What are the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia?
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are a World Heritage Area of rainforest reserves in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland. They contain plants with ancestors dating back to the supercontinent Gondwana.
The area was first listed in 1986 and extended in 1994. It includes about 50 separate reserves, among them Lamington, Springbrook, Border Ranges, Dorrigo and Barrington Tops national parks.
These rainforests hold the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world, as well as warm temperate and cool temperate rainforest. Many plant families found here date back to when Australia was joined to Antarctica and South America.
Living fossils
Ancient trees such as Antarctic beech grow on high ridges, some of them thousands of years old. The area also protects rare animals, including the Albert's lyrebird, the marbled frogmouth and the eastern bristlebird.
Volcanic landscapes, especially around the ancient Tweed Volcano, create dramatic cliffs and waterfalls. Mount Warning, called Wollumbin, is the volcano's central plug.
Bushfires in 2019 burned parts of the area that rarely burn, raising concern about the rainforests' future.
Did You Know?
The Gondwana Rainforests were previously known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves.