Caranbirini Conservation Reserve
Overview
Caranbirini is a small conservation reserve located 46 km south of Borroloola on the western extremity of the Bukalara Range. The Reserve protects a number of habitats including a sandstone escarpment, a semi-permanent waterhole with surrounding riverine vegetation and areas of open woodland.
The Reserve plays an important role in preserving the region's unique flora and fauna as it is located within the ecological transition zone between the tropical north and drier centre.
How to Get There
Access to the Reserve is via the Carpentaria Highway. A short (500m) formed gravel road suitable for two wheel drive vehicles leads to the car park.
When to Visit
The most comfortable time of year to visit the Reserve is in the drier months from May to October when temperatures are slightly cooler
What to See and Do
Three walking tracks are available. A short (150m) walk allows visitors to view the waterhole and its wildlife. The most popular walk is the Barrawulla Loop Walk (2km, 1 to 2 hours) which explores the impressive sandstone spires of the Reserve. The longer Jagududgu Loop Walk (5km, 3 hours) explores some of the spinifex country in the Reserve.
Visitor Facilties
Currently there are minimal facilities within the Reserve. Camping is not permitted and visitors are advised to camp at either Borroloola or Heartbreak Hotel-Cape Crawford, around 64km west of the Reserve.
Please Remember
- Remember temperatures can reach over 40C so take water and wear suitable protective clothing.
- All cultural items and wildlife are protected.
- Pets are not permitted in this Park.
- Nets, traps and firearms are not permitted.
Fact Sheet
- Download fact sheet (pdf 470Kb)
Recreational Activities
Both the waterhole and the interesting lost city formations along the track provide visitors with many photographic opportunities.
Other facilities/activities within the Reserve include:
- Picnic tables
- Walking tracks
- Caravans permitted.
Scenic and Cultural Features
For thousands of years the area, also known as Garambarini, has been a favourite place for the local Aboriginal people, the Gadanji. The waterhole is an important source of food such as turtles, mussels and waterlilies.
Two important dreaming beings, the emu (Jagududgu) and the white cockatoo (Barawulla), form part of a dreaming trail that passes through the site. It is said that Barawulla, who was born and still lives at Garambirini, never travels far from this site and is present as a pale stone high up on the escarpment overlooking the main waterhole.
Plants and Animals
Semi-permanent Caranbirini Waterhole with its associated vegetation, combined with sandstone escarpment vegetation and surrounding woodland, provide a diverse range of habitats for fauna.
Several species of conservation significance are protected in the Reserve. The endangered Carpentarian grasswren is located in the escarpment's mature spinifiex habitat, however this secretive bird is rarely seen.
Other interesting fauna include the endangered Gouldian finch and the Borroloola gecko which is endemic to the region.
The near threatened shrub Calytrix mimiana can also be found within the reserve.
