Mount Royal (New South Wales) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Royal |
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The overgrown summit of Mount Royal.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,185 m (3,888 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Hunter Region, Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Parent range | Mount Royal Range |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Late Paleocene |
| Mountain type | basalt cap |
Mount Royal is a cool mountain located in eastern Australia. It's at the southern end of the Mount Royal Range. This mountain is part of the amazing World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
The bottom parts of the mountain are made of rocks like mudstones. Higher up, at about 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) above sea level, there's a special rock cap called basalt. This basalt came from the nearby Barrington Volcano a very long time ago. Mount Royal is partly inside Mount Royal National Park and Barrington Tops National Park.
History of Mount Royal
Mount Royal was first explored and reached the top of by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1843. He was a famous explorer who traveled across Australia.
Plants of Mount Royal
The high rainforest on Mount Royal grows in red-brown soil. Even though it seems perfect for Antarctic beech trees, they are not found here. Instead, golden sassafras trees grow tall in the upper parts of the forest.
This high rainforest is narrow and often covered in mist. You can see hanging moss everywhere, which makes it look very magical. The very top of the mountain has a thick, low rainforest. It is mostly made up of hill water gum trees.
Other cool plants on the mountain include the New England blackbutt tree. You might also spot chainfruit, prickly ash, and grass trees. The mountain walnut is another interesting plant found here.
Mount Royal also has "grassy balds." These are open, grassy areas surrounded by temperate rainforest. Scientists think lightning strikes causing fires might have created them. The lower south-east slopes of Mount Royal have a well-developed sub-tropical rainforest. Important trees there are the Australian red cedar, citronella, rosewood, and the giant stinging tree.
Animals of Mount Royal
Mount Royal is home to many different kinds of birds and animals. You can often see large Wedge-tailed eagles flying high above. Eastern grey kangaroos hop around, and tiger snakes can be found on the ground.
Some of the more special and rare animals living here include the rufous scrub-bird and the colorful paradise riflebird. The wompoo fruit dove is another beautiful bird. On the ground, you might spot a Parma wallaby.
There are also some unique frogs and snakes. These include the rough-scaled snake, the stuttering frog, the Booroolong frog, and the Davies' tree frog. The Hastings River mouse is a very special animal. It was thought to be gone, but it was found again here in the 1980s!
Images for kids
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Mount Royal - eucalyptus forest
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Mount Royal - eucalyptus forest
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Mount Royal, photographed from Mount Cabrebald
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Cloud forest, moss and ferns
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Cloud forest, basalt and ferns
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Cloud forest, basalt, ferns and moss
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Cloud forest, Hill water gum rainforest at summit
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Summit
