The
Daintree Rainforest
The
Daintree Rainforest is located north of Cairns in
the Daintree Region of Far North Queensland
Australia. Within this Daintree Region lies some
of the most visited sites, Mossman Gorge, Daintree
River and Cape Tribulation.
The Daintree Rainforest is a living museum dating
over 135 million years. It is believed to be the
oldest continuous living rainforest in the world
and is home to the most diverse range of plants
and animals on earth.
This
area known as the Daintree Rainforest was World
Heritage Listed in 1988 in recognition for its
universal values and to ensure long term
preservation.
The Daintree Rainforest is home to
one of the highest populations of primitive
flowering plants in the world. Of 19 primitive
plant families on earth, 12 are found in the
Daintree. One of the rarest and primitive
flowering plant species found in the Daintree
Rainforest is the Ribbonwood (Idiospermum
australiense) also known as the Idiot fruit. Its
discovery in the Cape Tribulation National Park in
1970 has been Australia's most significant
botanical find. There are also over 31 species of
mangroves found along the sheltered sections of
the Daintree coast and in the river deltas. They
feature the highest diversity of this habitat type
in Australia.
The Daintree
River is known as a naturalists paradise, it is
home to a diverse ecosystem, boasting a vast array
of animal and plant life, including ferns,
orchids, epiphytes, as well as butterflies, fish,
diverse bird life and the elusive 'Estuarine'
Saltwater Crocodile, as well as breathtaking
scenery.
Another distinctive
plant of the Daintree Coast is the fan palm (licuala
ramsayi). The flexible stem of the fan palm can
withstand cyclones, with the large palm fronds
folding up in strong winds which would otherwise
strip them.
The Daintree Rainforest also
boasts an enormous range of wildlife including the
tree kangaroo, musky rat kangaroo, cassowaries,
boyd's forest dragons, lizards, frogs,
butterflies, bats, brush turkeys, scrub fowls and
over 430 other species of birds which include 13
species not found anywhere else in the world.
The Daintree National Park is part of a region in
Tropical North Queensland called the "Wet
Tropics", where the seasons are determined by
rainfall or lack of it. This is where the "wet"
and "dry" replace the more familiar four seasons.
During the 'Wet Season' November to April, there
are heavy frequent downpours usually only lasting
a few hours at a time and high humidity. The 'Dry
Season' from May to October, the weather offers
warm days, cooler nights and low humidity.
The Daintree Rainforest is adjacent to another
World Heritage Area the Great Barrier Reef, making
it the only place in the world where to World
Heritage Areas meet.
