Fort Lytton National Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Lytton National Park Queensland
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Inside the moat of the fort.
Fort Lytton National Park Location in Queensland
Established	1990
Area	0.13 km2 (0.050 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

Fort Lytton National Park is a special park in Lytton, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It's famous for its historic fort, called Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct. Here, you can take tours, visit a museum, and even see history come to life with re-enactments.

This park was created in 1990. It was Queensland's very first national park focused on history. At first, it only included the old Fort Lytton, which was a fort built to protect the coast. This fort was used by the military until after the Second World War.

In 1999, the park grew to include the Lytton Quarantine Station. This station is also very old and important. It's usually only open to the public on special days. The park is about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of the center of Brisbane, close to where the Brisbane River meets the sea.

Fort Lytton: A Historic Protector

Fort Lytton was built between 1880 and 1881. Its main job was to protect Brisbane city and its port from attacks by ships. When the Australian colonies joined together to form the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the fort became part of the Commonwealth's property.

The fort kept working as a military base until shortly after World War II. It slowly closed down, with the last part, the signal station, closing in 1965. In 1963, the land and fort were sold to an oil company called Ampol. They wanted to build an oil refinery there.

However, three parts of the land were very important historically. These included the original fort, a place called Lytton Hill, and the remains of a World War II anti-aircraft gun area. In 1988, Ampol gave the land with the original fort to the Queensland Government. This is how Fort Lytton National Park was created in 1990.

Visiting Fort Lytton

You can visit Fort Lytton for free on Sundays, most public holidays, and other special events. You can take guided tours or explore on your own. There's also a military museum and regular historic re-enactments. If you want to visit at other times, you need to make an appointment and there might be a fee.

Lytton Quarantine Station: A Place for New Arrivals

The Lytton Quarantine Station was built in 1913–1914. Its purpose was to house new immigrants and anyone who might carry an illness. This helped stop diseases from spreading to the general population. The quarantine station was right next to Fort Lytton.

By the late 1980s, the quarantine station had completely closed. In 1988, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service took over managing part of the site. This included the station's jetty. In 1999, it officially became part of Fort Lytton National Park.

You can usually only go inside the quarantine station buildings on special occasions. However, you can always walk around the outside of the buildings. The park's Visitor and Information Centre used to be the quarantine station's laundry building.

Fort Lytton Military Museum: A Collection of History

The museum at Fort Lytton has more than 2,000 items. These items are displayed in different places around the park. You can find them in 5 buildings, 6 gun pits, 2 shelter structures, and even outside in open areas.

It's free to enter the museum. However, two of the buildings, the submarine mining building and the black powder rooms, can only be seen during a guided tour. The Old Dining Hall holds over 10,000 items related to Queensland's military past.

How Fort Lytton National Park Grew

After the national park was created in 1990, volunteers from the Royal Artillery Association of Queensland started a group. They wanted to work with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to create a military exhibit for everyone to enjoy. This group later became the Fort Lytton Historical Association (FLHA) in 1999.

The FLHA is a volunteer group that doesn't make a profit. They offer free guided tours of the Fort on Sundays and public holidays. They also run the Visitor Information Centre and sell simple snacks and drinks. The FLHA relies on donations to help cover its costs.

In 2019, the Queensland Military Historical Society moved its collection. It relocated from Fortitude Valley to the old Dining Hall at Fort Lytton.

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional Fuerte Lytton para niños