Family : Arecaceae

Traditionally home to the Ghungalu people the Blackdown Tableland rises abruptly above the surrounding dry plains not far from the massive Blackwater International Coal operations at Blackwater.
Located at an altitude of over 900 metres (3,000 feet), and almost on the Tropic of Capricorn in Queenslands Dry Tropics, Blackdown Tableland is home to one of the most species rich and diverse plant communities in Australia.
The Tableland, and Blackdown National Park is reached by leaving the Capricorn Highway just to the east of Dingo (183km west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland) and driving up the steep range to the top where commanding views of the surrounding plains can be had.These days the road to the top is sealed but care needs to be exercised particularly when nearing the top.
Blackdown Tableland National Park supports a diverse range of isolated plant communities including heathlands, dry eucalypt forests and moist pockets of Livistona palms, ferns, mosses and orchids while at the same time protecting spectacular sandstone scenery characterised by escarpments, gorges and waterfalls and a host of rare and interesting species only found in this locality.
After driving the winding narrow road up to the Blackdown Tableland we rounded a bend and were pleasantly surprised, when almost at the top, to find a very small and isolated colony of flowering Livistona fulva (July) thriving in under the protection of the sandstone cliffs near the very top of the Blackdown Tableland.

HERE is an interesting Palm Talk forum blog with many excellent images from members of the famous Rat Pack Palm Exploration and Research team.
The information below is quoted from the above mentioned forum.

LIVISTONA FULVA
"There are many unique plants growing on these tablelands, and from a palm perspective, they are the home of Livistona fulva, also known as Livistona sp. "Blackdown". This palm is one of the more attractive members of the genus, with stiff leaves which have a bronze waxy surface under the leaf. On the tablelands they grow to approximately 60ft tall(18-20 metres), the trunk smooth and approximately 10-12 inches thick."(25-30cm)
This palm is tolerant of a wide range of conditions, from high heat and humidity down to below freezing temperatures. Given suitable water and fertiliser, it grows at a reasonable rate."