41-671: Lawn Hill may refer to: Australia [ edit ] Lawn Hill National Park, now Boodjamulla National Park , Queensland, Australia Lawn Hill Station, a cattle station in Queensland, formerly including the land now Boodjamulla National Park Lawn Hill, Queensland , a locality in the Shire of Burke Lawn Hill crater , an impact crater in Australia United States [ edit ] Lawn Hill, Iowa , an unincorporated community in
82-484: A Native Police officer and wounded Frank Hann during a shootout at Lawn Hill in 1889. Sebastião Ferreira Maia , who owned that station from 1976, returned 122 square kilometres (47 sq mi) on the lease to the state in 1984, on the condition it be managed for the public's benefit. In 1992, another 1,350 square kilometres (520 sq mi) was given to the crown to extend the park's boundaries. The Riversleigh and Musselbrook sections were amalgamated into
123-473: A broken arm, another was covered in welts from being whipped and the third was lactating from her breasts but no child was with her. These women later escaped. Jack Watson died in the Katherine River on 1 April 1896. While transporting supplies across the river to the town of Katherine with his companions, Watson decided to swim across but soon disappeared. It is unclear whether he was drowned or taken by
164-401: A crocodile. His body was never recovered. An obituary in the local newspaper described Watson as "a fearless and clever horseman...a rough diamond...who was guided by a spirit of daring almost amounting to recklessness." It goes on to say that "the natives more than once received terribly severe lessons" from Watson and that "his ideas of revenge for murders or station depredations committed by
205-764: A game of cards by an Aboriginal stockman named Charley Flannigan. Watson only lasted another year at Auvergne, resigning in 1894. In March 1895, Watson was employed by Goldsbrough Mort & Co to manage the Victoria River Downs Station which neighboured the Auvergne property. Watson by this stage had such a "bad name among the blacks" that the Aboriginal people used as cheap labour on the station had all run away. Even his own "blackboy" servant named Pompey had cleared out. This did not change Watson's attitude and when he later heard that Pompey had been killed, he asked
246-467: A place called Skeleton Creek. Watson took it upon himself and his "blackboys" to conduct a punitive expedition and spent two weeks tracking and hunting what fellow drover Charley Gaunt called "those niggers, shooting them down as he came up with them until there was not a black on the creek". Watson also led another punitive expedition in the Burketown region around this time, where after a week out hunting
287-493: A young man in the 1870s, it appears that Watson became bored with living in Melbourne and took to a lifestyle travelling by sea, heading to the tropical regions. It has been said that while working as a sailor he jumped into the water to rescue a man overboard, taking a knife to a shark that was cruising around the vessel. The Watson family history states that he resided some of the time in the newly formed port town of Palmerston in
328-546: Is 100 km west of Gregory . From Mount Isa visitors travel along the Barkly Highway north. The easiest way to get to the park is via the Burke & Wills Roadhouse. The road is unsealed and may be impassable after rain. The wet season is from October to March. Because the park is so remote it is advised that visitors bring excess fuel, food and water. Camping is allowed in two areas; Lawn Hill Gorge and Miyumba bush camp near
369-517: Is Lawn Hill Gorge. The park is home to a wide range of native wildlife, and is classified as an Important Bird Area . As of June 2022 the park is jointly managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Waanyi people. The Waanyi people have lived in the gorge area for at least 17,000 years and know this place as Boodjamulla, or Rainbow Serpent country. Lawn Hill Gorge is sacred to
410-537: Is a rich oasis with cabbage palms and other tropical vegetation. Also located in the park are the Gregory River and O'Shanassy Rivers which flow all year round. The park contains 20 km (12 mi) of walking tracks. On the sandstone hills are spinifex , acacias , eucalypts and grevilleas . Growing on the river plains are western bloodwoods and mitchell grass . Paperbarks , river red gums , figs, ferns, pandanus and cabbage palms are found along
451-453: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Boodjamulla National Park Boodjamulla National Park , formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park , is a national park in the Shire of Burke , Queensland , Australia. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is a World Heritage Site within the park. The park lies on the traditional land of
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#1732851516249492-506: Is in the Gulf Country region of northwestern Queensland. The park is 340 km (210 mi) northwest of Mount Isa or 1,837 km (1,141 mi) northwest of Brisbane , in the Shire of Burke in Queensland. The main attractions in the park are the sandstone ranges with deep gorges and a limestone plateau with significant fossil fields. Other attractions include crystal-clear green waters, lush vegetation and canoeing . Surrounding
533-653: The Administrator of the Northern Territory , Charles Dashwood , came to the conclusion that the drovers "shot the blacks down like crows along the route". Before heading out from Darwin to shutdown Florida Station, it was communicated to Watson that a number of Yolngu men were going to kill him. Reports emerged that Watson was speared to death while dismantling Florida in 1893 but these proved to be false. Once at Auvergne, Watson took over operations there from Sam "Greenhide" Croker who had recently been shot dead during
574-667: The Cobb & Co transportation company and the Melbourne Cup . Jack grew up in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda in a stately house named "Fenagh Cottage" after his father's home village of Fenagh, County Carlow . He was educated at the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School where he excelled at sports, becoming captain of the rowing team. Jack also became an accomplished horseman with him, his father and brothers all being well known for their abilities in steeplechase racing . As
615-474: The Northern Territory . For the remainder of the 1870s it seems that he continued to travel, occasionally returning to Melbourne. The Watson family became involved in Queensland cattle station management through Jack's brother, William Henry Watson who was also known as Currawilla Bill. In 1881, William Henry was appointed manager of Currawilla Station in the southwest of the colony of Queensland . He
656-634: The Waanyi (part of which was previously part of Injilarija land). In the 1870s European settlers moved into the area and started running cattle, with a number of smaller properties amalgamated to create Lawn Hill Station , one of Queensland's largest cattle stations . An area of station land was given by the owner to the government as Crown land in 1984 (with a further grant in 1992), to be used for public benefit. The Waanyi people were granted native title in 2010. The land lies across sandstone ranges, with creeks and rivers crossing it. The outstanding attraction
697-540: The wedge-tailed eagle . It supports a large population of the Carpentarian grasswren and small numbers of the painted honeyeater . The rare purple-crowned fairy-wren is the park emblem. Since 7 June 2022, the park has been jointly managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Waanyi people. At this time, there were five or six Indigenous rangers , with the number expected to increase. The park
738-430: The "cattle-killers" he returned carrying eleven human skulls. Watson would also employ torturous means of punishment when he was displeased with the Aboriginal employees. In a conversation with Alfred Searcy , Watson boasted that he would lash them with a stock whip to which a piece of wire was attached to the end, and at other times would drive a sharpened stick through the palms of their hands. By 1886, Jack Watson
779-630: The British colony of Victoria . He came from the wealthy Anglo-Irish Watson family which had significant landholdings around Kilconnor in County Carlow , Ireland . He was the eldest son of George John Watson who emigrated to Victoria in 1850 and was a noteworthy businessman and horse-racing identity, having important roles in establishing the Victorian Racing Club , the Melbourne Hunt Club,
820-456: The Gregory River. The Lawn Hill Gorge site provides toilets and showers. This site allows only one vehicle per camp site and is not suitable for caravans or vehicles larger than 4 m in length. Permits are required and bookings are essential from Easter to October. Jack Watson (cattle station manager) John Watson (March 1852 − 1 April 1896), more commonly known as Jack Watson ,
861-541: The United States [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lawn_Hill&oldid=1043794958 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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#1732851516249902-469: The Waanyi people. Midden heaps, camp sites, grinding stones, and rock art evidence the importance of this place. Today, the Waanyi people help manage the park. Part of the land around Lawn Hill was occupied by the Injilarija people, until they became extinct around 1880 and the Waanyi took over their land. The park has a rich pastoral history and until December 1984 was part of Lawn Hill Station, which
943-419: The creek and river banks. A diverse range of aquatic plants such as waterlilies , ferns , mosses , sedges and bulrushes grow in the creeks. Freshwater crocodiles can be found in the gorge; however, they pose little threat because they prefer to stay away from humans. They may become aggressive if disturbed when mating or protecting their young. The park is home to the most easterly distribution of
984-537: The decision to abandon Florida Station. He employed Watson to take apart the buildings, muster up the remaining cattle and overland them to Macartney's other property at Auvergne Station on the Victoria River in the north-western region of the Territory. The stock-routes in the Northern Territory that drovers such as Watson utilised to transport cattle were known places of violence. After interviewing Watson about them,
1025-564: The exception of Gregory River in the Riversleigh section. Lawn Hill and the surrounding regions are also inhabited by feral pigs which cause extensive damage to the land close by the creek systems. The park is classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area . It is home to more than 140 bird species, including the buff-sided robin , great bowerbird , red-collared lorikeet , crimson finch , zebra finch , kestrel , spinifex pigeon , barking owl , brolga , budgerigars , and
1066-433: The local mounted police constable, William Willshire to bring him Pompey's skull so he could use it as a spittoon . Willshire complied with the request and brought him the skull. Not long after he started at Victoria River Downs, a group of Aboriginal people attacked a supply wagon travelling through nearby Jasper Gorge. Two colonists were seriously wounded and a significant amount of firearms and ammunition were taken. It
1107-402: The nocturnal rock ringtail possum . Other animal species found in the park include the rock-haunting ringtail possum , agile wallaby , olive python , catfish , wallaroo , dingo , and echidna . In the creeks are archerfish , the endangered red-bellied short-necked turtles , northern snapping turtles as well as numerous fish species. Fishing in the national park is not permitted with
1148-584: The north coast of Florida Station. The Yolngu people today remember this massacre where many people including children were shot dead. The wet season in Arnhem Land would sometimes flood the plains at Florida Station for months and Watson would spend these periods either shooting buffalo, lounging at the pubs in Darwin or travelling to Hong Kong or Shanghai to play polo . In 1892, flooding, fatal bovine diseases and Aboriginal resistance forced Macartney into
1189-490: The only ones committed at Lawn Hill. The local detachment of the paramilitary Native Police under Sub-Inspector James Lamond shot "over 100 blacks" from 1883 to 1885 on that property alone. As well as managing Lawn Hill, Watson led droving excursions from there to stock the frontier Macarthur River Station with cattle. While returning to Lawn Hill from one of these journeys, Watson encountered another droving party whose horses had been speared by local Aboriginal people at
1230-587: The park are numerous resources reserves, set aside for mineral exploration and mining. The Riversleigh Fossil Fields Section of the park is a World Heritage Site and contains many fossil remains. Animal bones dating back 25 million years are preserved in the sediments. The park contains several permanent creeks, waterholes, gorges, and sandstone ranges. Boodjamulla's ancient sandstones and limestones have been gradually stripped away over millions of years leaving behind rugged escarpments , gorges, and rock outcrops. There are four main habitats contained with
1271-482: The park in 1992. The national park was gazetted on 8 August 1994 under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 by regulation, Nature Conservation (Declaration of Nature Refuges) Amendment (No.1) 1994; then amended by regulation, Nature Conservation (Protected Areas) Amendment (No.5) 1999.and again by Forestry (State Forests) and Nature Conservation (Protected Areas) Amendment (No.1) 2003. A native title claim
Lawn Hill - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-519: The park: riverine , alluvial flats , rocky hills, and clay plains. Lawn Hill Gorge, the primary attraction in the park, cuts through the sandstone plateau of the Constance Range, on the eastern extremity of the Barkly Tableland . The gorge has been carved out by Lawn Hill Creek, which flows all year and is fed by numerous freshwater springs from the limestone plateau to the west. The gorge
1353-426: The verandah of the homestead to keep "the blacks...at arm's length". Watson took a more aggressive role against the Aboriginal population and would conduct expeditions to hunt them down. An associate of his recalled how Watson "wiped out a lot" of "the blacks" living on the coast at Blue Mud Bay and Caledon Bay . During the period of Watson's management, another large massacre is recorded to have happened at Mirki on
1394-535: Was a frontier cattle station manager, drover , and mass-murderer in the British colony of Queensland and in the Northern Territory . He was renowned for his fearless behaviour and also his sadistic brutality toward Indigenous Australians . He was called "The Gulf Hero" due to much of his fame being achieved while working on pastoral properties located in the Gulf Country . Watson was born in March 1852 in Melbourne in
1435-574: Was famous for his athletic and shooting abilities and would make the Aboriginal workers at Currawilla stand with matchboxes on their heads or between their noses and shoot them off. These activities were similar to Jack's recorded hobby of shooting jam tins off the heads of Aboriginal people. In 1882, Jack himself was appointed manager of Lawn Hill Station in the Queensland Gulf Country, 600 km (370 mi) north of Currawilla. Lawn Hill
1476-410: Was lodged by the Waanyi people in 1994, which was finally granted in 2010 that they received native title rights over the region. The park was formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park. On 7 June 2022 the new Boodjamulla National Park Management Plan was published, officially introducing joint management of the park between the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Waanyi people. The park
1517-424: Was once one of Queensland's largest cattle properties. The cattle station was formed from several leases originally granted in the 1870s, and for some time was run by the notoriously cruel Jack Watson and Frank Hann , who regularly hunted down and shot Aboriginal people living in the area, cutting the ears of their corpses and nailing them to the walls of the homestead. The Aboriginal outlaw Joe Flick shot dead
1558-413: Was owned by Frank Hann , a man noted for brutality against Indigenous people. Emily Creaghe, a traveller who passed through Lawn Hill in 1883, wrote in her diary: "Mr Watson has 40 pairs of blacks' ears nailed round the walls collected during raiding parties after the loss of many cattle speared by the blacks." The massacres perpetrated by Jack Watson and Frank Hann when collecting these ears, were not
1599-472: Was thought that with these weapons, a formidable local Aboriginal uprising could result. Before the police could act, Watson decided to organise a punitive expedition himself, to punish those involved and also try to recover the guns. He gathered 17 armed and mounted men and in two days tracked down a large camp of Aboriginal people, fatally shooting possibly 60 people. Watson did not find any guns but he did return with three captured women. One of these women had
1640-470: Was travelling with Hann, attempted to save him but failed. In the immediate aftermath of William Hann's drowning in 1889, Watson decided to change employers completely and took on a contract with John Arthur Macartney to manage his Florida Station cattle property in Arnhem Land . Indigenous resistance here was fierce with the previous manager of the property, Jim Randell, having to bolt a swivel cannon to
1681-483: Was working for the North Australian Pastoral Company , mustering and droving cattle from their massive Alexandria Station in the Northern Territory to markets in the south. He still maintained a business partnership with Frank Hann as well as his brother, the explorer and pastoralist William Hann . In 1889, William Hann committed suicide by drowning himself in the sea off Townsville . Watson, who