The Daintree Rainforest north of Cairns in Tropical Far North Queensland Australia is one of the most diverse and beautiful examples of Mother Nature in the world. It is home to the largest range of plants and animals on earth, and all are found within the largest chunk of rainorest in Australia - an area spanning approximately 1200 square kilometres.
This World Heritage Listed area contains the highest number of plant and animal species that are rare, or threatened with extinction, anywhere in the world. The Daintree Rainforest is a unique area, precariously balanced between the advances of development and the warnings of environmentalists.
The Daintree Rainforest contains 30% of frog, marsupial and reptile species in Australia, and 65% of Australia's bat and butterfly species. 20% of bird species in the country can be found in this area. And it all lives in an area that takes up 0.2% of the landmass of Australia.
The Daintree Rainforest's addition to the World Heritage List in 1988 in recognition of its universal natural values highlighted the rainforest as being:
- An outstanding example of the major stages in the earth's evolutionary history
- An outstanding example of significant ongoing ecological and biological processes
- An example of superlative natural phenomena, and
- Containing important and significant habitats for conservation of biological diversity.
The Daintree Rainforest is over one hundred and thirty-five million years old – the oldest in the world. Approximately 430 species of birds live among the trees, including 13 species that are found nowhere else in the world.
For tourists, this unique corner of the world offers an outdoor holiday that few other places on the globe can match. There are hiking trails, scenic lookouts, camping sites, picnic tables and swimming holes to be explored in the Daintree. In addition, visitors to the area can stay in eco-friendly accommodation and eat at cafes and restaurants that specialise in local delicacies.
The Daintree has everything a wilderness lover can ask for. But the most important drawcard to the area is a product Australia is famous for: life-threatening flora and fauna. Make no mistake; if you want to be chewed on by a croc, chomped on by a snake or nibbled by a spider, the Daintree Rainforest could be just what you are looking for.
