Why is the Daintree Rainforest important?
The Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland is important because it is one of the oldest tropical rainforests on Earth, estimated at about 180 million years old, and home to rare plants and animals.
The Daintree is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, listed in 1988. It contains many primitive flowering plant families that help scientists understand plant evolution.
The rainforest is home to cassowaries, Bennett's tree kangaroos, musky rat-kangaroos and many frogs and birds found nowhere else.
Handed back
In 2021, the Daintree National Park was handed back to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, who now jointly manage it with the Queensland Government.
At Cape Tribulation, the rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, the only place where two World Heritage Areas meet like this.
Visitors cross the Daintree River by cable ferry.
Conservation groups have bought back many private blocks of land in the lowland forest to stop clearing and protect cassowary habitat. Tourism is a major part of the local economy, with boardwalks, river cruises to spot crocodiles and guided night walks. The area is also home to the Kuku Yalanji people's cultural sites and stories, which visitors can learn about on guided walks.
Did You Know?
The idiot fruit, a primitive flowering plant, was rediscovered in the Daintree in 1970.