Wemu the Emu

Wemu came to live at the park as a 2 day old orphan in 2013.

Male emus incubate and rear their chicks for about 10 months.

Emus eat grass, fruit & insects and grow to approximately 6 feet tall

A special trait of Emus is that they have a double feather from each quill.

The feathers are used commercially for fishing flies.

The Megalania (Megalania Prisca or Varanus Priscus) that inhabited Australia during the Pleistocene era (-2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago)

This is the largest Terrestrial Lizard and grew up to 25 feet long. It possessed toxin secreting oral glands, is related to the modern day goanna, and was carnivorous

It became extinct approximately 40,000 years ago on the arrival of humans

Fossil remains have been found at Mt Surprise and the surrounding district of Lava Plains.

Miniature Horses

There are a variety of mini horses on site at the Tourist Park.

Mini horses are a mini version of normal sized horses, and they were originally bred in Europe in the 1600’s for the nobility.

One of the oldest buildings in the Gulf is the Telegraph Station/Post Office building

The Telegraph Station was built in approx 1870 at Junction Creek (10 kms away)

In 1911 the building was moved to Mt Surprise where it doubled as the local Post Office.

In 1942 it became an important communication part of the war effort as a Telegraph link to England via Cape York Peninsula.

It ceased operating as a Post Office in the early 1990’s, and became a private residence.

The building has since been given a new lease of life as a gem/mineral/fossil gallery, due to open in 2016. Included is an extensive collection of historical information regarding Radar Hill, the early warning radar system to alert authorities of any incoming air attacks for the Townsville and Tablelands areas.