Rainforests

 

Australia's rainforest is said to be about 100 million years old, and the oldest rainforest on Earth. In comparison, the Amazonian Rainforest is only about 10 million years old.

Australian consists of two million hectares of rainforests covering only 0.3% of the continent, however, it contains about 5% of all the rainforest species worldwide. Even though it covers only less than 0.5% of the continent, it contains 50% of the country's native flora and fauna. In contains about 20,000 flora species, of which about 15,000 are derived from tropical, sub-tropical, warm temperate or cool temperate rainforests.

The lushness and diversity is obvious to anyone who wanders through the rainforests. What isn't obvious, is that this lushness springs from a virtual desert. The soil quality undernerneath the towering giants and blossoming forest floor isn't much richer than you would find in the Australian outback. The rainforest plants come from nearly every soil type in Australia with the possible exception of high pH alkaline soils. While we imagine deep organic-rich soils to be the preferred habitat, deep sand and tough clays also support the luxuriant growth.

Queensland is the home of the most inspiring rainforests and waterfalls in Australia. In some areas it can be so thick that if you wander a metre off the track or road, there is a strong possibility you could get lost. It possesses every colour of the rainbow in flora, and has a wonderful biodiversity that native inhabitants still use as natures kitchen and pharmacy. There are many tours available to take advantage of the culture of the rainforest, or, you might be happy viewing its spleadour from above in one of the may tours flights that will take you so close you could touch the tops of the trees!

Best experienced along a boardwalk, or with a walk lead by a ranger or local guide. A night walk is particularly memorable, during one we saw: boyds forest dragon able to change colour to match its surroundings; a long nosed bandicoot scurrying around the forest floor; wild feral pigs, and dozens of cane toads.

Northern Queensland's Rainforest has the highest diversity of endemic species anywhere in the world. Also known as the 'Wet Tropics' has, the terrestrial part of north-eastern Queensland, has Australia's highest rainfall and thus supports the continent's main tropical rainforest.

Visit the Daintree Rainforest and view the beauty of the Flame trees that edge it. The Daintree Rainforest is unique for its high concentration of plant and animal species all within the largest remaining piece of untouched and pristine rainforest wilderness remnant in Australia. Here the flowering plants are so abundant that the instense competition for pollinators has led to very specialised relationships between plant species and their pollinators. Giant Fig Trees send down curtains of aerial roots to the forest floor in search of additional nutrients. Brilliantly coloured Blue Parrots greet visitors to the rainforest. Unfortunately also, the same parrots are in danger of depleting in number because of the black market bird trade overseas. Crocodiles and Caimans, which inhabit many of the waterways in the Daintree, also suffer at the hands of poachers.

Twelve of the world's 19 primitive plant families are found on the Daintree coast. The Daintree coast is famous for its landscape of striking diversity from vine forests growing on coastal dunes to stands of rare trees surviving on sheltered creek banks. It is here you will find the highest concentration of primitive families on earth. It is the only place in Australia with an intact Aboriginal rainforest culture, going back more than 10,000 years. One of the distinctive plant communities of the Daintree coast are the fan palm forests consisting of flexible stems that can withstand cyclones, and the large palm fronds fold up in strong winds which would otherwise strip them.

The Daintree River 168km long of which 32km is tidal, lined by mangrove swamp, over 34 species of mangrove just long athe Daintree, within the tidal reaches, inhabited by the so so dangerous estuarine (saltwater) crocodile.

Cape Tribulation National Park remarkable diversity and sheer number of species of plants and animals, take the Marrdja Boardwalk through the rainforest mangroves.

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