Cape Hillsborough National Park

Cape Hillsborough National Park
Queensland
Cape Hillsborough National Park; Queensland
IUCN category II (national park)
	View across the beach front and bay at Cape Hillsborough National Park
	Cape Hillsborough National Park
Nearest town or city	Mackay
Coordinates	20°53′56″S 148°59′37″E / 20.89889°S 148.99361°E
Established	1985
Area	10.22 km2 (3.95 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	Cape Hillsborough National Park
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

Cape Hillsborough is a national park in Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia.^[1]

Geography

The park is 837 km northwest of Brisbane. The park is a peninsula of volcanic origin, covered largely by rainforest; the maximum elevation is 267 m. The cape at the tip of the peninsula was named by Lieutenant James Cook during his first voyage to the Pacific in 1770; the name is in honour of Wills Hill, Earl of Hillsborough who was President of the Board of Trade and Plantations from 1763 to 1765 and from 1768 to 1772.^[2] The nearest major town is Mackay, about 40 km to the southeast.

The park is located within the O'Connell River water catchment area and the Central Mackay Coast bioregion.^[3]

On National Parks Day 2010 (Sunday, 28 March 2010) the Queensland State Government announced the addition of 204 hectares to the park.

Annual precipitation is 1106 mm.^[4]

Many species have been identified in the national park: including approximately 140 birds, 22 mammals, 25 reptiles and 8 amphibians.^[5]

Sand bubbler crabs leave their drawings on the sand during low tide, and many creatures hide in the tidal rocky pools.^[6]

^ "Cape Hillsborough National Park – Mackay Region (entry 6126)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ Beaglehole, J.C., ed. (1968). The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery, vol. I:The Voyage of the Endeavour 1768–1771. Cambridge University Press. p. 335. OCLC 223185477.
^ "Cape Hillsborough National Park". Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
^ "Climate & Weather Averages in Cape Hillsborough National Park, Queensland, Australia". www.timeanddate.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^ "Cape Hillsborough National Park: Nature, culture and history". Parks and Forests. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
^ Science, jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of Environment and (20 October 2009). "About | Cape Hillsborough National Park". Parks and forests | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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