Enhancing Biodiversity Hotspots Along Western Queensland Stock ...

Site 9. Old Cork Waterhole (Winton – Birdsville Road)
STOCK ROUTE NUMBER: P014
PRIORITY SPECIES: Animals:
Australian painted snipe (Rostratula australis).
At this site the following species are also known to
occur: the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) that is
found on the adjoining dunes and listed as Rare
under the NCA, the red-tailed black-cockatoo
(Calyptorhynchus banksii), and an undescribed
species of turtle (Steve Wilson, pers. comm.)
RATING: BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT
SHIRE COUNCIL: WINTON SHIRE
The Old Cork Waterhole is a site of both natural and historic significance on the
Diamantina River (Plate 21). Overlooking the area is the historic homestead of
Queensland’s past Premier McIlwraith (Plate 22), and the waterhole itself is one of
the exceptional refugia for aquatic species in the Desert Channels NRM region. Such
refugia are becoming more recognised as exceptionally significant sites for fish
assemblages of the flood plain river systems, as well as other wildlife, and need
special management consideration. Little work has been done on these sites, and an
undescribed turtle is known to exist in the Old Cork Waterhole. The site is situated on
an active stock route.
Plate 21. Old Cork Waterhole (Photo: B. Walsh).
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