Astrebla Downs National Park

Astrebla Downs National Park protects 1,740 km² of flat, arid Channel Country terrain in far western Queensland:contentReference[oaicite:26]{index=26}. Located about 1298 km west of Brisbane and 170 km east of Birdsville, this park is one of the most remote in the state:contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}. Its landscape is an almost treeless expanse of Mitchell Grass plains and red-earth gibber flats, supporting a unique ecosystem adapted to boom-and-bust cycles of rain and drought:contentReference[oaicite:28]{index=28}. The land is so flat and open that few trees are present – a harsh environment where summer temperatures can reach 50 °C.:contentReference[oaicite:29]{index=29}.

Astrebla Downs is best known as a refuge for the greater bilby, a small nocturnal marsupial. In fact, the park has been recognized as one of Australia’s top reserves for bilby conservation:contentReference[oaicite:30]{index=30}. Intensive feral predator control has allowed bilby numbers to recover here – an estimated 300 bilbies lived in the park by 2008:contentReference[oaicite:31]{index=31}, and ongoing efforts have further improved their status. During good seasons the bilbies thrive by digging burrows in the cracking clay soils. The park also harbors the rare kowari (a tiny carnivorous marsupial), which was rediscovered here after being unrecorded for a decade:contentReference[oaicite:32]{index=32}. In boom times following rain, Astrebla’s plains teem with rodents and insects, attracting flocks of birds and their predators. During occasional plagues of long-haired rats, the bilby population booms – but so do feral cats, which necessitates active management:contentReference[oaicite:33]{index=33}.

Visitors do not normally go to Astrebla Downs NP – it is closed to the public to minimize disturbance to the bilbies. There are no public roads, no tracks, and no facilities or camping in the park. The nearest road access is via surrounding pastoral stations under permit. The park’s value is scientific and environmental. Together with adjacent Diamantina National Park, Astrebla Downs forms part of an Important Bird Area recognized by BirdLife International, largely for harboring one of the last known habitats of the critically endangered night parrot:contentReference[oaicite:34]{index=34}. The park’s treeless grasslands also support populations of plains-wanderers, inland dotterels, and other grassland birds:contentReference[oaicite:35]{index=35}. Astrebla Downs showcases the resilience of outback ecosystems and stands as a stronghold for species that have vanished elsewhere.