Cape Melville National Park (CYPAL)

Rugged yet beautiful, Cape Melville National Park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land) features the rocky headlands of Cape Melville, impressive granite boulders of the Melville Range, sandy beaches of Bathurst Bay, sandstone escarpments and inland dunes.

This park is isolated and many plants and animals, such as the foxtail palm, are found only here and nowhere else in the world.

Bush camp on the eastern side of Bathurst Bay near Cape Melville in one of several camping areas along the beach, or at Ninian Bay camping area on the park’s eastern coast. Walk along the sandy beaches of Bathurst Bay or take the short track up to the Mahina monument that commemorates lives lost in the pearling fleet disaster of 1899. Fish and boat in the adjacent marine parks. Take your mountain bike or trail-bike along the park’s internal roads and tracks.

This park is extremely remote and visitors must be well prepared and entirely self-sufficient. Be aware of estuarine crocodiles (be croc wise) and dangerous stinging jellyfish. Camp only in the designated areas.

The park is jointly managed by the Cape Melville, Flinders and Howick Islands Aboriginal Corporation and the Queensland Government in accordance with an Indigenous Management Agreement.