Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park

Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park Queensland
IUCN category II (national park)
Michaelmas Cay
Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park
Nearest town or city	Cairns
Coordinates	16°36′30″S 145°58′21″E / 16.60833°S 145.97250°E / -16.60833; 145.97250Coordinates: 16°36′30″S 145°58′21″E / 16.60833°S 145.97250°E / -16.60833; 145.97250
Established	1975
Area	30 km²
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

Michaelmas and Upolu Cays is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,409 km (876 mi) northwest of Brisbane and 33 km (21 mi) east of Cairns. It comprises two small cays on Michaelmas Reef, which forms the north-eastern section of the Arlington reef complex, within the Great Barrier Reef.

Flora and fauna

Plants

The vegetation on Michaelmas Cay is characteristic of cays found on the outer barrier reef. Low-growing, it consists of beach spinifex, stalky grass, goatsfoot, bulls-head vine, sea purslane and tar vine. Nutrients fertilising the vegetation come from seabird droppings and carcasses. The smaller Upolu Cay is un-vegetated.^[1]

Animals

Michaelmas Cay is important as a breeding site for several species of terns. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of greater and lesser crested terns.^[2] Sooty terns and common noddies also breed there. Other terns that have nested on the cay in the past include roseate and black-naped terns.^[3]

Green turtles sometimes nest on the cays. The surrounding reefs have a rich marine fauna, including giant clams.^[1]

References

1 2 "Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park". National parks, marine parks and forests. Queensland Government. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
↑ "IBA: Michaelmas Cay". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
↑ BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Michaelmas Cay. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 15/08/2011.

Far North Queensland, Queensland

Cities:	Cairns

Townships:	Aurukun Babinda Bamaga Cooktown Innisfail Kuranda Lockhart River Malanda Mapoon Mareeba Millaa Millaa Pormpuraaw Port Douglas Thursday Island Weipa Wujal Wujal

Local Government Areas:	Aurukun Cairns Cassowary Coast Cook Hopevale Kowanyama Lockhart River Mapoon Napranum Northern Peninsula Area Pormpuraaw Tablelands Torres Torres Strait Island Weipa Wujal Wujal Yarrabah

National Parks:	Alwal Annan River Barnard Island Group Barron Gorge Black Mountain Blackbraes Bulleringa Cape Melville Cedar Bay Chillagoe-Mungana Claremont Isles Clump Mountain Crater Lakes Daintree Danbulla Davies Creek Denham Group Edmund Kennedy Ella Bay Endeavour River Eubenangee Swamp Family Islands Fitzroy Island Flinders Group Frankland Group Forbes Islands Forty Mile Scrub Great Basalt Wall Green Island Grey Peaks Girringun Goold Island Hann Tableland Hasties Swamp Hinchinbrook Island Hope Islands Howick Group Hull River Japoon Jardine River Kirrama Kuranda Kurrimine Beach Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) Lakefield Lama Lama Lizard Island Ma’alpiku Island Macalister Range Malaan Maria Creek Marpa Michaelmas and Upolu Cays Millstream Falls Mitchell-Alice Rivers Moresby Range Mount Cook Mount Hypipamee Mount Lewis Mount Spurgeon Mount Webb Mount Windsor Mowbray Murray Falls, Girramay Nymph Island Oyala Thumotang Palmerston Rocks Piper Islands Possession Island Precipice Quoin Island Raine Island Rocky Islets Russell River Sandbanks Saunders Islands Sir Charles Hardy Group Staaten River Starcke Three Islands Topaz Road Tully Gorge Turtle Group Two Islands Undara Volcanic Wooroonooran Yungaburra

Places of Interest:	Atherton Tableland Barron Falls Cape Tribulation Daintree Rainforest Hinchinbrook Island Mount Bartle Frere Princess Charlotte Bay Torres Strait Islands

National Parks of Queensland

Central	Blackdown Tableland Byfield Capricorn Coast Capricornia Cays Carnarvon Castle Tower Curtis Island Deepwater Epping Forest Eurimbula Expedition Goodedulla Humboldt Isla Gorge Junee Keppel Bay Islands Kroombit Tops Littabella Mazeppa Minerva Hills Mount Archer Mount Colosseum Mount Etna Caves Mount Jim Crow Mount O'Connell Mount Walsh Nuga Nuga Palmgrove Peak Range Rundle Range Snake Range Taunton West Hill Wild Cattle Island

Darling Downs	Bendidee Bunya Mountains Crows Nest Erringibba Girraween Main Range Mount Binga Pidna Southwood Sundown The Palms Wondul Range

Far North	Alwal Annan River Barnard Island Group Barron Gorge Black Mountain Blackbraes Bulleringa Cape Melville Cedar Bay Chillagoe-Mungana Claremont Isles Clump Mountain Crater Lakes Daintree Danbulla Davies Creek Denham Group National Park Edmund Kennedy Ella Bay Endeavour River Eubenangee Swamp Family Islands Fitzroy Island Flinders Group Frankland Group Forbes Islands Forty Mile Scrub Great Basalt Wall Green Island Grey Peaks Girringun Goold Island Hann Tableland Hasties Swamp Hinchinbrook Island Hope Islands Howick Group Hull River Japoon Jardine River Kirrama Kuranda Kurrimine Beach Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) Lakefield Lama Lama Lizard Island Ma’alpiku Island Macalister Range Malaan Maria Creek Marpa Michaelmas and Upolu Cays Millstream Falls Mitchell-Alice Rivers Moresby Range Mount Cook Mount Hypipamee Mount Lewis Mount Spurgeon Mount Webb Mount Windsor Mowbray Murray Falls, Girramay Nymph Island Oyala Thumotang Palmerston Rocks Piper Islands Possession Island Precipice Quoin Island Raine Island Rocky Islets Russell River Sandbanks Saunders Islands Sir Charles Hardy Group Staaten River Starcke Three Islands Topaz Road Tully Gorge Turtle Group Two Islands Undara Volcanic Wooroonooran Yungaburra

North	Blackwood Brook Islands Bowling Green Bay Brampton Islands Broad Sound Islands Cape Hillsborough Cape Palmerston Cape Upstart Conway Dipperu Dryander Eungella Gloucester Island Halifax Bay Wetlands Holbourne Island Homevale Lindeman Islands Magnetic Island Molle Islands Moorrinya Mount Aberdeen Mount Martin Mount Ossa Newry Islands Northumberland Islands Orpheus Island Paluma Range Pioneer Peaks Reliance Creek Repulse Island Round Top Island Smith Islands South Cumberland Islands South Island Swain Reefs Whitsunday Islands

South West	Alton Chesterton Range Culgoa Floodplain Currawinya Diamantina Hell Hole Gorge Idalia Lake Bindegolly Mariala Narkoola Thrushton Tregole

North West	Boodjamulla Camooweal Caves Porcupine Gorge White Mountains

Central West	Astrebla Downs Bladensburg Cudmore Diamantina Forest Den Goneaway Lochern Munga-Thirri Narrien Range Welford

Wide Bay-Burnett	Auburn River Beeron Beninbi Burrum Coast Cania Gorge Coalstoun Lakes Fairlies Knob Goodnight Scrub Goomboorian Great Sandy Grongah Mount Bauple Pipeclay Poona Tarong Woondum Woowoonga

Brisbane and Surrounds	Bellthorpe Blue Lake Bribie Island Burleigh Head Conondale D'Aguilar Deer Reserve Dularcha Esk Eudlo Creek Ferntree Creek Fort Lytton Freshwater Gatton Glass House Mountains Kondalilla Lamington Lockyer Mapleton Falls Mooloolah River Moogerah Peaks Moreton Island Mount Barney Mount Chinghee Mount Coolum Mount Pinbarren Nicoll Scrub Noosa Nerang Ravensbourne Sarabah Southern Moreton Bay Islands St Helena Island Springbrook Tamborine Teerk Roo Ra Tewantin Triunia Venman Bushland Wickham

Protected areas of Queensland

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Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park

Flora and fauna

Plants

Animals

See also

References