Page 339 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

Volcanic Landforms as Tourist Attractions in Australian National Parks and Other Protected Areas 315

• bird watching; Queensland. However, due to the sensitivity of the
• native history; ecology of the area the Queensland’s Department
• photography; of Environment and Heritage (DEH) currently
• picnic and BBQ areas; allows only supervised public access with a set
• bus tours; quota of 200 visitors a day to see the lava tubes,
• camping grounds; which adds up to around 20,000 people going on
• climbing and abseiling; a tour of the lava tubes each year during the dry
• geological heritage; season. Despite an entrance fee being charged
• golf course; these lava tubes are the region’s main attraction
• guided activities; (Undara Experience, 2009).
• parks; The volcanic history of the Atherton Tablelands
• information centres; is protected in several sites such as conservation
• interpretive visitor centres; parks and national parks, which include attractions
• mountain biking; of the region’s more recent volcanic past like Lake
• unique rock formations; Barrine and Lake Eacham that are promoted as
• viewing platforms; major tourism attractions due to their scenic
• visitor facilities, shops, car parks; beauty. Both lakes are maar craters and formed
• volcanic landforms; when super-heated groundwater exploded. Lake
• walking trails; Eacham was gazetted a national park in 1934 and
• waterfall and caves; was included within the Wet Tropics World
• water sports on crater lakes. Heritage Area in 1988. By the year 1994 Lake
Eacham joined with Lake Barrine under the name
In the tropical north of Queensland the Atherton Crater Lakes National Park (Queensland
Tablelands (Atherton Province) contain 52 known Government, 2009a). Another unique volcanic
eruption centres with a variety of volcano types feature of the Crater Lakes National Park is Mt
from lava shields and cinder cones to maars and Hypipamee, a small diatreme about 82m deep and
one diatreme (Johnson et al, 1989). Of interest for filled with water, which attracts around 40,000
the geotourist are the ‘. . . contrasts in erosion from visitors per year (pers. communication with park
remnant plugs . . . to volcanoes that have craters ranger, 2008). Other volcanic craters dating back
and associated lava fields in excellent preservation’ to a similar time period are the Mobo Creek
(Johnson et al, 1989, p89). One of the most crater and Lake Eumaroo located in the Danbulla
remarkable volcanic regions of the Far North is National Park. Other major volcanic features of
the Undara Volcanic National Park where opera the Atherton Tablelands are the Seven Sisters and
and theatre in the relative isolation of the Outback Mt Quincan. The Seven Sisters are a series of
are part of the ‘Undara Experience’. They may be seven volcanic mounds, some of which have been
rather unusual events, but for nine years the annual cleared for dairying. Neither the Seven Sisters nor
Undara Opera has drawn visitors to combine the Mt Quincan have been developed as tourism sites
volcanic heritage with a touch of culture. as they do not have national park status and several
The Undara lava tubes are described as the of the ancient volcanic cones remain in private
oldest in Australia and with the longest tunnel up ownership, but people go for a drive to see the
to 160km long they could well be the longest in Seven Sisters in the distance or view them from
the world. Over the years weaker sections of the Mt Halloran (Figure 21.2).
lava tubes collapsed forming today’s line of The volcanic chains which extend from the
depressions and caves with the collapsed sections north of Queensland to the area around Mt
of the lava tubes being marked by rainforest Macedon (Hanging Rock) in Victoria include the
growth and clearly visible from the air. Undara following volcanoes:
Volcanic National Park is one of Queensland’s
conservation areas with the potential to attract • Cape Hillsborough volcano (north of
increasing numbers of visitors to north-western Mackay);

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