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“Thunderbirds,
as scientists call
them, belonged to
the heaviest group
of birds that ever
existed and only in
Australia”
TRAVEL
RIVERSLEIGH WORLD
HERITAGE SITE, QLDstones of the towering thunderbird, the awe-
inspiring remains of Baru and the crescent-
shaped shell of the massive Riversleigh
turtle (which sported horns on its head and
a spiked club on its tail). The trail meanders
through the rugged terrain and climbs to the
summit of the bluff for a panoramic view of
this ancient tableau.PRETTY AS A PICTURE
The Riversleigh region embraces a range of
unique and diverse landscapes: expansive
karst (weathered limestone) plateaus broken
bysteep and stony gullies, black soil plains
thatsustain pastures of native grasses,
sparsesavannah woodlands of spinifex
d snappy gums, and remnant rainforest
nging perennial spring-fed watercourses.
Riversleigh is aptly named, for it lies within
he24,000 square kilometre catchment of
e Gregory River, which forms the southern
oundary of the World Heritage area. Rising
n the Barkly Tableland of the Northern
Territory, the Gregory is fed by numerous
imestone springs to become the largest
perennial watercourse in Queensland’s
aridnorthwest as it flows 320km to join the
Nicholson River near Burketown.
The river and its major tributaries
(O’Shannassy River, Lawn Hill Creek,
Elizabeth Creek, Musselbrook Creek and
Widdallion Creek) were collectively
declared a ‘wild river’ under the Wild
Rivers Act in 2007.The river was named in honour of
Augustus Gregory, Queensland Surveyor
General and explorer, by William
Landsborough, who came across it in 1861
during his search for the lost Burke and
Wills expedition.
Unlike other major watercourses in the
southern Gulf region, the Gregory flows all
year round. In the dry season, when most
other rivers in the Gulf savannah are baked
into cracked red earth, the Gregory River
and its system of wetlands provide a life-
saving oasis that is critical to the survival of
northern fauna and migratory birds.
There is also a direct relationship between
the river's annual flows and the abundance
of prawns available to the Gulf 's lucrative
fishing industry.
Riversleigh is also valued for its human
history. The Waanyi Aboriginal people have
lived in the region for more than 30,000
years and still maintain strong cultural
and spiritual ties with the land and its
waterways.
According to Waanyi culture, Boodjamulla,
the Rainbow Serpent, formed the Lawn
Hill Gorge area and created the permanent
spring. They believe that if you tamper with
the water, pollute it or take it for granted,
the Rainbow Serpent will leave and take the
water with him.
In 2010, the Federal Court made a
determination recognising the native title
rights of the Waanyi people on land andspa
and
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