Mount Pieter Botte facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Pieter Botte |
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Mount Pieter Botte in 1935
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,047 m (3,435 ft) |
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 Mount Pieter Botte
Location in Queensland
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| Parent range | Great Dividing Range |
Mount Pieter Botte is a cool mountain in the tableland region. It's located behind Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. This mountain is also known by several Aboriginal names. These include Ngalba-bulal, Alpaboolal (meaning "big top"), Barbar (meaning "elder sister"), and Ginpure (meaning "younger sister").
In 1848, Captain Owen Stanley of the survey ship HMS Rattlesnake named the mountain. The crew chose the name because it looked like Peter Botte Mountain. That's a famous peak on the island of Mauritius. Mount Pieter Botte is part of the amazing Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site.
The mountain has two main peaks. There is a northern peak and a southern peak. The South Peak is the highest point. It is the true summit of Mount Pieter Botte.
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Ancient Stories and Beliefs
Australian Aboriginal people in the area had special beliefs. They thought the mountain was home to their ancestral spirits. These spirits are very important in their culture.
First Climbs and Explorers
The first recorded European group to climb Mount Pieter Botte was in October 1896. Six Kuku Yalanji people, led by an elder, guided three Europeans. These Europeans were Dudley Le Souef, Frank Hislop, and Mr. Anderson.
They first climbed the North Peak. Then, they reached a platform below the summit of the South Peak. The South Peak itself is a very steep granite rock. It was not climbed at that time.
Later, on August 26, 1938, Walter Mason, Wilfred Knight, and Douglas Mason also explored the area. They climbed the tableland behind Cape Tribulation. They reached the base of Mount Pieter Botte.
Animals and Plants of Mount Pieter Botte
The area around Mount Pieter Botte is full of amazing wildlife. Le Souef's expedition recorded many different birds. These included riflebirds, catbirds, pittas, Spalding's orthonyx, shrikethrushes, and Australian brushturkeys. They also saw Quoy's butcher birds, sulphur-crested cockatoos, and superb fruit doves. Besides birds, they spotted tree kangaroos.
Unique Insects and Frogs
Some creatures are found only in this special area. The wingless water bug Austrovelia queenslandica lives nowhere else. Armoured Mistfrogs (Litoria lorica) are also found here. This type of frog is critically endangered. They have been seen in Roaring Meg Creek, which is just below Mount Pieter Botte.
Rare Plants of the Mountain
The mountain rainforests are home to unique plants. A type of Medicosma tree is known from only one sample here. Eidothea zoexylocarya is a large tree that grows only in the mountain rainforests of north-eastern Queensland. This includes Mount Pieter Botte. Another endangered plant is Romnalda ophiopogonoides. Only about 500 of these plants are known to exist. Some of them grow near Roaring Meg Creek, close to the mountain.
