Timeline: Highlights from national parks over NPAQ’S 90 years

1870-1929 (Pre-NPAQ)

1872 Yellowstone National Park – World’s first National Park
1879 The National Park declared under The Land Act 1897 (now Royal National Park), Australia’s first National Park
1900 Barron Falls earliest Queensland reserve (The Land Act 1897)
1906 The State Forest & National Parks Act 1906 (Qld) – first Australian legislation (and possibly world) for legislation for declaration/management of national parks
1908 First Queensland national park declared under The State Forests and National Parks Act 1906 (Qld) – Witches Falls NP (Tamborine Mountain)
1915 Lamington NP declared (Romeo Lahey instrumental in park declaration and pioneering standards for walking track system)
1920s (late) Rucksacks came into common use

1930s

15 April 1930 NPAQ established; Qld Governor NPAQ patron
1930 NPAQ proposed a NP to include Glasshouse Mountain Peaks
1930 Qld NPs area just over 161,000 acres (~65,000ha)
1933 Members of NPAQ join Romeo Lahey and Arthur Groom to test the idea of camping at Binna Burra to access the national park.
1934 With most of the initial 90+ shareholders coming from NPAQ membership, Romeo Lahey and Arthur Groom incorporate Queensland Holiday Resorts (now Binna Burra Lodge) to connect people with nature.
1937 First financial allocation for NPs in government budget
June 1939 NPAQ members 295; NPAQ account balance £ 7/6/0

1940s

NPAQ recessed during WWII
Jan 1948 multi club protest meeting over hotel and road near Mt Wanungara
1947 Mt Barney NP, Mt Lindesay NP gazetted
1949 Noosa NP officially opened
Late 1940s Government formally decreed there would be no logging in Qld national parks

1950s

1950 NPAQ membership 500
1951 NPAQ Extended outing to North Qld
1952 Mt Aberdeen NP
1952 First NPA calendar
1953 First NPA News
1954 Magnetic Island NP, Glasshouse Mountains NP, Cunningham’s Gap Extension (now Main Range NP)
1957 Mt Edwards (now Moogerah NP)
1957 At age of 70, Romeo Lahey commenced campaign which resulted in the declaration of the Daintree NP
1958 Queensland’s National Park Estate ~ 340,000 ha (0.2% of state)
1959 Forestry Act 1959 (Qld) – included the cardinal principle

1960s

1961 Hayman Island – unsuccessful campaign against revocation of entire island for airline (now defunct) and tourism company
1962 Queensland’s National Park Estate ~375,000 ha
1963 Wallaman Falls; Mossman Gorge
1966 Simpson Desert NP (now Munga-Thirri) 1,248,000 acres (505,000 Ha)
NPAQ membership 838

1970s

1971 First NPAQ overseas extended outing – 36 members, 3 weeks in New Zealand
1972 NP Estate Area > 2.5 million acres (1 million ha)
1974 NPAQ membership 1000
1975 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1975 (Qld) proclaimed
1975 National Parks Australia Council established (NPAQ a member)
1975 Cooloola NP gazetted 23,030 ha, 16 years after NPAQ recommendation
1975 NPAQ Special projects funds
1975 QPWS established (then QNPWS); Queensland’s National Park Estate ~ 1,128,000 ha
1977 Regular day walks began – 96 people to Mt Glorious
1978 First Interpretive Centre in NP (suggested by NPAQ in 1972)
1979 NPAQ began commenting on park management plans

1980s

1980 50th Anniversary Celebration at Cunningham’s Gap
1980 Supported large increase in NSW Bald Rock NP
1981 NPAQ colour slide library established
1981 NPAQ membership peaked at 1344
1986 NPAQ incorporated
1986 Lindeman Island National Park – successfully fought revocation but unsuccessful in preventing golf course lease
1988 North Qld Wet Tropics rainforest listed as World Heritage area; Queensland’s National Park Estate ~3.5 million ha (~2% of state)

1990s

1990 60th Anniversary Year launched by Hon Pat Comben at Jolly’s Lookout; Boombana Revegetation Project; NPAQ membership 1110; History of Lamington National Park by J Keith Jarrot published by NPAQ
1991 Purchased office at Milton with bequest, donations and fundraising
1992 Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld) passed by parliament; Qld National Park Estate 5 million ha; Fraser Island (Great Sandy National Park) inscribed on World Heritage List
1998 NPAQ Bird Group established

2000s

2010s

2013 grazing/tourism resorts in national parks – cardinal principle overridden by provision for recreational/tourism uses, removed mandatory management planning and downgraded consultation
2013 NPAQ successful campaign preventing extension of stock grazing in NPs; NPAQ’s first female president
2014 Tracking of wider NPAQ member and supporter base 2,061; Qld NP Estate 8.75 million ha (over 5% of the State)
2016 Helped restore the cardinal principle, mandatory management planning and consultation
2017 NPAQ member and supporter base 5,380
2017-2018 Kids in National Parks booklets for SEQ and Tropical North Qld
2018 NPAQ successful campaign against revocation of part of Lindeman NP; Protected Area Alliance – 23 eNGOs; Cuthbertson Grant established
2019 Yabba Links National Park Proposal

2020s

Seeking recovery resourcing for post-fire weed and pest management
Seeking adequate funding for urgently needed Queensland Protected Area Strategy
Seeking declaration of Yabba Links National Park by 2021 ~20,000 ha
Seeking transition of native state forests – 2000 South East Queensland Forestry Agreement
Seeking national parks to be listed as a Matter of National Environmental Significance
April 2020 – NPAQ 90th Anniversary
2020 NPAQ member and supporter reach over 8,000

Presidents of NPAQ

Major Bequests