Welcome to the Bunya Mountains
Nature at its best - iconic bunya trees, beautiful rare birds and amazing plants and fungi
The Bunya Mountains: A Nature Lovers Paradise
The Bunya Mountains is a scenic area 1000 to 1135 metres above sea level, located on a distinctive isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Bunya Mountains are surrounded by the towns of Dalby and Bell to the west, Kingaroy to the north and Nanango to the northeast. The range is the remains of a shield volcano, built from basalt lava flows about 23 million years ago. The Bunya Mountains comprise a number of types of vegetation, including an ancient conifer sub-tropical rain forest, dry Araucarian microphyll vine forests and patches of grasslands. The Bunya Mountains is a nature lovers paradise with the largest natural stand of the iconic Bunya Tree Forest in the world. Much of the area is protected as the Bunya Mountains National Park, comprising 11,700 hectares, which was established in 1908. The area is a haven for native birds and animals, and many different species of trees and native grasses.
The Bunya Tree
The Bunya tree, Araucaria bidwilli, produces Bunya Nuts, which are edible, and, in the past, a favoured food of the local indigenous tribes and a reason to have gatherings of tribes every few years when a bumper crop was expected. To help modern families prepare food using the unique Bunya Nut, the Bunya Mountains Community Association Inc. (BMCAI) has produced a Bunya Nut Recipe Book.
