues to become Amamoor Creek Road – (Take care, blind corners may limit visibility)
Watch for Lewis Road on the Left (Do not take this)
The Entrance to “Amama Picnic Grounds” is on the Left a short distance past this
Please drive according to conditions on all “Bird Trails of Cooloola”
For a Digital Map to “Amama State Forest Park” – Click Here
Habitat Type (As per Regional Ecosystem (RE) Data) – RE 12.11.10 - Notophyll vine forest +/- Araucaria cunninghamii on metamorphics +/- interbedded volcanics
RE 12.11.11 - Araucarian microphyll vine forest on metamorphics +/- interbedded volcanics; usually southern half of bioregion
RE 12.11.3 - Open forest generally with Eucalyptus siderophloia, E. propinqua on metamorphics +/- interbedded volcanics __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Walking Excursions –
Amama Picnic Grounds – “Platypus Walk” along Amamoor Creek –
Ease of Difficulty – Moderate
Km - 300m (Return)
Walking Conditions – Un-paved walking track alongside Amamoor Creek
Points to Note for your Safety –
Un-fenced water body, children require supervision
Damp weather may lead to slippery conditions underfoot
Directions – Entrance to the “Platypus Walk” is Signposted along creek-side edge of Picnic Grounds
What to expect of your Excursion - The quite waters of Amamoor Creek will provide you with the perfect opportunity to “Bird” a Riparian corridor with its’ attendant Birdlife. Early morning or late afternoon is the best time to observe these coming down to drink or bathe; it is also the best time to watch for the Platypus!
Amama Walking Track to Cascades –
Ease of Difficulty – Moderate to Steep inclines
Km – 1.5km (Return)
Walking Conditions – Unpaved walking track through Rainforest; expect un-even ground, creek crossings & steep inclines.
Points to Note for your Safety –
Take care crossing Amamoor Creek Road to Amama Walking Track entrance.
Take care at creek crossings; rocks may be slippery or loose.
Expect loose rocks underfoot in the final, steeper sections of this track to the Cascades
Keep to all walking tracks.
Directions – The Entrance to “Amama State Forest Park”, “Cascade Walk”, & “Hiking Trail” is directly opposite “Amama Picnic Grounds”. All walks are well signposted.
What to expect of your Excursion – The lushness of a cool Rainforest with attendant ferns, moss covered rocks, and fallen logs. The walking track follows a Rainforest creek cascading over rocks that eventually joins Amamoor Creek close to the Picnic grounds entrance. Stay a while at the "Cascades" to enjoy the peace, tranquility and beauty of its’ waterfalls and clear Rainforest pools.
Take care crossing Amamoor Creek Road to Amama Walking Track entrance.
Take care at creek crossings and while negotiating steep inclines; rocks may be slippery or loose.
Keep to all walking tracks.
Directions – The Entrance to “Amama State Forest Park”, “Cascade Walk”, & “Hiking Trail” is directly opposite “Amama Picnic Grounds”. All walks are well signposted.
What to expect of your Excursion – An opportunity to “Bird” a mix of habitats, from Rainforest to Open Forest.
Appropriate footwear, clothing, Sunscreen & Insect Repellant are recommended for all “Bird Trail” excursions, as are the further necessities & precautionary measures outlined in “Your Health & Safety while Birdwatching”, linked below.
Among the variety of Bird Species you may encounter while at “Amama State Forest Park” are –
Australian Brush Turkey, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Emerald Dove, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Common Koel, Noisy Pitta, White-throated Treecreeper, White-browed Scrubwren, Large-billed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, White-throated Gerygone, Rose Robin, Pale-yellow Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin, Australian Logrunner, Eastern Whipbird, Eastern Shriketit, Spectacled Monarch, White-eared Monarch, Rufous Fantail
(Note – Surveying conditions and Bird Species as described are accurate at time of compilation; these may vary over time with the influence of climate and other factors)
For “Some Birds of “Amama State Forest Park” Click here
For “Habitats of “Amama State Forest Park” Click here
To view a Video from “Amama State Forest Park” Click here (Note – This Link is to be Established) __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click on Ruth to “Fly” you to “Amama State Forest Park”