Idalia National Park

Idalia National Park sits on the Gowan Range in Central West Queensland, 102 km south-west of Blackall. Queensland Parks says the 144,000 ha park protects extensive mulga woodlands, the headwaters of the Bulloo River and threatened wildlife. Drive through dense mulga and you'll suddenly emerge at views of rugged escarpments, home to yellow-footed rock-wallabies.

The park also protects pastoral history. Queensland Parks describes stake stockyards built between the 1920s and 1950s that could hold up to 300 cattle during muster.

Walks

Queensland Parks says you could easily spend a couple of days exploring Idalia's most accessible spots. Escarpment edges can be unstable, so stay well back.

• Old Idalia. Grade 3; allow 30–45 minutes. A musterer's hut and stockyards from the 1920s, a wagon and an old ship's tank where a natural spring once watered stock. It's a 10 km drive south-east of Monks Tank.
• Wave Rock walk. 1.2 km return, grade 4; allow 1–2 hours. From Old Idalia, climb past the ship's tank to a wave-shaped cliff overhang, at its best at sunset.
• Rainbow Gorge walk. 200 m return, grade 3; allow 30–45 minutes. White, red and yellow-tinted sandstone along a creek that drains to the Barcoo River via Thornleigh Creek. The entrance is 4 km north of Monks Tank.
• Bullock Gorge walk. 2.7 km return, grade 3; allow 1–2 hours. Rock markers guide you along the Gowan Range ridgetop through bendee shrubland, between steep gorges. Bring a torch for sunset walks. The trailhead is 14.7 km north of Monks Tank.
• Emmet Pocket walk. 4.4 km return, grade 5; allow 2–3 hours. A steep track from the lookout descends into a gorge, with the plains spread out below. The trailhead is 12.1 km north-east of Monks Tank.

Drives

Several short drives start from Monks Tank. Bring extra fuel.

• Murphys Rockhole. 9.2 km one way, through mature mulga to a gorge shaded by river red gums. It's good for wildlife.
• Emmet Pocket lookout. 12.1 km one way, with panoramic views over the park's northern boundary. Stay quiet and you may see yellow-footed rock-wallabies in the rocks below. Don't climb down among them.

Wildlife and plants

Queensland Parks lists seven macropod species: wallaroos, red and grey kangaroos, swamp wallabies, black-striped wallabies and yellow-footed rock-wallabies. The yellow-footed rock-wallaby is vulnerable to extinction, threatened by foxes, dingoes and competition from feral goats and sheep. You may also see kultarrs bounding about in search of insects.

Several birds here are at the limits of their range, including plum-headed finches, eastern yellow robins and speckled warblers. Mallee ringnecks, mulga parrots, crested bellbirds, grey-crowned and Hall's babblers and common bronzewings are often seen.

Mulga covers most of the park. Bendee woodland grows on the escarpments, with mountain yapunyah, Dawson gum and lancewood. Poplar box and silver-leaved ironbark grow on the sandy flats by the Bulloo River. Fifteen native fuchsia species have been recorded.

Camping

Monks Tank camping area has open bush sites in mulga woodland, about 26 km from the park entrance. Camping permits are required and fees apply, and you must display your camping tag or booking details.

• Facilities. A non-flush toilet is the only facility. There are no showers, picnic tables or barbecues, and no generators are allowed.
• Access. The access road is narrow and unsealed, and it isn't suitable for large caravans.
• Fires. Campfires are allowed except during fire bans. Bring your own clean milled firewood; collecting firewood is prohibited.
• Drones. Not permitted in the camping area.

Before you go

Queensland Parks warns that even a little rain in or near the park can make roads impassable. It recommends leaving before that happens. Check Queensland Traffic or call 13 19 40 for road reports.

Take all rubbish with you, because no bins are provided. Empty chemical toilets in Blackall or Isisford, never in park toilets. Clean your vehicle and gear before you arrive to avoid spreading weeds. Pets are not permitted.

Blackall Visitor Information Centre, at 108A Shamrock Street (07 4657 4637), can help with local information. Combine Idalia with Blackall and Longreach.