Mount Banda Banda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Banda Banda
Mount Banda Banda photographed from Camerons Bluff
Highest point
Elevation	1,258 m (4,127 ft) AHD
Geography
Mount Banda Banda Location in New South Wales
Location	Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia
Parent range	Great Dividing Range
Geology
Age of rock	Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian
Mountain type	Porphyry, Dacite, Sedimentary & Metamorphic rocks

Mount Banda Banda is a tall mountain in the Mid North Coast area of New South Wales, Australia. It stands about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Sydney. You can find it inside the beautiful Willi Willi National Park.

This mountain is easy to spot! From Port Macquarie, you can see it on the north-western horizon. If you are in the town of Kempsey, it's about 39 kilometers (24 miles) away, visible on the south-western horizon. At 1,258 meters (4,127 feet) high, Mount Banda Banda is the tallest mountain in its region.

Amazing Plants of Mount Banda Banda

Mount Banda Banda is famous for its incredible plant life. It's home to some of the best groups of Antarctic beech trees. These trees are so special that the mountain was added to the United Nations World Heritage List in 1986. It's part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.

Unique Trees and Shrubs

You'll find some interesting eucalyptus trees on the mountain. These include the Blue Mountains ash and Eucalyptus scias subsp. apoda. There's also a special shrub called Zieria lasiocaulis. This plant is endangered, meaning it's at risk of disappearing forever. It only grows in Willi Willi National Park. Another endangered plant here is Grevillea guthrieana.

The very top of Mount Banda Banda is surprisingly flat. It's covered in grasses and the unique Blue Mountains ash trees. It's quite unusual to see Blue Mountains ash here, as they usually grow about 300 kilometers (186 miles) to the south-west, in the Blue Mountains area.

Cool Rainforest Plants

The main tree in the cool temperate rainforest on Mount Banda Banda is the Antarctic beech. Other trees growing with it include prickly ash, coachwood, sassafras, soft corkwood, and yellow carabeen.

In the lower parts of the forest, you might see Walking stick palms. These palms are not usually found in such cool rainforests. A common plant covering the ground is Orange berry. Even though the trees form an impressive canopy up to 40 meters (131 feet) high, the soil isn't super rich. It comes from a type of rock called porphyry. Mount Banda Banda gets a lot of rain, about 2 meters (6.6 feet) per year! This is a very high amount for Australia, which is mostly a dry continent.

The Arboretum: Planted Trees

In 1964, the New South Wales Forestry Commission planted different kinds of non-native conifer trees among the natural cool temperate rainforest at Banda Banda. This special collection of trees is called an Arboretum. Some of the trees planted here include the monkey puzzle tree, Cunninghamia, Cryptomeria, Douglas fir, radiata pine, Ponderosa Pine, and the Sierra redwood. There's a concern that seeds from these non-native trees might spread into the natural rainforest, which could affect the native plants.

Amazing Animals of Mount Banda Banda

Mount Banda Banda is also home to many rare animals. These include the Hastings River mouse and the Parma wallaby. You can also find several types of frogs, like the sphagnum frog, Booroolong frog, giant barred frog, and stuttering barred frog.

Other unique creatures living here are the tree dwelling snail, the olive whistler bird, and the rufous scrub-bird. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has said that the rufous scrub-bird is "universally outstanding" for science and conservation.

Scientists are still learning about all the reptiles and tiny creatures (invertebrates) that live on the mountain. But because this Gondwana rainforest is in such good shape, future studies will surely help us understand the local wildlife even better!

Gallery

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  Antarctic beech, at Mount Banda Banda, 45 metres tall

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  Yellow carabeen (left) and Antarctic beech (right) at Mount Banda Banda

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  Antarctic beech at Mount Banda Banda

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  Eucalyptus scias subsp. apoda at Mount Banda Banda

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  Blue Mountains ash near the summit of Mount Banda Banda

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  Grassy area at 1250 metres above sea level

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  Nameplate at the summit of Mount Banda Banda, elevation 1258 metres

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  Soft corkwood at Mount Banda Banda

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  Featherwood at Mount Banda Banda

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  Drymophila moorei, an understorey plant at Mount Banda Banda

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  Anopterus growing under tall cool temperate rainforest at Mount Banda Banda

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  Mount Banda Banda seen from Bellangry Number One Fire Tower