Earth:Mount Lidgbird

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Short description: Mountain in Australia
Mount Lidgbird
Mount Ledgbird; Big Hill[1]
LordHoweIsland MtGower 346.JPG
Mount Lidgbird photographed from the summit of Mount Gower
Highest point
Elevation777 m (2,549 ft)
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 31°33′S 159°05′E / 31.55°S 159.083°E / -31.55; 159.083[1]
Geography
Mount Lidgbird is located in Australia and New Zealand
Mount Lidgbird
Mount Lidgbird
Location off the coast of New South Wales, on Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea
LocationLord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia
Geology
Mountain typeVolcanic

Mount Lidgbird, also Mount Ledgbird and Big Hill,[1] is located in the southern section of Lord Howe Island, just north of Mount Gower, from which it is separated by the saddle at the head of Erskine Valley, and has its peak at 777 metres (2,549 ft) above sea level.

The trek to the summit is for expert climbers only. Ropes are needed to scale the cliffs and slippery, steep terrain. In comparison, Mount Gower is an easy hike. Halfway up the mountain is Goat House Cave, a former shelter for 19th-century Kentia palm gatherers. From this spot, visitors can see nesting masked boobies and numerous red-tailed tropicbirds.[2]

Mount Lidgbird photographed from the ascent of Mount Gower

Etymology

Mount Lidgbird is named by the naval officer Captain Henry Lidgbird Ball in honour of his father, George Lidgbird Ball.[1] Ball junior first sighted Lord Howe Island in 1788[3] while he was on his way to Norfolk Island in the ship HMS Supply. He also named the nearby rock outcrop Ball's Pyramid.[3]

Flora

Cryptocarya forest, one of two types found on the island, the other being palm forest, is found in patches on the slopes of the mountain between elevations of 350 to 600 metres (1,150 to 1,970 ft) above sea level.[4]

Palm species growing on the mountain include Hedyscepe and Lepidorrhachis.[5]

See also

  • List of mountains in Australia

References